Community Rescue Stories

There are many kind and compassionate people in our community who have rescued animals. They may have brought home an orphaned kitten found on the street or decided to desex and keep the hungry cat who took refuge in their backyard. Without their thoughtfulness and intervention, the animals they rescued would not be alive today.

CatRescue is lucky enough to hear some of these amazing rescue stories, and we thought it would be great to share them with the wider public. It is not just heart warming, but inspiring to know there are so many good people prepared to help the animals fortunate enough to cross their path.

For people rescuing stray animals there are always some hurdles encountered – some are complex, but the majority of problems can be solved by thinking creatively. If you have found a stray animal and are not sure how to proceed, then by reading these stories and learning about how other people have approached similar situations you are bound to find the answers and inspiration you need.

If you have rescued an animal, please email us your story (and if possible a photo) to info@catrescue.com.au. Together we can create a wealth of information on how to help animals in need.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Selina & Her Kittens

I’ve worked at my current office for the last five years but I’ve only really noticed the office cat for the last six months or so, though my colleagues have said she’s been around longer. Being a stray she comes and goes as she sees fit. I didn’t even consider whether she was male or female when I started feeding her during my lunch breaks. We all just referred to her as ‘the cat’. So it was a surprise to me when one day I found her hiding in the bushes with four kittens, a beautiful mix of colours.  It was at this point I realised I had to do something or soon there would be another litter later.

Every day I fed them but couldn’t get close to the kittens, they were all way too shy. My colleagues teased me a bit and call me ‘Cat-Man’ the superhero, but they were supportive too and have helped buy the cat food on occasion. In November I began putting out traps that I had borrowed and got pretty lucky in that I caught mum and three kittens within two days. The final kitten wouldn’t go near a trap and after several unsuccessful attempts a couple of my co-workers agreed to help me catch her by hand.

I took them to my local vet who checked their health and de-sexed the mum. The kittens were very frightened but after a fortnight of keeping them at home I slowly gained their trust. At 8 weeks of age I was able to have them desexed and a friend of mine from work quickly adopted a pair. I kept the other two, a marmalade girl I call Olive, and her black and white brother Popeye.

Mum was just too wild to re-home so I let her have a week to recover from her surgery before releasing her back outside my office. I still feed her every day but what pleases me most is when I hear people comment on how much healthier she looks. I had never even noticed she was unhealthy but now I can see the difference. The other difference is that people in the office no longer refer ‘the cat’; they call her Selina.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Sophie & the Street Cats

Last year I began to notice some cats hanging around the back of my parent’s shop. They were very thin and skittish, and although I wanted to feed them I didn’t want to encourage them to stay. However after a while we felt so sorry for them that my mum began leaving bowls of food and water out.

This went on for a couple of months without any problems. The cats (there were three regulars and another two who would turn up occasionally) were quiet and we kept the back of the shop clean, and made sure they had somewhere dry and warm to sleep.

But in September I realised that two of the cats were pregnant and shortly afterwards my dad found a litter of new born kittens in a pile of scrap metal. We became so worried and imagined that we would have so many more animals to feed and care for and that the numbers would be never ending. We did not know what to do because we love animals but could not afford to have so many living behind the shop, also it might cause problems with the neighbours.

I tried to find homes for the cats who we knew were not pregnant, but because they were so frightened it was impossible to even get close to them. There seemed no way forward. Very sadly my dad decided to ring the council who came to trap the cats. I knew in my heart that no one would want them because they could not be touched and that they would only go to the pound to be put to sleep.

Council rangers came and trapped the mother and took her kittens from where she had hidden them, they also trapped the other adult who was not pregnant. But the noise of the trap and the strangers in the yard were enough to frighten all the other cats away. After waiting for another hour the council rangers decided to leave.

That afternoon the last pregnant cat did not return, nor did the others. The yard was empty without them and we all felt very sad about what had happened. I rang the council the next day and was told that the pound had decided to euthanase the cats they had trapped. Even though I had never touched them, I had grown so close to them and was devastated to know they were gone. The only reason we had done anything at all was because we could not have them breeding out of control.

A few days later I was so happy to see the pregnant cat sitting next to bins in the laneway next to the rear of our shop. I quickly put out her favourite food and she came running. Despite being overjoyed at having her return I noticed something different about her. She was no longer pregnant, and had recently given birth. The same problem all over again – but this time I was determined to find a way to rehome her kittens and have her desexed. I also gave the cat a name, Sophie.

I made some enquiries and spoke to a volunteer at CatRescue. I was advised that I needed to wait until the kittens were 8 weeks old before they could be rehomed but that they needed to be caught at 6 weeks of age (when they were weened) so they could be socialised. Unfortunately CatRescue did not have room to take the kittens but would provide me with advice on how to care for them, and when the time came they would arrange for the kittens to be vaccinated, microchipped and desexed, and advertise them on their website to find homes. They would also have Sophie desexed.

Sure enough, a month later when I went outside to feed Sophie I saw six little kittens playing around her. They were just beautiful and she looked like a very proud mum. During the next two weeks I spent a lot of time at the back of the shop so the kittens could get used to my presence. Sophie had moved them to the area where she used to sleep with her two sisters. I increased their one meal to three meals a day to make sure the kittens were getting enough food (plus the other stray cats had returned) and would sit near the bowls while they ate, again hoping to gain more of their trust.

