Not on My Watch: Together, Always!

We didn't rescue Noelle and Amelia at the same time or ever think they would bond like mother and daughter, but what did we know? We just wanted to save their lives.

As you may recall, Noelle was running wild in the middle of winter in Georgia. She was freezing and starving. She made the mistake of seeking shelter under the hood of a car, it's engine still warm. Noelle didn't get burned, but when an unsuspecting person started the engine, Noelle screamed, her tail caught up in the fan belt.

Fortunately, Noelle was not critically injured, but part of her tail was badly mangled. Her scream, saved her. Though the person who found her could not provide care for her. Out of pain and fear, Noelle bit her rescuer and what could have been “the end” for Noelle, was the beginning of her luck changing. Noelle was brought to Henry County Care & Control, where they could do little for her, but keep her on a ten day bite hold. While her tail began to get necrotic, the one thing they could do was let us know she needed help. We acted quickly. As soon as the holding period was over, I arranged to get her vetted right away. Thanks to many of you, we raised enough money to provide for her care.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Noelle waiting to be adopted.

While in foster care, it became apparent that Noelle was very shy. We worried that her biting her rescuer was a sign she might be feral. Her foster mom worked with her and thankfully, no more biting.A few weeks later, Noelle met Amelia, who we had rescued after she was dumped at the shelter. Noelle didn't want to be away from Amelia and Amelia welcomed her company. She'd even let Noelle eat off her plate. She'd stand protectively next to her until she got her fill, then she would would eat.

It was as if the stars aligned for these two cats. One got the love she needed to blossom into a fearless feline and the other, possibly missing her own offspring, felt needed and loved again.

We transported the girls to Connecticut and our friends at Animals in Distress offered to take them into their shelter. They agreed that they would only adopt out the girls TOGETHER. They were too bonded to be separated without causing them both a lot of stress.

©2011 Robin A.F. Olson. Amelia. What a sweet lady!

Weeks passed. Kitten season was in full force. The numbers on Petfinder told us that 100's of people saw their ads, but none wanted BOTH cats. AID stuck to their guns about keeping the girls together and I'm glad they did.

Just a month after arriving, the girls got adopted! They're going to live with a great family who are family members of volunteers at AID, so hopefully that'll mean we'll get updates on the girls from time to time.

Somehow it all worked out even though I had no idea where these cats would be fostered once they got to Connecticut and even though I didn't have funds for Noelle's care, we raised it. I can't say things will always work out for the best, but this time it did. All the best to these sweet ladies. I hope they will be forever happy and loved in their new home!