This week, Luther lost his battle with cancer. Luther was a beautiful black cat who was feral. The Ark was his home for nine years. Luther came to us from a feral cat colony here in town. His shelter was an old abandoned school bus and his food source was whatever he could find.
Luther did not have an easy life. Originally, the plan was to trap, neuter and release him, but after seeing where he lived that was not an option for us.
Luther would never allow the human touch, he would watch from a distance. He was wise beyond his years and when you looked into his eyes you knew he was wild at heart. We accepted Luther on his terms and showed him the love and respect that he deserved.
Luther, a feral cat who called the Ark Animal Sanctuary his home of the past nine years, passed away after a short illness. (Courtesy of Lorraine Monfils)
Luther had been sick quite a while, not only did he have cancer, he had a thyroid problem. When Luther stopped eating we knew it was time. Luther spent his last night in a home environment. He allowed me to pet him and even kiss him on his head. It was as though he were saying “OK, I trust you now and I need you to do the right thing and help me cross the rainbow bridge.”
With tears in our eyes we did exactly that, he passed away comfortably and quickly. Thank you Karen for making that difficult journey with him.
Luther will be cremated and his ashes returned back to the Ark, the place he called home
The Ark is currently looking for volunteers to clean. The shifts are four hours. Responsibilities are cleaning litter boxes, scrubbing floors, laundry, sweeping. Volunteers must be 18 or older. Motivated and able to work on your own. If interested please call Lorraine at the Hollywood Pet Salon at 207-532-7387.
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 207-532-7387 or check out their Facebook page.
