I'm really trying to jump over the hurdles to help save one mama and two kittens from Henry. Co before it's too late.

Right now I have a rescue in New Jersey ready to take the Mama into foster care and find her a loving home. I am willing to take the kittens into foster care and do the same for them.

I have someone who can pick the kittens up from the Shelter. I have our Izzy, a good friend to CiCH and her sweet hubby, ready to help with the transport since they are also rescuing a GA kitty and adopting her! It will be their 18th cat!

The problem...I can't find a place to board these cats. They have to go through, at least, a 2 week "quarantine" period either at a Vet or in a foster home where they keep their other animals away from the foster. The fosters would have to have their own space. They also have to be vetted, which we can raise funds for. If we can find a home or rescue or Vet to take them for 2 to 3 weeks, until Izzy can get there, we are golden.

If we can't, these cats will die. It would be one thing if no one wanted them, but they ARE wanted and we want to help them, but we're stuck and time is very short. They will be euthanized soon.

I'm so frustrated! I just need one person to help us out, just for a few weeks. We could pay a fair rate to board the cats. They would have to run them to the vet once or twice and just love and care for them. That's it.

If any of you have any affiliations with friends in GA who might help us, please have them contact me ASAP: info@coveredincathair.com
Please spread the word!

Okay, everyone. We had a great success two weeks ago, finding a home for a special, all-black sweetie, adult Mama cat, we named Arizona. Now we have another adult mama cat, who is in dire need of a home or rescue placement. Do you think we can get her busted out of Henry Care & Control, too? We just need ONE HOME or ONE RESCUE GROUP to take her in! This girl is pure delight!

Add to that, her kittens are facing death row, too. They also need adopters or a rescue group to pull them! Pet ID: 6/25-2568

THE INFORMATION, BELOW IS DIRECTLY FROM HENRY CO CARE & CONTROL in McDONOUGH, GA.:

----------------------------------------

PLEASE REFER TO THIS ID# Calico in C1; ID# 6-25/2567 WHEN YOU ASK AFTER THIS CAT and Pet ID: 6/25-2568, 6/25-2569 IF YOU ASK AFTER THE KITTENS.

This gorgeous, SWEET girl has been with us since June 25th which you all know is unheard of this time of year! She is so special her caretaker/kennel master has really tried to find a way to save her life.

Please help us save her life. She is very affectionate and loveable.

Can everyone try one more time to get her noticed. Our cat kennel master really does love those in her care and watching them perish here is heartbreaking for all concerned.

**Please Note; When forwarding, crossposting, or re-posting I ask that you leave this message intact exactly as it was written by me. I do not give permission to post my message, part of my message, or my photographs on Craig's List. Thank you for your help and support, and for respecting my wishes.**

Betsy Merchant~

We are very rescue friendly and are more than happy to work with any rescue group as long as the group has a valid Georgia Department of Agriculture license! Any rescue group, whether in or out of state, that takes pets from Georgia shelters, is required, by Georgia law, to have a rescue license issued by the Georgia Department of Agriculture's Animal Protection Division. Having tax exempt status is not the same as a license. For more information on obtaining a license, please call (404) 656-4914.

Contact:

mystiblu@bellsouth.net

Henry County Animal Care and Control

527 Hampton Street

McDonough, Georgia 30253

(770) 288-7401

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/16747436

Our Hours:

Monday-Friday: 9 am-4:30 pm

Saturday: 9 am-1 pm

Sunday: Closed

County Observed Holidays: Closed

The shelter is located at 527 Hampton Street in McDonough. We are located south of Atlanta off I-75. Take exit 218 and head east on 20/81 toward McDonough. Our address is 527 Hwy 20/81 East.

For all other information regarding ordinances, county codes, and other functions of Henry County Animal Care and Control please visit www.hcacc.org

If you can't provide a loving home for this wonderful kitty, would you please ReTweet, re-post on Facebook and tell all your friends about her-ESPECIALLY ONES WHO LIVE IN GEORGIA? THANK YOU!

Every cat should have a loving family and a warm, safe place to call home. Whether that cat is feral and has a caretaker who feeds him and provides shelter or a pampered “princess” who wants for nothing and is valued above all others. Within those extremes, come folks like most of us-people who deeply love their cats and are devoted to their care and well being, come what may. Maybe we don't put rhinestone collars on our cats or feed them imported delicacies. Maybe we don't even have a cat bed just for them, our bed is easily shared, if not a bit too crowded.

When Chester was lost, then found again, he could never have survived his adventure without having a dedicated and loving family, supporting him from afar. They could have stepped back and said; “No. The Vet costs are too high.” or “He's an old cat, just let him go...”

