Our family continues to grow as we welcomed three new kitties to The Lily Pond! They all came from feral colonies and each has special needs.
PATCHES & KABUKI arrived together on a cold December day. They had each been rescued from a feral colony, living with their rescuer. And then she was diagnosed with cancer. She was beginning treatment and the prognosis was good, but she felt the only responsible thing to do to ensure the long-term safety of the cats was to find them a new home.
Neither were strong adoption candidates due to their feral nature and special needs. She contacted The Lily Pond and we agreed to provide them with a forever home.
Patches is a black and white fellow approximately eight years of age. He was once someone’s pet but had been abandoned at the Orange County fairgrounds, where a feral colony was living. But Patches didn’t fit in. The other cats picked on him and prevented him from getting to the food. Then he was attacked by another cat and sustained a bad injury to his leg. The woman who was feeding the colony noticed Patches standing out in the rain, soaking wet and bleeding from his wound. So she trapped him and headed directly to the veterinary hospital.
Patches required surgery and a $4,000 vet bill to restore him back to health. He lived with his rescuer until her diagnosis resulted in his arrival at The Lily Pond. We placed Patches in the special needs cat room with Kabuki due to chronic IBS. He has led such a stressful life that it has permanently affected his digestion. Despite being shy, Patches will purr for back scratches… especially if you offer a handful of treats!
Kabuki was born into a feral colony approximately five years ago. He has beautiful coloring, but sports a distinctly grumpy expression even when he is content! Kabuki was having a difficult time of it in the feral colony, suffering from an eye infection and a wounded paw. His rescuer finally trapped him and got him to the vet pronto. This was no easy feat!
Kaubki is extremely feral and frightened of people. He is at the ready with teeth and claws whenever a human happens to cross his path. The veterinarian’s prognosis was not good. Kabuki required a blood transfusion and is FIV positive. The veterinarian gave him one month to live. His rescuer was not daunted, and took him home to nurse him back to health. He befriended Patches and two years later, he is doing well in his new home at The Lily Pond!
GERTIE is a gorgeous 10-month old kitten with tortoiseshell coloring. She was born into a feral colony of cats living near the prison in Hudson. One of the guards feeds the colony and works to trap, neuter and release them. He trapped Gertie and discovered that she was missing an eye. No one knows how this happened – perhaps an infection or more likely a cat fight. He had her spayed and released her back into the colony. But he had misgivings. If she were to lose the other eye, she would not be able to survive on her own. So he went back and re-trapped her. That’s when he contacted The Lily Pond about providing her with a home. We agreed and took her to the vet, only to discover that she is FIV positive. This complicated matters because our cats live together in a family setting. We could not risk Gertie
Gertie and Kabuki love to snuggle spreading FIV to the other cats.
Fortunately, we had set up a catio for Kabuki due to his FIV status. So we placed Gertie in the catio with Kabuki and were delighted to discover that they get along beautifully. They can often be found snuggling together in their kitty cubby.
Gertie is extremely shy, but she has a sweet disposition. Her preference is to hang out with cats and be left alone by people… thank you very much. But she does allow us to pet and hold her. She’s a hunter puts her ability on display when we dangle a feathered toy or toss a catnip mouse. We believe Kabuki is happy to have such a serene and gentle friend.
Since placing him with Gertie, Kabuki has calmed down considerably, no longer hissing and trying to claw us when we feed and clean. Instead of hiding when we walk in the room, Kabuki shows interest in how we’re interacting with the other cats. Gertie’s quiet presence has given him comfort and greater confidence in his safety.
