In June,
700 cats were seized from the largest hoarding case The Humane Society has ever seen in the United States.
This happened just a few miles from my home.
According to the article, "People who needed to give up their cat and who visited Haven Acres likely got to see only the part of the facility that showed it in its best light, Animal Services Director David Flagler said.
"They thought they were taking their cats to a country club environment, and even some of our own staff thought the conditions were much better than what was found," Flagler said."
Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while will understand that I followed this case closely. We are animal lovers and rescue advocates, and have done a lot of volunteering and fostering throughout the past few years. I also have a personal connection to the situation; I went to school with the daughter of the man who was arrested in this case. I've talked to her on Facebook about the situation. She cut all ties with her 'father' years ago, and was so happy and relieved to hear that
the couple was finally arrested.
So I'm sure it will not come as any surprise to any of you that, when they announced that the cats were now available for adoption, I felt compelled to get involved.
The rest, five hundred and fifty cats, were at our local Humane Society, looking for homes.
And naturally, I knew one of them had to be mine.
It wasn't hard to find a cat to adopt; what was hard was to narrow it down to only one. But we already have four cats; one was my limit.
{she loves MY pillow.}
And once again, those of you who know me will not be surprised that the cat I chose has only one eye, and one kidney. I gravitate towards the animals that most people wouldn't want. There were many beautiful cats there. It's astounding how wonderful they look now, considering the condition they were in when the HSUS found them. One tiny cat that I really liked has gained three pounds since she was brought in. She only weighs about 5 pounds now. Three months of good care makes a world of difference.
I'm a huge fan of Forrest Gump, so when I saw a cage containing two cats with the labels "Forrest" and "Jennie", I naturally looked in. And that's when I saw my sweet one-eyed girl.
After being reassured by the vet that her kidney issues wouldn't require expensive medical care that we just can't afford, I knew Jennie was our girl. (I'm not sure if we'll keep the name or change it.)
She was born with two kidneys, but while at the "cat haven", she became pregnant and got an infection, involving her uterus. When the UF Vet School opened her up, they found severe infection and a mummified kitten. There were adhesions attaching it to her kidney, which is why it had to be removed as well as the reproductive organs. But she will be able to live just fine with one kidney. She was born with two eyes as well, but one ruptured due to untreated infection.
To me, she's beautiful, just the way she is.
She's settling in well. She explores when she feels like it, and hides when she feels like it, but mostly hangs out on my bed, on my pillow, looking out the window.
I hope she understands that she is safe now. She'll never be stuck in a cage again with minimal food and water. She'll always have a home, and food, and love.
AND!!
