HOULTON, Maine — The Ark is home to approximately 30 feral cats. Each one has their own personality and their own story. Many of the stories are heartbreaking.
Amazing Grace is a petite little girl who was trapped after being injured. She had four fractures to her pelvis, she had been shot three times with a BB gun and her back leg was so badly broken it had to be amputated. Today she is a happy healthy cat. She does not trust humans and I can’t say that I blame her.
Pearce came to us in the dead of winter. He was very sick, emaciated and we weren’t even sure if he could see out of one of his eyes. His face and nose were swollen. After some much needed vet care and nutrition he is a happy healthy boy.
Sylvester came to us and although he was not in bad shape, he did test positive for leukemia. The average lifespan of a leukemia cat is short. Sylvester is a very difficult cat who really does not care for humans at all. We are thankful that he is with us and he will get the best care as long as he is with us.
These are but a few of the many cats available for adoption at the Ark Animal Sanctuary in Houlton. (Courtesy of Lorraine Monfils)
While these are just a few of the cats and their stories, they all have a past that was not kind. Sometimes when we take these cats to the vet they have to be sedated in order to be handled. Usually the vet will say what are you ever going to do with these cats (meaning they are not adoptable). The answer is really quite simple, we will take them back to The Ark and let them live the life they were meant to live. We will give them an endless supply of food and water, nice comfy beds to sleep in and the best vet care possible. Most importantly our volunteers will love them and treat them with kindness and patience.
We do not adopt our feral cats out as barn cats because we rescued them from that life and we have no intentions of putting them back there. Some might say it is not fair that they have to live at the sanctuary the rest of their lives. At the sanctuary they are not in cages — they have rooms. They have an endless supply of food and water. There are shelves on the walls for them to climb. They have access to sunlight. They are able to go outside into the fenced in cat pens. When they get sick they do not have to suffer in pain, they have access to vet care. All in all, that is not a bad life.
Many of these cats do come around and learn to trust humans, but there are those who don’t and that is OK. We are content just knowing that we have made their lives a little more comfortable and that they are safe.
Thank you for your continued support and as always thank you for reading our column.
The Ark Animal Sanctuary is located on 101 Old Woodstock Road. To contact Lorraine Monfils call 532-7387 or check out their Facebook page.
