Hold on to your tissues for this one!
BREVARD was only a kitten herself living a horrible life out on her own when she became pregnant. She was probably about 6 months old when she was looking for a quiet, dark, safe place to give birth. She found an abandoned house in Waxhaw, on Brevard Street, and she snuck in there to have her babies. BREVARD was a feral cat, skin and bones, with no regular food, nutrition, water or care of any kind. She was completely on her own.
BREVARD had her kittens in the abandoned house. That SAME day, contractors showed up at the house ready to demolish part of and rebuild the house. The workers tore off part of the flooring and LOW & BEHOLD, there was BREVARD with her newly born babies!
BREVARD took off, scared to death, and the babies were left alone with umbilical cords still attached. I can’t imagine how BREVARD must have felt; exhausted, hungry and completely overwhelmed at having to abandon her new babies.
One of the contractors looked on the Internet and found my number. He was compassionate about saving the little family. I got the call, but I was in Wilmington at the time. I left Wilmington as fast as I could and told him to please watch out for the new born kittens while I traveled about 4 hours to come and get them. Of course, BREVARD was nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, during my 4 hour trip, another contractor at the site had called animal control. The babies, in his mind, were just a hold up for the work that needed to be done on the house that day. He was not willing to wait 4 hours to have them removed.
Animal Control showed up. The animal control officer took the new born babies. When I called to check in, about half way through my trip, the contractor that had originally contacted me, said that he was sorry, but that the Animal Control guy had taken them. I was just devastated, but continued my trip and immediately called the Animal Control in Wingate. When they answered the phone, they knew the babies that I was speaking from Brevard Streetabout and told me that they had already been euthanized.
Through flooding tears, I knew what I had to do now. I gave Animal Control AND the officer (who I called) a good piece of my mind. They BOTH knew I was in route, but chose death anyway for those innocent babies. Now, I had to save mama!
I set traps every single day at the house. I would wait until the contractors left and then I would go out and set several traps all around the house. I knew mama would be back to find her babies. I sat out there for all hours of the night and I would see mama. She was lurking around and seemed confused. She was slinking down low to the ground trying to find a way inside the house, but she would give up and run away. She came back night after night while I watched in tears from my car. I just couldn’t imagine her pain.
Finally, after TWO weeks, she went into the trap! Thank you GOD!
I took BREVARD straight to the vet to be checked out, get her shots, deworming, spay surgery and to make sure that she was OK after this birthing. The spay surgery helped her milk dry up faster and removed all of those hormones that cause postpartum depression. BREVARD did well through the surgery and came home to FURR to be cared for and loved……….the best we could seeing that she was EXTREMELY scared and confused.
BREVARD lived at FURR for three years. Over the years, she slowly made progress and would let us pet and love on her. She developed several mouth issues including gingivitis and stomatitis. We had to take her back to the vet for several dental appointments, but over time, most of her teeth were pulled and she finally had a healthy mouth. After that, she actually starting eating really well and became ALMOST a little pudgy!
BREVARD was always scared of new people. She got very comfortable with me because she saw me every day, but our FURR volunteers were relentless in working with her and BREVARD became more and more trusting. She finally raised up her back and tail when being scratched, but the possibility of a “real furrever” home was still slim.
BUT! MIRACLES do happen!
An amazing couple, who had adopted 2 cats from FURR years before, called me to say that one of their FURR kitties had passed away. They had adopted CANE KITTY and STEFFAN from FURR several years earlier. I will never, ever, ever, ever forget what Lu & Earl said to me when they came to FURR:
WE WOULD LIKE TO ADOPT 2 KITTIES FROM FURR. WE WANT TO PICK OUT A BEAUTIFUL ONE THAT WE REALLY CONNECT WITH AND WE WOULD LIKE TO RESCUE ONE THAT NEEDS A HOME!
Can you imagine how wonderful those words were to hear? As a rescue person, that just rarely happens. Most adoptions are based on the cat’s looks, personality, age, etc., and hardly ever on the fact that some cats just need a home in the worst way! These cats are NOT the most trusting, the most beautiful or the youngest………….they are the most desperate & deserving ones. So, Earl and Lu took Steffan and Cane Kitty home. Cane Kitty had been rescued by me at Cane Creek Park. I had received a call that there were a bunch of feral cats living out a the park and that campers were feeding them. Someone complained and animal control went out and trapped & killed ALL of the feral cats………all but one that they couldn’t catch. By the time I got the news about these cats, it was too late, but I went out there anyway and sure enough, ONE kitty was left that they couldn’t catch. I waited for days with my special drop trap and finally got her. I can tell you another entire story about Cane Kitty and all that she went through, but the main thing is that she DID get adopted & lived a wonderful life with Earl & Loucinda! Cane Kitty was in her late teens when she passed away.
Now, Lucinda & Earl have taken a second kitty from FURR just because it needed a home! Mike and I drove BREVARD up to Charlotte to her new & furrever home! I cried my eyes out (again!) because of how happy I was for BREVARD!
BREVARD is doing really well and Steffan (their other FURR kitty) has met her a few times. BREVARD is in the perfect home where Lu and Earl are taking a quiet & slow approach to her living with them. Progress is eminent and this couple is amazing! I want to clone them! I am sending a few pictures of BREVARD in her new home. I miss her so much because I spent 3 years taking care of her and she is a part of my heart. I am so grateful that this is a happy ending for this kitty……………there are just no words good enough to thank Lu and Earl for their compassion, care and dedication to these cats. They are the real heros!!!
Isn’t this a wonderful story!
Meet all FURR kitties available for adoption on our Petfinder page!
Learn how to adopt this kitty! FURR adopts to approved homes only in the Hampstead/Wilmington and surrounding area.
If you are not ready to adopt a kitty, please consider fostering or sponsoring. All donations are tax deductible.