by Lorraine Monfils
Every day we hear so many sad stories. So much violence and craziness going on in the world. Sometimes we just need to take a step back and re-group and sometimes we just need to hear a happy story to remind us that there is some good in the world. We are hoping Rudy’s story will bring a smile to your face.
In August I received a phone call about a stray cat that had been hanging around in the same yard for two or three weeks trying to get into the house. The cat would not leave. It was a large cat and looked very well fed. The people felt bad and were not sure what to do. They knew this had to be someone’s cat and couldn’t figure out why he didn’t go home. They called me and at the time we had no room for him and I told them to check back in a couple of weeks. The weeks passed and the cat was still there so I told them to bring him in.
They had been calling him the Old Geezer because he was an older cat and he had to weigh about 20 pounds! He was very friendly and laid back. His favorite thing was canned food and a lot of it. The people that brought him in filled out the necessary paperwork and left a donation to help care for him.
After 2 weeks, he was scheduled to see a vet and the same lady that brought him in agreed to transport him to the vet. This same lady visited him every day and brought him canned food. She clearly cared about the well being of this cat and wanted to make sure that he would be OK.
The day before his vet appointment, a lady came through my front door. She had been a client of mine and I knew her well. She came in as a last resort to try and find her missing cat. Rudy had been missing for a month and she was beside herself. She told me he was a very large orange tabby and that he was an older cat in his teens.
I asked her to come back and take a look at the Old Geezer. She took one look and started to cry and called him by name. Rudy heard his name got up and extended his paw out to her and started crying. He clearly recognized his mom and wanted to go home with her.
Apparently Rudy had gotten out of the house one day and never returned home. His owner waited patiently and searched everywhere. This was not like Rudy. Rudy slept under the covers every night with his mom and she missed him terribly.
Rudy must have strayed too far and couldn’t remember how to get home. Thank goodness he chose a house that was willing to help him and not ignore him or scare him away. Rudy is safely back with his owner and has settled back into his old routine and yes he continues to sleep under the covers with his mom every night. Rudy will not be going outside again any time soon.
People helping people and animals is what it is all about. Doing the right thing isn’t always easy and takes time but the rewards are priceless. Just for this one day do something nice for someone else whether it be a hug, a cup of coffee or just a simple smile and saying have a nice day. Who knows, one day might turn into three days then a week and maybe even a lifetime?
For the month of September, The Ark adopted seven cats and two passed away. We took in two cats and currently have 50 cats. We took in one dog and adopted one. We currently have three dogs.
We took in $3,033 in donations and our expenses were $3,050.
Please join us for bake sales on Saturday, Oct. 5 and 19 outside Hollywood Pet Salon from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We will be at Took A Leap goat farm on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. As we prepare to move to our new building, we are having a “Help Us Warm Our House Campaign.” If you would like to participate, please drop off a bag of pellets or make a donation for oil at the Hollywood Pet Salon. All donations will be used to help fill our oil tank at the new sanctuary and pellets will be used in our pellet stove, which was donated. Help us keep our animals warm and cozy for the winter.
Thank you for your continued support and as always thank you for reading our column.