But they didn't.

They stood by their boy when so many would have made an excuse and let him go. For that, they are the heroes in this story. I was just the lucky one to have found a lost kitty in the woods.

Yesterday, Chester's family got together to celebrate his homecoming. He's been back for just about the same amount of time he was lost in the woods. I'm told he's still a bit weak in his rear legs, but he can jump up onto his favorite chair and get onto the bed, too! He's eating well and happy to be home again.

©2010 Michael C. Rosenstein. Used with permission. The family portrait we were all hoping to see one day! Our dreams and wishes came true for this wonderful family.

Chester's family, from left to right: Frank, Chester, Frank's wife, Ruth, Michael, and Frank & Ruth's Daughter/Michael's wife, Nicole.

©2010 Michael C. Rosenstein. Used with permission. Chester with his mousey toy.

Chester has a Vet appointment coming up this week. They're going to see how he's doing and find out if there's anything that still needs to be done to help Chester's recovery. I'm told that Chester isn't a big fan of cat carriers, but hopefully he will be traveling in one, so he can get used to it!

©2010 Michael C. Rosenstein. Used with permission. His fur looks clean and thick. Chester is filling out a bit and livin' large on his favorite bed.

I want to hang on to this wonderful feeling forever, but I know that it's time for Chester to be with his family and for me to quit bugging them for updates. We have so many more cats to rescue, cats to find! (no luck in finding Cowboy!) and cats to raise money for so they can have a chance at finding just what Chester has had all along: a loving, forever home with a wonderful family.

Let's get to work!

Thank you to Vinti Singh for the excellent article she wrote covering Chester's Rescue! I was honored to be part of the story and it was fun to share his tale with the local community and beyond.

If you'd like to read the article, you can visit the newwtimes.com HERE

A week ago, I was just leaving the Emergency Vet's office after dropping off Chester, the 21 yr. old cat I'd rescued from being lost for almost 5 days of no food or water.

The second the Vet Tech found out I did cat rescue, she asked me if I could wait a minute. She wanted to show me a cat they were trying to find a home for. He'd been dumped at their door 3 months prior. His left front leg was deformed. When he walked, you could hear a distinct “thump,” hence his nickname, Thumper.

Thumper is a very outgoing and handsome cat. He's big, too, but only about 2 or 3 years old. He's still got a lot of “kitten” in him. I asked about his leg and the Tech said they had it checked out by a neurologist and that he couldn't say if it was from his genetics or an injury, that since he was comfortable and using the leg (instead of limping), that they didn't need to have it removed.

Thumper is VERY friendly and affectionate, as you can see here. He's curious, confident and interested in the world around him. He seems to get along with other cats and dogs, too. Because he's such a big, hardy, cat, he would be great for a family with kids.

Thumper spends most of his day in a small cage. A Vet Clinic is NOT set up as an animal shelter and the staff is constantly busy helping other cats and dogs who are have serious medical issues. Thumper's life is a lonely one and this big love-bug deserves to be busted out of that cage and with a family he can call his own.

If you're interested in adopting Thumper, please contact The Animal Emergency Clinic of Danabury, P.C. at 203-790-6383.

(This is in western Connecticut)

I returned to the Blue Colony Diner, the location where Chester was last seen before he got away from his family's car on June 28th. Even though I knew Chester was safely tucked at home and eating well, the rescue a thing of the past; I still felt distressed being back there again. The shock of finding Chester lingers. His limp, almost lifeless body in my arms. Trying not to lose my cool, while I was shaking, trying to think of what to do next, hoping he would not die. I will never forget it.

The Blue Colony Diner.

The Diner is surrounded on two sides by DENSE brush. The north side is almost impenetrable. The west and south sides are flanked by either a very busy main road or an interstate highway (I-84). This is definitely not a great place to lose a cat.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. The east side of the property, facing the woods where I eventually found Chester.

The back of the parking lot is where we thought Chester had escaped to. Over to the far right of the lot, there's an access point to the woods, past some large boulders. That's where I wanted to enter, but as you may recall from my original post about finding Chester, there was a creepy SUV parked there, so I entered the woods to the right of the 4th car from the left.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. The woods by the Diner.

Just steps over some large rocks and into a dry creek gully, this is what you'd see. Thick woodland. When I was there last, the sun was very low. The woods had an orange cast and it was much darker. I was pulled in a direction that was almost straight out from the middle of this photo.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Artists' interpretation of finding Chester. The lighting was much different. Everything had a bright orange cast or deep shadow. Chester was well into the shadows.

