Leda and Katie

One thing I have learned this year is that, while for most people summer means relaxing, warm weather, and fun, at an animal shelter summer is a very difficult season. In the first place, summer means kitten season. This is the beginning of the craziness, as there are kittens practically hanging from the rafters. If that were the end of it, it wouldn't be so bad--busy, yes, but kittens are pretty easy to find homes for. Everybody loves kittens.

But that's not the end of it. Summer also brings an increase in the adult cats that come in. Strays are out and about more, and are brought in. People drop off the backyard momma cat that just had kittens (rather than bringing the kittens in, and spaying/releasing the mom). People move, and the animals are hung out to dry. People just decide they're now simply too busy for their pet. At the shelter we are surrounded by loving, lovable, playful, active, healthy adult cats who did nothing wrong, but ended up with the short end of the stick.

Too often, it's heartbreaking. Recently, a pair of lifelong pals was brought in, Stonie and Ashes, aged 8 and 10. Their humans got divorced and neither wanted to keep them. They were both wonderful cats, healthy and affectionate. Then one morning, without warning, Stonie passed away in the cage that they shared. He was only eight years old, and in good health. He just didn't wake up. We can't prove it, but we really think Stonie died of a broken heart. And now Ashes is left at the shelter, having lost first her home and now her brother.

Every now and then, though, someone walks through the door and magic happens, and it gives you the heart and courage to keep working through the sadness.

The same day that we learned about Stonie, we also learned about Katie. She had been adopted previously but was returned to the shelter because she had been found to be diabetic. The shelter doesn't have the resources to care for a diabetic cat, so there were only 48 hours to find Katie a home before her sugar levels would reach a point that she would need to be put to sleep. It was quite a blow to volunteers who were already reeling from the news about Stonie, and the overall stress of the summer months.

Miraculously, it happened. A couple who already owned another diabetic cat and a three-legged dog saw a post that a volunteer had put on Craigslist. The next day they drove over an hour to come to Pittsburgh and pick Katie up, with vet appointments already lined up to get her the help that she needs. Absolutely breathtaking. I know more than one volunteer shed tears of joy and relief when we found out that Katie had been saved.

(Unfortunately, since then we have learned that we have another diabetic cat, Winston. His case is not quite as urgent, but his time at the shelter is limited unless we can find him a home.)

And, on a more personal level, I posted a while ago about Leda, who was passed up by adopter after adopter unable to recognize how loving she was because she was just so scared. I'm happy to say that on Monday Leda found a home. A woman had seen her at the store a few days earlier, and specifically wanted to adopt an older cat. The woman thought about it for a few days and came back to see her. I explained how Leda was so affectionate through the cage door, but she would be scared to come out, and very scared when she first went home. The woman understood, and was touched by poor Leda's shyness. Happily, she decided to give Leda a safe and loving home. We exchanged emails, and I am hoping to hear how Leda comes along. I don't have the satisfaction of showing Leda myself that she has nothing to fear anymore, but at least someone will.