What does it take to be an animal rescuer? Yes, you have to love animals, and you have to be compassionate and caring. But a true animal rescuer can actually communicate with the animal by reading their body language.
A friend of mine, Susan, who is a devoted animal rescuer, sent me a note about a recent rescue. I felt that this story had to be shared. Just a little background info on Susan: she almost single-handedly founded, leads and runs a local animal rescue group; she also fosters most of the animals, and pays for all of their care when funds are low (which is a good part of the time). Susan has many stories to tell - some have happy endings and others are very sad. This is the life Susan lives; this is who she is. I consider her an angel - she earns her wings every day!
Here's the note I received from Susan ... Ha, I have a new story for ya. In addition to my little "cat with broken leg project", I got involved in another "dramatic rescue" today. You know that I have that colony of feral/stray cats at my barn. Well, I've seen this one beautiful cat out there a couple of times, but every time she sees me she is gone like lightning. Last night she walked out of the woods, and came right up to me. She was incredibly sweet....and very thin/hungry. As she ate, and I stroked her, I decided that despite my house full of ringworm and upper respiratory (yes, I still have it!), I just couldn't leave her out there. So in she came, and into the ONLY free room I had. As I'm loving on her, palpating her, I discovered that her tummy felt a little lumpy. AH OH. I squeezed her teets and got no milk....no obvious signs of where kittens had nursed, so kept her overnight. This a.m., her tummy was REALLY lumpy. Dr. Szabo said she probably did have kittens and that I should put her back out. Needless to say, I cried and cried, as I felt like I was deserting her and felt like I'd never see her again....
She didn't want to leave me, and finally when I walked away from her, she walked off into the woods behind my barn. I decided to follow her. So.........through bushes, briars, over stumps and fallen trees, through poison oak, I followed her...right on out the other side of the woods! She then took a break and laid down in the open field. After coming back and forth to me, she trapsed off again...me slinking along behind. As she crossed the field and WALKED DOWN DEVIL'S RACETRACK ROAD, I held my breath big time! She was careful to stay on the side, and rushed into the grass when a car came by. She had obviously made this trip before. After getting about a half mile down the road, she crossed over and went down over a bank, down to the creek bed. Susan followed (carefully!) I've heard snakes LOVE to hide under rocks! Anyway, she stopped to take a little drink of water...by now, the creek was looking darn good to me as well...and then walked along the creek bed. I made my way along the almost knee high poison oak that I was trapsing around in like a fool. Finally, she made her way back up the bank, scaled a fallen tree, and walked ALLLLLLLLLLLLL the way to the end of it...very gracefully I might add. Then she made her way down the other side, and disappeared into the open tree trunk. After milling my way through the lowest section of poison oak, I managed to work my way around to the tree trunk and peered in, hoping she had not faked me out and disappeared. BUT...lo and behold, there she was with her absolutely precious, baby kittens...all 6 of them.
Of course, the story doesn't end here! Tracker Susan had made her mark, but now what! Fortunately, this location was next door to a friend of mine who does wildlife rescue, and she always has cat crates and little baskets lying around. So, I made my way through yet more poison oak, to go in search of something to haul these babies home in. Of course, I remembered Kristin was out of town...and wouldn't you know she had cleaned up her yard and storage building...and there were no crates to be found! I finally located one little picnic basket thing that she keeps bottle feeders in. Desperate, I snagged it, and just figured as cramped as it would be, the kitties would have to just deal.
To make a long story a little shorter....I am now the proud owner of a momma cat and 6 furry faces. All in a days work for a lowly rescuer........... so, instead of a cat litter drive, I'm thinking maybe we should hold a Calamine lotion drive -- and we can just nickname me "Pinky".
