Diego's Chance

Each Wednesday morning when I volunteer for the Fort Collins Cat Rescue I go in and greet the kitties before I get down to the chores. I check the list of those that have been adopted first and I am happy for the ones that have been adopted but also sad. I miss them all when they go.

But then there is also sadness because once in a while we have a cat that for unclear reasons has been in the shelter longer than the 3 to 4 week stay for most of them. Occasionally we have ones that have been in the shelter for months. Sometimes it just takes some time for a cat to get over being scared and to get comfortable with people but that long of a stay is unusual. And at times we have a personality problem.

Diego was such a cat, a sturdy male with golden eyes, solid black, just plain solid. But he had a temper. You had to be careful cleaning his cage. I had a few scratches on the back of my hand to attest to it. It was true, Diego hated being in a cage and he took it out on everyone.

So the day my daughter, Jennifer informed me we needed some cats in our barn to keep the mice at bay and asked me if the FCCR had any cats that could be barn cats I was very hesitant. First of all I knew the FCCR only adopted to homes and second of all barn cats in our area had been lost to coyotes and foxes. But this would be her deal. I already had 4 cats in my house including one former barn cat I brought in when the temperature dropped below zero. But that is another story.

I had heard that, as an exception, since Diego had been in the shelter for  months without anyone wanting to adopt him, that he would be a candidate for being a barn cat. He certainly seemed to have an anti-social attitude.

The day we went to the shelter to check we discovered a very busy place. Lots of adoptions were going on. Jennifer had decided that she wanted to adopt two cats and as it turned out another cat was a candidate for barn cat status. Harlequin, a small tortie (tortoise shell is a black and brown color) cat that had been picked up along with her babies, had just weaned the kittens and they had been adopted. She was still looking for a home. and was very shy.She was on the wild side too. Jennifer’s 3 kids (4 and 6 yr olds) came along. The two cats peeked out of their cages with forlorn looks on their faces. When the kids saw Diego and Harlequin they fell in love with them

So after the required paper work we took them home to the barn. My daughter and I live on the same property and our two families share the barn and horse barn chores. We had an empty stall where I  set up an enclosure I  inherited from another cat shelter. I felt we could keep them there till they got used to being in a new place. But my daughter had other ideas.

She thought it would be better for them to get used to their surroundings right away. And she was right. At least at first. Once out of their carriers they both nosed around, found food and water and a litter box. Harlequin (Harley) found a soft place to lie down and Diego marched to the center of the stall, stretched out and looked at us as if to say. “I’ll take it”

Next: Diego’s Choice

Mookie Moves In

      The days after Polka Dot disappeared were dark and cold for me. But I wasn’t the only one. Moonbeam was by herself in the barn. More than once I would go out just to make sure the heating pad was working in her ‘warming house’. It was more important now that there was no other cat for her to snuggle up with. The temperature had dropped to 10 degrees and would probably be below 0 before this cold snap was through with us. When it was this cold I didn’t see her very often. She stuck close to the barn.
      But she was alone. All the time now. I know it has ben said that that cats are by nature solitary, but I don't believe it.  Little Moonbeam with only one eye was vulnerable with her gregarious sister no longer helping her.
     So after mulling it over in my mind I casually mentioned to John that if it got down to 0 degrees I would have to see if I could bring her in the house. ( I knew it would not be just for a visit) I knew I could probably pick her up and carry her in a carrier. I had been able to pick her up in the barn to doctor her once  but if it didn’t work it would be hard get her to come in again. She had actually come into the house a few times on her own, poked her head around and then run right back out.
     So I planned this elaborate plan where I would bring her into the house in a carrier and let her out while I kept the other cats in another room She very graciously went into the carrier where I had placed some treats. I closed the door and picked her up. I didn’t hear a sound. I got her to the house and let her out and she sat hunched over for a minute and then started slinking across the kitchen, belly to the floor.
     That first time she was comfortable for only a minute and then loud protesting meows came out of her small body. When I opened the sliding door she darted out and headed for the barn. She found her own way. Over the next few days as the temperature dropped more I brought her in several times. Only now she would follow me to the house from the barn. No need for a carrier. After a while she stopped protesting and was able to explore the rest of the house quietly.
     The day came when it was time for her to come into the house. I set up a wire kennel in the walk-in closet so she would have a relatively small area to observe her suroundingd. I kept a towel over the cage too, for the same reason.
     The first night I kept her in the kennel all night. She quit meowing after a while. In the morning I let the other cats into the room. It was mostly a non-event for Cookie and Lily. They walked by with hardly a notice. But Taffy, the laid back, more social kitty walked up to the kennel and gave it a good sniffing over. No hisses or growls. And then the next thing I saw was Taffy lying down beside the cage. She was Moonbeam’s first friend. I added a nick-name to her, it was Mookie, and since it sounded so much like her old name she responded to it instantly. She had taken the first step well, we would see how the rest would go. And even I was starting to feel better.