When the kittens were 6 weeks of age my mum and I borrowed a trap and caught Sophie. Then using towels over our hands and cat carry boxes we managed to catch the kittens. It was very stressful and sad to take them from their mum, but we knew that it offered them the best chance they had to live long and happy lives.

I rang CatRescue again and told them I had caught Sophie and her kittens. They immediately booked Sophie in to be desexed and I left her at the vet that evening. The volunteer then taught me how to set up a safe, secure room to keep the kittens in while I tried to socialise them, and explained about worm and flea treatment. But I was really worried about bringing the kittens home because I already have a cat and live in a small terrace house, but I accepted that there were no other options.

After Sophie was desexed she stayed at the vet for a few nights to fully recover. The vet said that Sophie was very healthy and that this had been her first litter. They think that she had probably been dumped as a kitten and had learnt to be frightened of people in order to survive. When I released her at the back of the shop and saw her scurry away I was worried that she would never return. But just as before Sophie found it in her heart to forgive us, and two days later I saw her sitting outside waiting to be fed.

The six kittens were socialised very quickly and without too much effort. This was very lucky because my cat was stressed about having them around, so I needed to be able to find them homes as soon as possible. For the first few days he hissed and growled at me if I smelt like the kittens after handling them, and would wait outside their room meowing. I felt terrible causing him so much worry, but I had no choice and knew it would only be for a short time. I should not have worried too much because by the end of the first week after accepting lots of ‘food bribes’ my cat had forgiven me.

CatRescue organised to have the kittens desexed, vaccinated and microchipped when they were eight weeks old and advertised them on their website to try to find homes. Within two weeks they had all been rehomed, and were even adopted in pairs so they would always have someone to play and cuddle with and not be lonely.

I have since trapped and desexed the other two cats who were hanging around my shop. They all look healthier and there have been no more kittens. Sophie is a beautiful cat and I love watching her lying in the sun grooming herself. It has been a very good experience to know that we have saved these cats and found a way to stop them from breeding without having to take them to the pound.

My family and I felt very sad about what happened to Sophie’s sisters but we just did not know of any other way. We feel lucky to have Sophie, and I have slowly gained her trust so I am now able to stroke her.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Helping a Stray Dog

Coco is one of the most beautiful dogs I have ever laid my eyes on. She is also a one of the sweetest. I am so thankful that my friend and I were in the right place at the right time to find her.

Jane (my friend) and I decided to have a relaxing breakfast at a cafe in Sydney one 35 degree summers day in 2009. It was extremely hot and humid but we chose to sit outside at a table under a tree, which also happened to be positioned next to a water dish left out for thirsty dogs.

The very next minute an exhausted and filthy dog dragged herself into the outside section of the cafe and collapsed next to the water bowl. In two gulps she drained it of its contents. Jane and I were shocked by her condition. She had lost most of the fur from her back which was painfully swollen from a skin infection, her ears were full of mites and she was covered in fleas, her legs were very sore and stiff from arthritis, and she had several large growths which looked suspiciously like cancers. In addition to her poor health, she was obviously suffering badly from the heat and was extremely thirsty.

While Jane fed the dog her breakfast and filled the bowl with fresh water, I began asking people and staff in the cafe if they had seen where the dog had come from. When I pointed her out they also became quite concerned. After having no success I walked out on to the street and began door knocking. No one remembered seeing such a dog. I was surprised by this response, especially as this dog could not have walked far in her condition. She was too sick and barely able to move.

Many blocks later and across a couple of busy intersections, I finally found someone who nodded at my description of the dog. An older woman told me that the dog’s name is Coco and that she had been left to care for her when her son decided that he no longer had the time (or interest) to keep her. When I queried Coco’s terrible condition the woman said that she no longer wanted Coco and had never wanted, and resented, the responsibility in the first place. Coco also kept getting out of the yard and wandering the streets, and had recently been missing for over a week.

I was shocked at hearing this, but immediately asked if I could adopt Coco. The woman said yes, and agreed to give me her son’s number so I could also ask his permission. Amongst many other things I found out that Coco was 16 years old.

Jane and I rushed Coco to a vet where she had many tests performed on her. Amazingly, most of what was wrong with her health was surface deep and treatable (including the growths which ended up just being benign fatty lumps). After a fortnight of hospital care we were able to bring Coco home. It took many months of treating her skin before her fur grew back and she now has acupuncture and a special diet to help manage her arthritis.

A couple of weeks after finding Coco I re-visited the cafe, and while ordering a take away coffee I discussed what had happened with another customer. When I described to him what Coco looked like he looked shocked and said he recalled seeing her wandering the streets a few times in the days just before we found her. He remembered being worried about her but for some reason did not act on those feelings.

Even though I am so happy that Coco is now with us, it made me angry to think that someone could just turn a blind eye and not intervene (at the very least to give this poor dog a bowl of water or some food), she could easily have been hit by a car, died from heat stress, or been taken to the pound which is also a death sentence. How many hundreds of people did Coco walk past before she found Jane and I? It is so important that people always stop to help any animal who appears lost or in distress.

Over a year later and Coco is the perfect picture of health. I hope that I can spend as much time as possible with this very special dog and that I can give to her even a fraction of the happiness that she gives me.