by Susan Bandy
ADELINE was one of the first kitties to arrive at the cat house in November 2016. She was a local who tried to cross a busy road at the exact same time that a car was speeding by. The accident shattered her pelvis and severed her tail. Fortunately, the next car stopped to pick her up off the road and rush her to Sheep Meadow Animal Hospital, where Dr. Patterson performed surgery to put her broken body back together. The operation was successful but left Addie incontinent. Dr. Patterson kept her at the hospital for several months, but no one claimed her. Furthermore, no one was interested in adopting an incontinent cat. That’s when we were asked if we could take her and we welcomed her into our family.
Addie was full of spunk and would often get the zoomies, zipping around the room so fast that she frequently went crashing into the food bowls. We nicknamed her our Miracle Kitty because of her amazing recovery and her love for life. Over the years, we’ve had to monitor her health closely due to complications from her accident. Finally, the day came when antibiotics could no longer correct the complications. She was beginning to lose the ability to eliminate due to neurological deterioration. This caused her to stop eating, so we had several emergency trips to the vet. She continued to get worse, losing weight and feeling miserable. Dr. Patterson did everything to stabilize her, but we realized it was a losing battle. Her broken little body was shutting down. With heavy heart, I made the difficult decision to gently assist her over the rainbow bridge at the end of September.
We love you Addie. You were an inspiring example of overcoming odds — not just surviving but thriving. Thank you for being a beloved part of our family. May you run free, zooming across the starts and swishing your beautiful tail.
MARTA was Queen of the Kitchen Sink. In fact, she owned the whole kitchen counter, where she spent her days yelling at us to turn on the faucet. None of the plebeian community water bowls for this gal! She only wanted to drink artisanal waters directly from the source.
Marta arrived at the sanctuary from a situation of neglect. Her previous owner was a mentally challenged woman who was evicted from her apartment when the accumulation of garbage and the overflow of sewage alerted the landlord to a problem. Animal Control seized Marta and delivered her to a local humane society. Due to a weepy eye, the shelter decided to euthanize her immediately with no chance for adoption.
Fortunately, a staff member called her friend in animal rescue, who was at the shelter within the hour to save Marta from a dismal fate. The rescue worker called The Lily Pond from her car and we agreed to accept Marta. She only needed a short round of antibiotics to clear up her eye.
Upon arrival, Marta immediately staked her claim to the kitchen counter, hovering near the faucet when she wasn’t dragging and sloshing water bowls all around the house. We initially nicknamed her “Marta Mermaid” because of her obsession with water, until we realized that Marta’s preoccupation with the kitchen faucet was a coping mechanism she developed at her prior home where she was not receiving food or water. Thankfully those days were behind her and she adjusted quickly to life at the sanctuary. Never much a fan of other cats, Marta did love to be pet and cuddled by people.
In the Spring of this year, we began to notice that she was feeling off. When her tummy began to bloat, we rushed her to Sheep Meadow Animal Hospital. The test results showed no cancer or infection, but delivered the devastating confirmation that Marta was in advanced stages of liver failure. We were heart broken and did our best to keep her comfortable over the next few months, routinely having the fluid accumulation in her stomach drained to make it easier for her to breathe. Abner started napping on the counter next to Marta, offering her cuddles and comfort. By early October, Marta began to decline rapidly and we lost our sweet, sassy girl before the month was over. She left a big hole in our hearts and in the cat house. The kitchen isn’t the same without her patrolling the counter, making loud demands for the water to flow from the faucet. I smile whenever I think of her quirky habit and sassy attitude, which brings comfort.
