HOW I SAVED A CAT'S LIFE DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

IT ALL BEGAN ON…

Thursday March 19th while I was on a run social distancing myself from the world when suddenly my run came to an abrupt stop. Normally I would have my headphones in while I am running but on this particular night I left my phone at home (Don’t worry I wasn’t alone, I had a running buddy). Thank God I didn’t have my phone with my headphones in because what stopped me was the cries and screams of a little baby kitty in an alley near Paramount Studios and had I been listening to music I wouldn’t have heard these noises. Another woman and I connected in the alley and stood there helplessly trying to figure out what to do. I called for the kitty and it came to me and it even let me pick him up and hold him while it started to purr. This cat was so beautiful and friendly, I could tell it didn’t belong outdoors.

BETWEEN THE TWO OF US WE DECIDED…

Neither of us had the resources to take him to one of our homes right there on the spot. We both concluded that we thought the cat had been dumped there because it was showing many signs that he was an indoor cat and he was just so well groomed, clean, and scared. The woman tried to get an organization to come get the kitty that evening but they wouldn't. She put some food out for the baby and we all called it a night. As I started my run back home the cat chased me 3 blocks and I left the entire situation balling my eyes out because I felt so sad, helpless, and I didn’t have my phone with my contacts to the Stray Cat Alliance with me.

A friend told me about this Facebook Group and sent me an invite so that I could get some help from other cat lovers and raise awareness regarding this kitty!

THE NEXT DAY I RECEIVED A TEXT…

From the woman I had connected with in the alley. She said the cat was outside her door back for food. It was around 9PM on a Friday night but we decided to put a plan in motion. I told her if she could get the cat into a crate I would come over there, take it off her hands, and take it in for the night until I found somewhere more permanent and safe for the baby. After picking up the cat I went straight to the Metropolitan Animal Speciality Hospital which is open 24 hours to see if the cat had been microchipped in the event it simply went missing. I was unable to go inside with the cat because of the quarantine and after about ten minutes the worker had returned to tell me that the cat was NOT microchipped. I was lucky enough to have a friend who let me keep the kitty in their bathroom for the evening until we could get ahold of a contact at the alliance the next day at a reasonable hour. I was fortunate enough to have a direct contact from when I fostered and adopted my two babies Eric and Franklin last year. It was late Friday night but she was still willing to jump on it and work on finding this baby a safe foster. I am so grateful for Avarie from the Stray Cat Alliance! She is an angel! I also want to give a shout out to all the people who helped me with advice on the LA Underground Cat Network Facebook Group. I couldn’t have done it so stress-free without all of you!

AFTER SPENDING A NIGHT WITH THE KITTY…

I received a text from the Stray Cat Alliance saying they had found a foster arrangement for the cat who was now named Squish because of how squishy and cuddly he looked. I was so happy and ecstatic. Squish was so well behaved throughout the night, didn’t attack or scratch anything, had one minor accident going potty, and I had concluded that it was anywhere from 9 months to 1 year old. By mid afternoon I had taken Squish to the Stray Cat Alliance to be checked out and taken off my hands. For two nights Squish slept safely at a member from the alliance’s home and by Monday (3 days after I had rescued him) he was getting neutered at the vet and then picked up by his foster.

TWO DAYS AFTER SQUISH WENT TO HIS FOSTER…

I received the news that he was up for adoption on the Stray Cat Alliance’s Website and that there had already been 3 adoption applications filled out for this sweet baby. They determined that Squish was 10 months old, so my guess was accurate! I decided to share this story with you all for several reasons. This entire pandemic has proved just how barbaric humans can be when it comes to animals, what we do with them, and how we care for them. It has also proved that there are some not so good humans in this world and that there is a lot of negativity in this world. This positive story about saving Squish proved that there are caring humans out there, in fact there are 12,000 of them who are part of the LA Underground Cat Network and countless employees from the Stray Cat Alliance as well as other animal shelters across the country. I chose to care for this kitty, put this poor baby before my self because of how helpless it was, and went above and beyond to save his life. I didn’t plan for any of this to happen and I had to make some adjustments, sacrifices, and risks to make this all happen but one thing I can say is I am so happy I did. This is one positive outcome from the pandemic that I will never forget. For everyone who was involved with helping me save Squish’s life THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. You are all ANGELS. I hope Squish has the best life and never gets dumped or stranded out on the streets again. If someone reading this knows who Squish ends up with as a new owner I ask that you please share this story with them! It is truly a magical miracle!

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN FOSTERING OR ADOPTING A KITTEN OR CAT…

Please visit the Stray Cat Alliance’s Website. This organization is very near and dear to my heart and I am happy to answer any questions you may have! I was once a Foster…FAIL since I ended up adopting my sweet babies so I know all about the process!

Let’s Save All The Kitties!

XoXo,

Brittney