In addition to the cats and kittens who arrived from a neighboring farm as part of our feral barn cat rescue, we welcomed three special kitties to the sanctuary.
MALCOLM is a handsome young fellow of orange and white. He was adopted out as a kitten to a family by a local rescue organization. In less than two years, the family had decided to euthanize him due to his habit of not using the litter box. The rescue organization intervened, taking him back to save his life a second time. Knowing that we have a special place in our home and hearts for kitties with this…er, issue, they contacted The Lily Pond. We welcomed him to our special needs cat room and re-named him Captain Malcolm Reynolds. (If you caught the reference to the series Firefly, you would be correct!) Captain Mal has been a joy – so friendly and playful. He loves to chase feather toys, roll around in cat nip and purr contentedly on a lap. And you what? He uses the litter box just fine. What a good boy!
MAGGIE & BEBE are fluffy gorgeous sisters who began life as ferals but were given a home and care by a kind lady in the Hudson Valley. When she passed, her family worked diligently to find new homes for all her kitties. As a bonded pair that are incredibly shy, Maggie and Bebe were not strong adoption candidates. We were contacted and agreed to welcome them to our sanctuary. Similar in appearance, you can distinguish them by their facial markings: Maggie has black fur on her chin and Bebe has a little dot right on her pink nose! For the first month, the sisters stayed close together, hiding in kitty cubbies. Then Bebe began to accept a few gentle pets. We thought she would be the more outgoing of the two… wrong! It’s Maggie who has blossomed into a little love bug!
It was the routine of nightly treats that helped bring Maggie out of her shell. Intrigued by all the cats gathering around Susan for their bedtime snack, one night Maggie approached the group and made a soft, tentative mewing sound. Susan bestowed a generous handful of treats and Maggie happily hoovered them down while allowing a few gentle pets. Thus began a nightly routine of Maggie mewing softly for tasty treats AND affection! A lovely, dainty lady, she has warmed our hearts with her sweet soul.
