Guardians of the Galaxy
Meredith came to us VERY pregnant
She was posted on nextdoor.
Someone posted this cat as found near Dan O Root Elementary School, we want to keep her, but think she is pregnant. She has discharge coming from her vagina.
At the time I hadn’t formalized my pregnant cat policy, but I had a willing foster. Katherine, like me, is medically trained and is now one of three people I trust with labor and delivery. It’s true cats can do most of it on their own, but having a trained set of eyes to trouble shoot is preferred.
I reached out to the owner and met with her the following day. I noticed a few things:
Meredith was in the garage
She was very agitated
I got strange vibes from the husband and wife (not bad, just enough to make me feel weird)
Meredith started to give me a tour.
This is where I sleep. This cabinet full of tools is where I’m going to have my babies. Then I’m going to move them to this cabinet. Then I’ll teach them to escape through this hole, which is how I got pregnant.
So we took her in...
We set up a room for her and a birthing box. We noticed she was hand shy, like a cat who was used to being smacked. She HATED dogs. We don’t know if there is trauma there, but dogs were an absolute no. she was already big, but needed to cook another month. On March 19th she gave birth to 6 perfect kittens in 2 hours! For those who need resources on cats giving birth, check out this link
Meredith was an amazing mom!
You had never see a more attentive and expert mom than Meredith. Kat was fully prepared to supplement her kittens due to the litter size, but she managed to keep all of them plump and playful. They were perfect babies. When we started posting them for adoption, our dream was to pair all of them off. A good friend of mine had first pick of this litter. The family had adopted a sweet kitten for their oldest, who unfortunately succumbed to FIP within months. They chose to adopt Rocket, a dashing mostly black kitten with a dash of mustache. A week later they decided to take Groot (now Cosmo) as well. Next to be claimed were Mantis and Nebula (Dottie and Kacey). Then finally Gamora and Starlord. With her kittens weaned, and her spay complete Meredith was on her way back to her home...but it wouldn’t last.
Let me be clear...
We had just started and I was very fortunate to have an excellent partnership (and we still do!) with the SPCA so the following could happen.
Kat had poured a lot of effort into conditioning Meredith not to nip or paw when she felt overwhelmed, even prior to being a Fear Free Certified rescue, the foundations of positive reinforcement and conditioning were strong. For 3 months she would read her body and provide her with rewards for confident strides, but we both agreed NO DOGS. With her paperwork in hand, I took her home with a Feliway diffuser, catnip Temptations, and strict guidelines to make her comfortable. I didn’t feel “good” about follow through. Thinking back, the other cat was very anxious and I felt my uncomfortable feeling as I left. The plan was to start her in a safe room and work her way into the house while providing her with treats. This did not happen.
I got a phone call a week later letting me know family had come to visit, she had been forced out of her room, and she was reacting like you might expect: overwhelmed, anxious, and reactive from being flooded with unfamiliar territory and what I can only call “weird vibes”. they also unplugged the diffuser because it was bulky. Remember, we are trying to understand that not everyone can handle these things, but the next part makes it very hard to be sympathetic. I arrived and was told they put her back into the garage. She had gone back to nervous grooming and was missing her beautiful tail fur again. As soon as she saw me, she ran up purring, shaking her tail, and giving me “thank goodness you’re here” vibes. I began to listen to the couple explain how aggressive she was, all the while I watched Meredith keep as close to me as possible. I went over the steps again and was told they were unreasonable and she just needed to be like their other cat. I had wanted to leave her there while we found a more suitable home, until this happened:
Meredith walked over to the husband, who had treats. She turned around and asked for butt scratches and when she had had enough, she started to walk away. He grabbed her back and she gently placed a paw on his hand and said “no thank you”-no claws, no force, just a simple touch. He then open palm smacked her in the face and yelled “NO!”. Meredith redirected immediately to a bite, which I quickly prevented by throwing a handful of treats down. She ran over to me and I took a deep breath:
Yeah, I’m going to take her today. Also the question you just asked me about having a kitten instead-not going to happen. I’m going to say this a nicely as possible because I am a guest, but it is NEVER OKAY TO PUT YOUR HANDS ON AN ANIMAL IN ANGER. I did not have my foster spend 3 months working to build her confidence and trust in humans to allow this to happen. I’m taking her, I’m keeping the fee you paid to have her fixed, which is the least you can do considering we bought all of her food, litter, and supplies to keep her and the babies healthy. You begged me to let her have kittens and told me she would be loved and cared for after. I’m leaving, don’t ever contact me again.
I opened the garage, grabbed her with no carrier, and left. I sobbed all the way home.
There was still the issue of what to do next. She couldn’t stay with me, my dogs made her anxious and we had 2 foster homes. I placed a quick phone call to the SPCA and explained the situation. Since she was fully vetted and dogs were her only barrier, it was an easy yes. We paid for her fee so she could go home to the person who needed her without price being a barrier. After 1 month, she was adopted by a recent widow who fell in love with her gentle disposition, beautiful mustache, and bushy tail. She is currently living her best life.
What about the other couple?
Well, I wouldn’t have called me, but three months later I got a text begging for help fixing another female that they wanted to keep. I typed out multiple responses I couldn’t send and settled in sending a link to a low cost clinic and blocking their number. I couldn’t put myself through that again. I hope this cat was a better fit and that she is happy, but part of rescue is knowing when to step back and not blame yourself for what you cannot control. I could not stop them from picking up strays and doing this over and over again, so I took their word that this cat was a better fit and walked away. You save what you can save or you get burnt out.
If you know of an animal that needs legal help to escape a bad situation: https://www.solanocounty.com/depts/sheriff/psd/animal_control/contact_animal_control.asp