Feline Finale
Yesterday was another day of letting go...another stage...another level. Yes it´s like that preverbial onion with layers. Each layer gets closer to the heart....
Our final stage in "letting go" of the animals concluded yesterday taking the 3 cats to a new home. It didn´t quite work out as we had planned.... God definitely knows best and I wanted to share what happened with you!
To start off with I have only one cat carrying case. At a pinch, one could squash two felines in there but there was't room for three! So our first challenge was making a comfortable and functional carrying case of sorts for the two remaining cats.
There´s is nothing like that kind of challenge to get the creative juices flowing and we came up with a perfect solution that provided both air conditioning (lots of vents) and space. This was a combination of washbasket and plastic box that was then taped up with duct tape.
So that initial problem solved, actually the distraction of having to think of something else helped to not dwell on the reality of what we were doing, we were set to go. We packed the lovely pussies into the car serenaded by a meowing conchierto of, "where are you taking me!" Needless to say, Deb and I are trying our best to maintain a postive outlook.
We headed out just after 10:00am in search of the animal shelter. Naturally this wasn´t our first option, but due to the reality of how difficult it is for older cats to be adopted, especially in Spain, we found ourselves after one month of trying sadly at the option of shelter. (I have to add here, that almost all of our aqaintances have cat allergies too)
So here we were driving around desperateratly trying to find the animal shelter we have been given directions for (very vagues ones I might add). You know how difficult it is to drive and look for something that you have no idea how it´s going to look (often these places don´t have signs either on the road or at the shelter) with 3 cats in the back seat crying on and off and just feeling plain sad????
Well, naturally, we stopped at several places that looked like animal shelters but weren´t and ended up like good navigators at a petrol station to ask for directions. Meanwhile the clock is ticking! Of course the helpful chaps who were disappointed not to fill the car up, had never heard of such a shelter in that area and took their animals into Madrid!!! (about 45 mins drive away!!!)hmm so now we were back to square one. We had already been driving for 45 minutes up till that point.
So what to do? Head back to the vet thinks me and recieve new directions. This we did...another 30 mins pass.... and she gives us yet another set of directions but in the other direction and to a different shelter. She had apparently never heard of the one we were trying to find.... Naturally she didn´t have any telephone numbers or cards of these places.... and she did hasten to add that there was no sign to see from the road. (why did this sound familiar to me????!!!)
So off we trundle again. The cats had somewhat calmed down and were sleeping now much to our delight. Only when we went round corners did they all begin in chorus again! I am beginning to feel progressivly sadder and guilty about the cats and their fate. Debee and I try to maintain an upbeat conversation as we drive along.
It goes without saying that we are again looking for something that will have no signs from the road and be diffcult to spot so we have our eyes peeled each on our own side!
"Quick, stop! I think that was it!" Big sis says as she thinks she has seen a dog sign. We turn the car around, because of course she she noticed once we had passed.!!! We find ourselves standing outside something that looks like it could be an animal shelter. Clues? Dogs barking!!!!
We ring the doorbell and wait. I throw the cats in the back of the car a glance and begin to wonder what they must be thinking. I am pulled away from my thoughts as a lady appears at the gate.
"What do you want ?"she growls, "You've probably come to the wrong place!"
Not the best first liner I have heard that´s for sure.
Feeling a little threatened we sheepishly say we are looking for the animal shelter. She sighs and gives us the look, "I told you so." and begins to explain how everyone shows up at her door looking for the animal shelter.
Not only that, they also start accusing her of being unhelpful and demand that she take their animals. She tries to explain that this is her home and that the animal shelter is further down the roadbut they pay no attention.
She also goes on to tell us that the animal shelter they wouldn´t take them and that there´s all this hype on the news about how they take animals...but it´s all just a moneymaking business!
Sadly many people drive off leaving the animals abandoned right outsider her front door anyway. Having the big animal heart that she does, she takes them in: cats, dogs, and even birds right there in her garden...
Recognizing we had not come to verbally accuse or abuse her, she began to calm down and asked us what our situation was. I told her that my husband had developed allergies/asma to our pets and that even though we had been able to pass the dog and one cat on to friends we still had 3 cats left. She agreed at how almost impossible it was to find homes for older cats even though they had been sterilzed.
She asked to see the cats in the car and offered that she would even take them. I was touched by her willlingness to do so. She did though, want us to try and take them to the shelter so that we could see for ourselves that what she had said was true.
She was right. They wouldn't take the cats and gave us all kinds of excuses. There were no signs either.
So we drove back to our new friend. Actually I wondered if she was trying to give us the slip too, but she answered the door. Much friendlier this time too!!!! She just wanted to prove her point about the animal shelter. Sadly it was true.
She opened up the gates and let us into her secret garden of dogs, cats and exotic birds. All very healthy looking and well taken care of. She took our cats out of their boxes and said she hoped that they would settle soon.
I wanted to somehow recompense her for what she was doing for us and asked her if she would please not be offended if I offered her some money, even if it would just be towards food. She refused out flat and showed me all the food she had in storage for them.
Just as we were leaving we asked her for her name. She said her name was Remedios and gave us her card and telephone number so we could call and check on the cats.
Remedio means Remedy in English. Big sis and I looked at each other and we knew she had been God's remedy for our cats.
It seems that long gone are those days where you would enjoy Postman Pat and Legos, and the tremendous satisfaction of being able to solve their problems easily. When only Mum could make things better with a plaster on their "booboos" and untangle the knots in their running shoes.
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