Here we go again...

We are fostering two cats for a rescue in Hawkesbury that is full to the gills. 

Meet...

...Cocotte...

...and...

...Beatrice!

Sigh. I am pretty sad about these two. The other day, the rescue was notified that these cats would be euthanized or tossed in the street that night if they weren't taken away immediately.

They belonged to a pair of elderly sisters who hadn't told the landlord about the cats. When he found out, he said they had to go. Apparently the options were "toss in street" or "euthanize." The whole story is a little sketchy.

Operation Spay & Neuter in Hawkesbury asked me if I would foster them (I had previously offered up an empty "room" in our downstairs barn.) So they are with us for now. Gordon took them to our vet tonight for vaccines and exams.

Cocotte is 7 - 8 years old, spayed and in good health. She could stand to lose a couple of pounds!

I really like her. She's got backbone and personality! She loves to be petted and brushed. She has a playful demeanour, but is calm and quiet. She'll tolerate some lap time but she would rather sit next to you. She's a pretty dilute calico. She was a bit despondent the first few days she was here, but she is coming out of her shell now. She was a very good girl at the vet's this evening. 

But Beatrice, poor Beatrice... She is a long-haired calico. When the ladies from OSN picked her up, she was so matted it was like she has a turtle shell on. It was just a hard mass all around her body, and she could barely move. On top of that, she is almost completely blind. The ladies who had her said she has "shown up" two months prior and apparently did not know or did not care that she was blind and badly matted. The OSN ladies spent two hours shaving off Beatrice's mats... she is moving around well now! I can only imagine how much better she feels.

Our vets says she is 15 - 16 years old. She so reminds me of our Julius when he was in renal failure (the blindness, funny gait, etc) It would not surprise me if she turns out to have kidney problems. The vet is running some blood tests on her.

Clearly Beatrice may not be the most highly adoptable cat but the people who have met her this week have really fallen for her. She is no shrinking violet! She gets around well without her sight, eats like a horse, and likes fresh catnip and catnip toys. She enjoys being petted and gently brushed. My friend Sharron picked her up and cuddled her to her chest for some time and Beatrice was very happy with that. I've been enlisting people to come to spend time interacting with the cats. It is so good for cats and humans alike!

Poor Beatrice has  been declawed on the front. Both cats are spayed, and as of this evening, vaccinated.

So here I am, hoping against hope that someone will adopt these girls. They are not at all bonded so they don't have to go together! Cocotte hisses at Beatrice any time she comes near here, and Beatrice could not give a rat's ass about Cocotte... trust me on this! :)

It all makes me (more) despondent about humanity and how awful people can be to animals. I mean, who tossed out Beatrice two months ago before she came to the elderly sisters? ANd Cocotte is just a sweetheart. And you know these two are a drop in the buckets. There is a ridiculous number of unwanted cats (not to mention other animals!)

Still, I am trying to focus on the good people, like the ones who have come this week to cuddle and play with these two. My friend Christine brought her son Finn and they gave gentle attention to both girls (and brought toys and treats!) My friend Tina, Sharron and Kathleen have all come to spend time with these two cats so they aren't so lonely in the barn room. There are lots of good people in the world.

So I guess I'm hoping these two both find the loving homes they deserve. At 17, we really have all the cats we can manage/afford, and I would love to see these two in their dream homes. Sigh...