Lucky's Story, Part I

Lucky was an accident. Or rather, his joining this household was an accident. We'd lost Jessie in June of 2004 and had no intention of getting another dog anytime soon. Some people, upon losing a beloved pet, can go right out and adopt another dog or cat - both to help another animal in need and to fill the void. I am not one of those people. A new dog was the last thing on my mind in September 2004 when a series of hurricanes (Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne) plowed through the southeast.

One of these storms, Frances, flooded a local no-kill "shelter." I use that word loosely, because it was a facility that the state and PETA had been attempting to shut down for years. I knew nothing of this, however, when I responded to a plea on the local news for volunteers to assist in the emergency care of almost 600 animals being temporarily housed at an old state prison of Stoney Mountain Road.

 Words can hardly do justice to what I found when I arrived. Cages and crates were everywhere. Dogs were lying in their own waste, and many of the crates were out in the broiling sun. I grabbed anything I could find on the ground - pieces of cardboard, a jacket some volunteer had dropped - and placed these things on the tops of the crates to provide some shelter from the sun. I walked dogs, I helped clean cages, I poured kibble into bowls. And I left traumatized. How could a shelter have so many animals? How could they possibly be properly cared for?

The story came out in the days and weeks that followed, and is detailed in the article below from the PETA website. Warning - this material is disturbing. I've only read the summary article, not watched the video. And I haven't read the in-depth report of the investigation. I find stories about animal cruelty and neglect too disturbing, and they haunt me. However, the article describes what PETA found when they conducted an undercover investigation in response to complaints about this shelter. http://features.peta.org/AllCreaturesGreatAndSmall/

A less graphic article detailing how the shelter was finally shut down on February 1, 2008 can be found on the Animal Legal Defense Fund website:

Free at Last! ALDF Helps Shut Down Nightmare "Shelter"
http://www.aldf.org/article.php?id=571

And for those interested in the flood itself, the following link is the text from an archived newspaper article describing the rescue of the animals from the flooded shelter.
http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/Hurricane%20Frances%202004.htm

(to be continued)

Traveling With (or Without?) Pets

It's always hard to leave the furry kids behind when traveling (particularly when they insert themselves into the suitcase!), but sometimes it's just not practical to take them along. I love taking the dogs on trips when circumstances permit. Lucy, not so much. I know that cats can make good traveling companions, since I have friends who regularly take their cats along on trips. My friend's sister even took her cat on a road trip from North Carolina to Canada! I wouldn't make it to the state line with Lucy before leaping out of the car and running off screaming down the highway. She yowls insistently and constantly as if you are driving her to her execution. Her brother Linus, pictured above, wasn't much better.

Once I read that cats hate riding in the car because they associate the experience with going to the vet. This makes sense. The article recommended taking your cat for little rides around the neighborhood as part of an acclimation effort. "See? Isn't this fun? We're just riding around, and then we'll go back home!" It sounded like a great idea, so
I decided to try it.

I wish that I could insert a little drawing here to illustrate what that looked like. Picture a frazzled driver clutching at the steering wheel, eyes bugged out, driving up and down the neighborhood roads trying to shout soothing phrases to a yowling cat in the back seat. It never ceases to amaze me that such a diminutive black and white kitty can bring a large and rational human being to her knees so easily. I gave up after one try.

In my opinion, it's much easier to travel with dogs.

Abigail the Kitten

Once and a while I can't resist sharing some of the dogs and cats I encounter in my rescue work. This little handful of fluff is Abigail. I found that grumpy little face adorable, and somehow, miraculously, managed to resist the temptation to bring her home.

Whew.

Lucy would have never spoken to me again.

Can we go for a walk?

Santa's Little Helper

Anyone who has ever had a cat can probably attest to their "helpfulness" when you're trying to accomplish a task like wrapping gifts. Lucy likes to be right in the center of the action, supervising things.

It's all good till the curly ribbon comes out.



Is it time for a treat?

MEOW

Lucy wants something, heaven only knows what. She's skulking around the house, meowing loudly. It's her complaining voice too, not her happy voice. I've given her a treat, petted her, tried to engage her with a wadded up piece of paper, and finally - at my wit's end - opened the sliding door for her. Lucy stays indoors most of the time. There are just too many hazards out there. The neighbor's cat was killed by a coyote last year, and large hawks lurk overhead. But sometimes, when I can't take Lucy's meowing any longer, I give in. Fortunately, her outdoor forays only last 5 or 10 minutes. And lately what I've been doing is sending Lady out too, as a kind of bodyguard.

I'm not sure how, but I'd swear the dog knows what she's being asked to do. She'll stand nearby, watching Lucy the entire time she prowls around. Sometimes it even looks like Lady is scanning the surroundings for potential hazards. Lucy will give the yard a quick check, and when assured that no strange cats have trespassed, is content to come back in.

This morning, however, I stand with the door open, letting the icy cold air billow in for many long seconds, while Her Highness gingerly sniffs the air, ultimately deciding - "no, I don't think so, too cold."

Lucy has an impressive array of vocalizations to match her myriad wants and needs. She's not necessarily loud, although she'll certainly get loud if you aren't responding.

Have you ever watched someone trying to communicate in a foreign country? Often the hapless person will repeat the misunderstood phrase louder and slower, in an attempt to get the foreigner to understand.
"THE BATHROOM. WHERE....IS....THE.....BATHROOM?"
As if speaking louder will suddenly allow English to be translated into Italian or whatever.

Lucy does this. She starts out with a polite: "meow, mee-aeow, meoooow." But, if you can't figure out what she wants, she gets louder and slower, drawing out the meows. She'll look at you earnestly and repeat herself:

"Meow.....mee-aeow.....meoooow!"

A written description really can't do this justice, it's one of those things that has to be experienced to be appreciated. One trick that usually works to interrupt the cycle is an old down comforter. I fluff it up into a heap on the sofa, and pat the middle of it. "Look Lucy, look how nice. Don't you want to come see?" If I can entice her up there, she seems unable to resist the coziness of it. She'll begin kneading her paws into the soft folds, while I stroke her head and talk soothingly to her "Good kitty, go-o-o-d kitty." Then, quietly, oh so quietly, I tiptoe backwards away from her. If I remain very quiet and get lucky, often she'll decide to settle down in the blanket and take a nap. Whew!





Ahhhh... peace at last!!