It was nothing less than a last-minute miracle in our minds for our two sweet fosters, Tom and Jerry (i'd posted a picture or two in another thread), yesterday!
Quick background - I encountered them at the shelter I volunteer for, curled together into a tight orange ball, shaking at the back of their cage. My heart just broke for them, so I asked if I could foster them and help socialize them. 6 weeks later they were wonderful with me and my husband, but still very very stranger shy. I knew going back to the shelter was going to be so rough for them - they would never be "come to the front of the cage and look for love"....which is what alot of adopters at a shelter look for. But they were getting so big the shelter wanted them back while they still retained a bit of their "kitten cuteness."
They were scheduled to go in yesterday morning at 6:40 am for neutering and a permanent return to the shelter. We'd exhausted all of our contacts and then some. We knew it'd take a special someone (or someones) to get that, while they've grown into boys who sleep with me (and on me) any chance they get....they tended to hide when anyone came to check them out. And, as I've noted before, that's kind of the kiss of death for a cat or kitten in a shelter. Then unbelievably, while I was crying at what lay ahead for them, an email came in. The short version was that it was an amazing litany of coincidences that the info on these boys had even reached the person who emailed me. But even more amazing - she said when she saw their picture she "just knew they were meant to be home with her" and not meant to spend another minute in a cage at a shelter. She rushed over last night to meet the boys - and the boys (although still undeniably stranger shy) took to them unlike they had for anyone else. No - Tom and Jerry didn't rush to be picked up and cuddled - which is what most adopters want. But they did come out and play, and even eat a few treats. And for the couple who now have them home - it was love at first sight.
And they lived up to their promise to Tom and Jerry - they met me (and Bruce) at the shelter before the boys could even be unloaded after their neutering into a temporary cage...and took them straight home! Not a minute in a cage. And their adopter kept me updated last night with a steady stream of notes about how happy she was to have them there, and how they'd actually come out to sleep in the tiny rubbermaid container they'd slept in at our house (we sent it with them).
None of us could have asked for a more surprising, happy ending.
(here's a picture of Tom, right, and Jerry, left).
Quick background - I encountered them at the shelter I volunteer for, curled together into a tight orange ball, shaking at the back of their cage. My heart just broke for them, so I asked if I could foster them and help socialize them. 6 weeks later they were wonderful with me and my husband, but still very very stranger shy. I knew going back to the shelter was going to be so rough for them - they would never be "come to the front of the cage and look for love"....which is what alot of adopters at a shelter look for. But they were getting so big the shelter wanted them back while they still retained a bit of their "kitten cuteness."
They were scheduled to go in yesterday morning at 6:40 am for neutering and a permanent return to the shelter. We'd exhausted all of our contacts and then some. We knew it'd take a special someone (or someones) to get that, while they've grown into boys who sleep with me (and on me) any chance they get....they tended to hide when anyone came to check them out. And, as I've noted before, that's kind of the kiss of death for a cat or kitten in a shelter. Then unbelievably, while I was crying at what lay ahead for them, an email came in. The short version was that it was an amazing litany of coincidences that the info on these boys had even reached the person who emailed me. But even more amazing - she said when she saw their picture she "just knew they were meant to be home with her" and not meant to spend another minute in a cage at a shelter. She rushed over last night to meet the boys - and the boys (although still undeniably stranger shy) took to them unlike they had for anyone else. No - Tom and Jerry didn't rush to be picked up and cuddled - which is what most adopters want. But they did come out and play, and even eat a few treats. And for the couple who now have them home - it was love at first sight.
And they lived up to their promise to Tom and Jerry - they met me (and Bruce) at the shelter before the boys could even be unloaded after their neutering into a temporary cage...and took them straight home! Not a minute in a cage. And their adopter kept me updated last night with a steady stream of notes about how happy she was to have them there, and how they'd actually come out to sleep in the tiny rubbermaid container they'd slept in at our house (we sent it with them).
None of us could have asked for a more surprising, happy ending.
(here's a picture of Tom, right, and Jerry, left).
