Squeaker had to live, to help adult cat out of her shell…. 

      Abandoned, motherless and only 5 days old, the 3 kittens were in desperate need of help.   If they did not get care soon, they would starve.  When we got the call, we immediately contacted our foster list to see who could bottle feed.  We had everything arranged when the tiny ones arrived and they were swiftly warmed and fed.

      Within a few days it was evident all was not well.  The kittens were not thriving, they would not eat and began to lose weight.  Within a few days we lost two of them, possibly due to distemper.  We tried our best to save them but were unsuccessful.  The third little one, though, did survive, even though she too tested positive for distemper.

      She was tiny, but was a fighter and the foster reported every day that she was holding her own.  Soon she was over the worst of it and began to grow and gain weight.  We altered her when she was old enough and she was ready to be made available and find her forever home. But little Squeaker, as we named her, after surviving this deadly illness now found herself ready for a new challenge:   Daphne.

      About a month before Squeaker came to us, we received a mom cat with kittens.  Theirs was a sad story.  The beautiful long haired orange mom with her 5 1-month old kittens had been living in a yard where the children in the family were very rough with her. When Mom Daphne got here, she was nervous, but soon adapted and raised her charming kittens.  Once they were weaned, however,  Daphne became more and more nervous and withdrawn.  We were worried about her.

      The foster parent who had Squeaker offered to take the mom cat to try and help her overcome her fears.  She thought that the lively kitten Squeaker would offer Daphne company and make her transition easier.  And that is exactly what happened.  Daphne adored Squeaker, grooming her and staying by her side.  Squeaker kept Daphne on her toes, pouncing on her and playing with her tail, almost as if she was giving Daphne the encouragement she needed to come out of her shell.  Daphne became friendlier with the foster and began soliciting interactions, asking to have her long coat brushed..

    When the two were brought to the Center to be available, we kept them together in one of the larger cat rooms where they could play and Daphne would not feel threatened.  Soon Daphne was coming out on her own and asking the volunteers to brush and pet her.  We moved Squeaker to another kennel to see how Daphne would do.  Daphne did great and turned on her charm and was adopted not long after Squeaker went home.

      So little Squeaker, who had been in danger as a young kitten, gave of her bright and outgoing personality to help a frightened mom cat show her true colors.  We are grateful to the foster who worked so hard with both these precious lives and to the families who gave them their forever homes.