Friday, August 05, 2016

Eli's Story

I am just going to ramble here and I DON'T care who reads it.  

I think I've posted that my niece has had her troubles but she seems to finally found her way out of the dark hole she has been in.  She is in California, has a job, a place to live and still on the countdown for days sober of 126.  When she left town she left a cat, Eli, at her parents house that already had a cat and three dogs.  Sweet Eli was left in a house where he was not wanted, not loved and lived on a tightrope threat of being dumped any day.  As you also may have read if you are a follower my sister and her family are really not very good animal people, not dedicated to them, i.e. previous dumping of Maggie the Cat.  

I got wind of Eli's predicament at a lunch with Sis.  I asked if she had called Street Cats and her response was that they cost money.  Okay, money versus the LIFE OF A DEFENSELESS ANIMAL!  Here we go again.  I immediately called B as she is on the  board of Street Cats and told her I would pay the intake fee (she actually did) and wanted to get Eli out of the desperate situation he was in.  B made it happen!  She also went and picked him up and saw the deplorable conditions he was living in.  He once was a sweet cuddly kitten but was terrified and scared half to death when they finally got him to foster care.  Eli was so traumatized he spent 2 months in foster care when he finally was put into the main Street Cats population ready for adoption.  We were really afraid he was going to spend the entire rest of his life in foster care or the Street Cats facility because of his debilitating fear.  Eli was LUCKY!  After only 2 weeks in the system he has found a forever home with a guy of all things as that is one of his fears...didn't used to be...hmmmmmmm.  This guy came in and fell in love with Eli.

The other part of the story is that Eli was not Sis's cat, it was her daughter's and she was in rehab getting well.  All of this happened over two months ago and Sis FINALLY told her daughter on Tuesday about him being gone.  TUESDAY!  B called the niece on Wednesday to talk to her and was forced with the responsibility of filling her in on all of the horrid story.  Of course she is broken-hearted but understands that Eli is in a much better place.  

I have to tell you my sister is just not a reliable pet owner and her history backs this up.  When she was young and first divorced, living back with my parents she brought a cat home.  That cat lived in the dark windowless garage for a very long time.  I don't even know what happened to him.  Then she moved out on her own and adopted two beautiful cats named Miss Emmy and Sapphire.  Miss Emmy was a case for sure but Sapphire was a jewel (no pun intended).  She was so very sweet.  She had them for several years then got married and pregnant with my niece.  My niece was born at 4 something pounds and was in the NICU for a few weeks but when she was to come home Sis called the vet to come and get the cats, her pets, her friends for several years and have them euthanized.  I could not believe it.  Luckily Sapphire was adopted by the vets son who fell in love with her.  I guess Miss Emmy was put down.  So sad.  Then the story of sweet Maggie the Cat who had been adopted from Street Cats.  She had issues but Sis DID NOT take her to the vet to address the health issues and her total fear of everything and everyone, instead the decided to DUMP her on the hottest day of the year in a neighborhood that was just being built.  Smart move IDIOTS!  That cat was scared of her own shadow, no one would be able to adopt her.  

I haven't even addressed the dogs, which she has a bit more affinity too.  A story for another day.

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