As the title implies, there are cats at the shelter we call the “Residents”. My shelter, you see, is a no-kill cat shelter. Thank heavens! I know people that volunteer in Texas (yup, won’t play the politics game here, just saying the facts) at county-run animal control shelters. They burn out very quickly because of the high rate of euthanasia. And oh gosh, when a storm is predicted, it is really bad. Hmmm. I won’t get into it. I think you get the picture. All I know is I would not be able to volunteer there. Bless those folks!
So, beating around the rather large bush, sometimes we got cats in that simply cannot be adopted out. Granted, as the times have moved along, all of us in the animal rescue world have become more and more educated. Spay/Neuter/Release is probably one of the biggest programs we utilize. Our shelter will no longer have any new “Resident” cats. More on that in a different blog. When I started at the shelter in 2002, there were more than a handful of Resident cats. All of these cats were extremely difficult to handle, hence, making them unadoptable. We provided them a home that was safe. We provided them food, as much socialization as possible, water, and medical care. These cats were scattered throughout the shelter. There were always at least two in a room so they could comfort each other (and that they did!). There were very few exceptions to this.
As the years have passed, all but one of our Residents have made their way across the “Rainbow Bridge”. For more information on the entomology on the term “Rainbow Bridge”, please click on the link below.
That one remaining Resident is our dear Max. A few years ago, they tried to see how he would do with CBD for pets. He came out of his shell! We can pet him now, he purrs, and he actually asks for attention. A stunning transformation! Unfortunately, he lost his gal pal “Miss Peacock” recently, so all the volunteers spend extra time with him so he does not get lonely. He is one special kitty!
