{"id":2981,"date":"2021-05-28T08:44:04","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T12:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.letlovelive.org\/?p=2981"},"modified":"2021-06-17T11:34:35","modified_gmt":"2021-06-17T15:34:35","slug":"a-shelter-cats-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.letlovelive.org\/news\/a-shelter-cats-story\/","title":{"rendered":"A Shelter Cat\u2019s Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Sarah A. Neikam, Operations Manager<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Daylight again. The grass is wet and I don\u2019t like wet feet so I\u2019ll walk along the edge of the road to the house with the water bowl. After yesterday\u2019s close call with a car though, I have to be extra careful and cross even more quickly.<\/span><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The water bowl is almost empty. The food dish has been empty for days. I was friendly to the people here so they would be friendly to me, but they must have moved on. It\u2019s warming up fast and the sun is bright; time to head under the road for shade. I\u2019ll try for a rabbit tonight.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Daylight again. No rabbit, but I did catch a small mouse. This itching is horrible. I hear a new voice calling. Does she have food? \u201cOh, poor baby, you\u2019re so skinny, are you nice?\u201d she says. She reaches out and I sniff, touching my nose to her hand. I smell food. \u201cHere, do you like tuna?\u201d She puts a dish on the ground and the food inside smells wonderful! I take a bite and she moves the dish away. I move closer, another bite, and she moves it again, this time into a box. I sense danger, but the food is so good and I\u2019m so hungry. I go for it, take more delicious bites, and a door behind me snaps closed. I panic for a short time, but my hunger draws me back to the food. The box starts to move. \u201cIt\u2019s okay, kitty. We\u2019re going to get you some help. No more street life for you.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I finish the food and fall asleep in the box. Wake up in a new place. New smells. New voices. Lots of hands and faces and \u201cGood kitty\u201d words over and over. One of them pulls me from the box and holds me still while another one moves a big circle back and forth over me and says, \u201cNo chip.\u201d Eventually there is a new, bigger box, more food and clean water. I\u2019m tired.<\/p>\n

Daylight again. More, new voices and noises and other cats meowing. Someone opens my box, reaches in and places me on a cold table. \u201cIt\u2019s okay, open up for me.\u201d And she rudely pries open my mouth. Yuck! Bitter. Yuck! Again, she opens my mouth, but apologizes this time, and gives me a small pebble to swallow. \u201cThis will help with your itching,\u201d she says. At least it didn\u2019t taste bad.<\/p>\n

Another person and another pair of hands. She lays me on my side and holds me still. I\u2019m scared and just want to go back to the box. \u201cOkay bud, just a couple of quick pinches.\u201d Ouch! Ouch again! \u201cGood boy, you\u2019re okay.\u201d Finally, back in the box. I curl up on the soft blanket and recover from that very unpleasant experience. There is more food later. More noises, then quiet and I\u2019m tired again.<\/p>\n

A few daylights later, I\u2019m taken out of the box and put into a smaller one, like the one the nice lady with the tuna put me in. Will there be more tuna? They take me to a new room; it\u2019s colder here and there are strong smells. I hear other cats howling and dogs barking. A new person pulls me out of the box and places me on another cold table. More pokes and pinches and suddenly I\u2019m very, very sleepy.<\/p>\n

Daylight again. I feel heavy, can\u2019t focus my eyes. I smell food nearby and I\u2019m thirsty. There is another soft blanket, and it\u2019s warmer here. Later, I hear someone approach. \u201cHey bud! How ya feeling? You\u2019re such a good boy!\u201d Oh no, not another box. I don\u2019t want to move again, but I\u2019m too sleepy to resist. She places me in the small box and we travel to another new place, with more new smells and voices. Then I smell and hear more cats. Lots of cats!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

She opens the box and says \u201cOkay bud, this is you. C\u2019mon out. Good boy!\u201d. It\u2019s bright here. There is food and water, toys, a soft bed and a window to see outside. It\u2019s scary because it\u2019s new but I want to explore. I smell everything, eat the food and settle in for a nap.<\/span><\/div>\n

More daylights pass. There is always more food, water, and people. Their voices and smells are familiar now. They touch me gently and talk softly to me. I miss the outside smells and chasing rabbits, but this isn\u2019t so bad. The routine is comforting, and I feel safe.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Many daylights later, a woman opens my door and reaches out her hand. \u201cHello, handsome. How are you?\u201d She smells nice and I like her voice. We play with the string toy and the bell balls and she says \u201cI\u2019ll see you later, sweet boy!\u201d She comes back the next day and the next and finally again with a box of her own. The boxes have been scary but she makes me feel safe. She picks me up, kisses me on the head and says \u201cLet\u2019s go home, Charlie. I bought you some tuna!\u201d I don\u2019t know what the next place will be like, but if it\u2019s with her I know I\u2019ll be okay.<\/span><\/div>\n

June is \u201cAdopt a Shelter Cat Month\u201d and it\u2019s also the height of Kitten Season. There are so many cats living this story, waiting for you to give them a home, and many more waiting for that chance. See our adoptable cats online or meet them in person at 199 Willow Run Road, in Aiken, SC.<\/p>\n

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Sarah Neikam has been with the SPCA Albrecht Center since 2012 serving first as Volunteer Coordinator, then Digital Media Manager, followed by Marketing Director and now Operations Manager. Sarah lives in Aiken with her husband Tom and their three adopted cats: Bastian, Luna and Grady plus three \u201cformer feral\u201d cats: Willow, Big Boy & Phoebe.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The\u00a0SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare<\/a>\u00a0is a private, nonprofit, no kill animal shelter in Aiken, SC.\u00a0 The SPCA also operates a local\u00a0Thrift Store<\/a>\u00a0(“Where Shopping Saves Lives”),\u00a0 a public, affordable\u00a0Veterinary Care Center<\/a>\u00a0& a\u00a0Dog Park<\/a>.\u00a0 It is our mission to improve the lives of companion animals by rehoming abused, abandoned, and neglected pets while fighting for their well-being through vigorous legislative efforts, humane education, and by offering affordable veterinary care for all.<\/p>\n

WANT TO SUPPORT OUR HOMELESS ANIMALS?<\/strong><\/p>\n