I was looking left, right, up, down. I walked about 40 or 50 feet. Then, I thought I saw something. I tried to re-create what I saw, above. If you look closely, you can see Chester, just about the same way I did. He was so still, I thought he was just part of the brush-and sadly, he matched it perfectly, too!

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Looking towards the Diner from where Chester was found.

Once I realized I'd found my boy, (sorry, he's not mine, but I do feel a certainly attachment to him) had him untangled from his leash and in my arms, I turned to face the Diner parking lot. This is the view. As you can see, the diner is out of sight. I could hear the music faintly from the loudspeakers they have near the front door, but I couldn't see the building until I got closer.

Being back on the scene, I was surprised at how much brush there was. I don't recall running through it. In fact, I remember little of anything after I had Chester. I know I ran as fast as I could towards the parking lot and my waiting car. How I got there...not sure.

Last night I got an email from Ruth, Chester's Mama. She told me that Chester is eating well and surprising them every moment. Chester was adopted as a kitten from a shelter in Westchester County, NY, which is how he got his name. Chester also lives with a big doggie and travels with his family from their home in NY to their summer home in Maine. A nice life for a kitty and fortunately, he will be able to continue to enjoy it.

Late this summer when Chester and his family return to NY, they might stop by so we can finally meet each other and the story will have come full circle. Be assured, should that day arrive, that I will be waiting, heart racing, camera in hand, ready to share the moment with all of you who worried and prayed for this story to have a happy ending.

...and thankfully right now, we have just that.

If only we lived in a world of good news, all the time...but some might argue the point and remind us that we could not appreciate the good, without the bad.

So with that, here are some updates-a mix of happy and sad news.

Last week, I asked for financial help to get three kittens (see below with the "rescued!" banners on their photo) moved from Henry Co. Care & Control to Henry Humane Society. With your help, the kittens WERE rescued, but are STILL looking for forever homes.

All these kitties are safe, but they still need forever homes! See my post HERE for more info about how you can add these cuties to your family!

The good news is that instead of raising $700.00, at last count we've raised $890.00! Henry Humane doesn't get donations this big and I can tell you they were shocked that SO MANY PEOPLE wanted to help them and they are SO VERY APPRECIATIVE!

Some of that money will go to the care and feeding of ALL the kittens and cat you see, above, and the vetting the newly arrived kittens will need, but the money also did one other thing...

It gave Betsy, our friend in McDonough, GA, the chance to do MORE! She made some space to rescue FOUR MORE KITTENS OFF DEATH ROW. They are now SAFE at Henry Humane!

What a crazy, mixed up bunch of babies! Each little muffin is safe and off death row. Next stop, combo tests and shots, etc., then off to Henry Humane to wait for their forever homes to find them!

Of course it's not all a bed of roses. There were thorns in this tale, as well. Last week Betsy asked for help to rescue a plain-jane, but sweet brown tabby and her two offspring. One was a little tabby, like his mama, the other a colorful calico. Two of them had a parasitic infection called wolf worms. It's a nasty and gross (and I'm NOT going to show you the photos of the kittens with their necks slit open to get the worm out), but it's completely treatable. The cats were making a recovery, but...

The shelter ran out of space. The family was slated to be euthanized. I did not think it would be right to share their photo with you, now that they are gone. I just don't have the heart to think that they only died due to space issues, not because they were too sick to recover.

Mama and son were put down, but...

They just couldn't euthanize the baby girl. When you see her face, you'll see why.

Her Mother and Brother were euthanized, but this little girl was spared at the VERY LAST SECOND.

As of last night, she was in DIRE need of rescue. I offered to take her into foster here in CT. While I was waiting to find out if I could help her, another local group called FurKids of Atlanta, GA stepped in and offered to rescue her. So...

This little sweetheart is SAFE and healing from the wolf worm infection and will be moved to FurKids some time today.

Every cat deserves a chance at a full and happy life. Getting a chance to find a home, shouldn't be like winning the Lottery. I hope one day I won't have to share such bittersweet stories with all of you.

And last, but not least...

This lovely lady, nicknamed, Arizona, who had almost NO CHANCE of being rescued out of Henry Co. Care & Control---because all black cats are the least likely to be adopted, will arrive at her forever home on SUNDAY.

If you missed the original story about this amazing rescue and want to read more, go HERE

Congrats, Arizona and ALL the kitties whose lives were spared thanks to the hard work and dedication of so many people who offered to get involved, stick their necks out, go without so they could donate funds, or take time out of their busy life to forward a post or email a friend who could help these cats. We all did this together and we all share this joy.

CHESTER IS HOME!!!!!!!!

Chester's family contacted me to let me know that Chester arrived at his summer home in Maine a little while ago. He already ate (a lot) and is resting comfortably. His mom, Ruth said his fur felt really nice and clean and that although he was thinner than before, that he was looking pretty good!

I'll have more updates in the coming days and maybe a photo of Chester and his family??? We'll see.

The one thing that's certain is...after all that he's been through...

CHESTER MADE IT HOME!!!!!

On June 20th, a few hundred feet from where Chester was lost, Cowboy also got away from his owners and ran off. His Mama, Flo is doing everything she can to find her dear cat. So far he hasn't been found. The problem is that he is somewhat skittish and is not going to just walk up to a person and ask for help.

If you live in Connecticut, near Newtown or if you live between Newtown and Virginia (hey, maybe he is trying to find his way home?) please keep an eye out for this kitty! He has a very distinctive black cap on his white head.

Yes, I looked for Cowboy a few times-again this morning. I saw some standing water, a lot of shade. I know there's food out for him, but the area is huge and he is nimble and able to go far, unlike our dear Chester.

If you do see/catch! Cowboy, please contact Newtown Animal Control at 203-426-6900.

I'm sitting here at my desk. It's 102°F outside. It's a bit warm in the house even with the A/C on, but none of that matters. All I can think about is Chester.

I just went to Dr. Larry's to visit Chester. It was quiet there today. The usual sounds of construction were thankfully absent. There weren't any clients. The mad rush had just ended. I wasn't sure I wanted to know how Chester was doing, but there I was, anyway. Lauren, one of the very nice lady-Vet techs, smiled when she spoke of how Chester was doing. I couldn't wait to see him.

Over night Chester had made some sort of great improvement. No longer laying down and eating out of the side of his mouth-he was sitting up and eating furiously. He was sleeping, not like a damp rag, spread out on a table, but curled up as any normal cat might do. Not only that, but when she brought him out for us to visit, I gasped when I saw him. He was standing on all fours!

©2010 Robin AF Olson. Chester looks like a cat again. Hurrah!

Chester is still weak. It's to be expected, but he was UP and reacting to being petted. He was looking around and appeared to be much perkier than even the day before.

I was simply, astonished.

©2010 Robin AF Olson. Chester gets a bit of help to keep him steady as they take his weight for the day.

I bought Chester a catnip mousy toy. This catnip is REALLY strong and there isn't a lot available to purchase. I felt lucky to get some. I wanted to see if Chester would react to it at all; another way to gauge how he's doing.

I should have brought him a napkin because once he got a whiff of the catnip he started to drool a bit! It was clear he liked it very much. Seeing him do something, so completely normal, something I would never think twice about seeing, was truly remarkable. This cat is a cat again!

©2010 Robin AF Olson. Chester digs his catnip mousy toy.

While Chester was rubbing against his mousy, Sam, Lauren and I petted him. His coat feels much cleaner and softer. Though he is still quit thin, he appears to have gained some weight. His eyes were almost zombie-like on Saturday and now they react in a more normal way. It was a blessing to witness this transformation.

©2010 Robin AF Olson. A little bit stoned from the catnip (the tail of the mousy is under his arm), Chester enjoys his pets.

I spoke with Dr. M., who works with Dr. Larry. She was also very impressed with Chester's improvements. I asked if he was going home tomorrow and I think there is a good chance of that happening. It's not for me to discuss or decide-that's up to his family. I might give him one more day of Vet care since traveling in this terrible heat might be very hard on him, but again...that is out of my hands. One way or the other, I think Chester will be home one day soon (KNOCK WOOD, no jinxing here!)

©2010 Robin AF Olson. Chester, you ARE amazing!

We had a nice visit with Chester. It may be our last before he leaves for home. I told him I loved him and that I was proud of him for doing so well and to keep up the good work. I could tell that he was getting tired and needed to rest more. He probably has a long recovery period yet to go.

©2010 Robin AF Olson. Chester loves the attention from his new friends, as he thinks of home and his family who are waiting to see him.

It dawned on me just as we left-that Chester has been receiving Vet care for almost as long as he was lost in the woods. In my minds' eye, I can still see his face, the eyes dark, his body unmoving, under that fallen tree, perfectly blended in with the dead leaves he was about to become part of, forever. For the rest of my life, I will never forget rescuing Chester and his remarkable recovery. There are so few things to be happy about these days. For once, it's nice to take a moment and have something to smile about.

Chester is out of the woods, in more ways than one.