It didn't begin so well, the day, that is. Maddie, a foster dog, decided that her last day with us before heading to New Jersey would be best begun by trying to eat my cell phone...again. Last week it was the battery cover. This time it was the transmitter, you know, the part you speak into. I could hear people just fine: "Hi, Chandra. Chandra. Hulloooo. Are you there? Chaaaaandra?" Click. If ever there were an opportunity to say whatever you wanted to me without me talking back, it was the time. Eli, my son, also had a day off from school in the middle of the week, and I had a job to get to, and it was transport day. Transport day...foster dogs Maddie, Taco Paco, and Cupcake, all from the Jackson County Animal Shelter, were slated to leave western North Carolina for New Jersey, pending successful health checks. Another thing to work into the day. A typical day as an animal advocate, though.
Then there was the voicemail from an animal control associate, asking me to call him. Would have been nice to call him, but, again, the cell phone. So the text messaging began. Can I help a mama cat with kittens...four day old kittens...slated to come to the county shelter? Oh, no, not already. Kitten season. I'm not ready. The onslaught of babies with nowhere to go, the mamas forgotten, the euthanasia or the battle to evade that dire fate. Timing was such that I thought I might be able to help this particular family of kitties, but it would take some doing, one more thing to work into the day. But then Rescue Magic happened, again!
The text message came. A rescue friend asked me if I knew of any eight week old kittens to add to our transport that night. Well, eight weeks old versus four days old, not a big difference, right?! I had to ask. The flurry of text messages between the animal control officer, my rescue friend, and myself eventually led to my speaking with the shelter director at our recipient group in New Jersey from my office phone, when I rolled in to work.
"Can you take a mama kitty with four day old kittens? I'm not sure how many."
There was a brief discussion in the background. "Yes," was the reply.
I also knew of eight week old-'ish' kittens in Haywood County's animal shelter. We spoke briefly about these kittens, and before I knew it, the gal had a plan in place to attach those to another transport heading out the next day. Timing is everything.
Great news, right?!
Another text message came. Something about mama cat has a pregnant sister already at the shelter - a ready-to-pop pregger sister. It's hard to think that one might go because she has kittens, and another might miss her chance, but that IS a reality in our work. The window for sending cats and kittens up north is usually very narrow. We luck out when they ask for a litter, and it usually comes in the early part of the year because our kitten season heats up sooner than the northern climates, in general...at least the most intense onslaught of kitten season. Once kitten season heats up for real up north, though, then the window slams shut. Would this pregnant kitty have a shot at a future in New Jersey. Another phone call was made.
"Mama cat has a pregnant sister who is ready to pop. Can you take her? I'm so sorry to be asking! You've been so generous already!" That's basically how it went. Another brief discussion in the background.
"Yes."
Why? Because, again, even when these yet-to-be born kittens are eight weeks old, their kitten season will just be beginning. We made the cut.
Wow. I couldn't believe what happened. Miracle. And now off to health checks for the dogs. Never a dull moment.
Would we be able to get health checks for these kitties on the day of transport? Yes. The veterinarian was willing to squeeze them into the day's busy schedule...a day of in-and-out rescue weigh-ins, heartworm tests, and transport physicals, interspersed among their regular clientele.
The next question was whether or not we would actually be able to get the cats to the vet. The mama cat and kittens were still underneath a sink in an apartment. The pregnant cat was at the shelter. The animal control officer had a very busy day of tasks and appointments. I was in the middle of getting my dogs ready for transport and taking care of work duties while enduring my son's boredom with the whole thing. I'd have made it work...I'd do anything to help those cats. But I didn't have to.
The animal control officer volunteered to get them to the appointment. He'd bring them himself.
This is the kind of stuff I live for. When we can come together to make a difference, when we can bend with the breeze, we can accomplish almost ANYTHING. We can definitely create better, more dynamic communities, communities full of caring and innovation and change. We have to remember to appreciate these moments every single time, because they MAKE us better than we are. As an animal advocate living in these mountains where poverty is rife and animals are considered property, trying to improve the system can be frustrating, to say the least. The problems are so many that it can be difficult to decide where to start. I'm also the type of person who tends to see the forest and the trees, which I like about myself, but it can be overwhelming at times when needs are intense and immediate and assistance can be scattered and spotty, lacking coordination.
But I believe we are tending to the trees with the goal of creating a healthy, balanced forest. We strive to rescue as many animals in need in the now, assisting their families or the folks who find them. We strive to support our animal control officers so they can have a meaningful career where the day-to-day does not include a constant string of killing (call it euthanasia - or gassing in some regions - it is still killing). We strive to help people spay and neuter animals in need...their own pets, found strays who will end up staying put, or pets tended to in a community. The last one is the long-term solution. Fixing our dogs and cats will be the ONLY thing that ends the killing of millions of shelter pets every year.
Just look at those cats. Mama cat with what turned out to be five four-day-old kittens, and her sister ready to have even more, and the male cats who were turned out with them. We HAVE to fix them. If we don't, they multiply before our eyes, and there aren't enough places for them to go. We can't stem the tide without spay/neuter. Every puppy and kitten born deserves to be cherished and cared for instead of dead because we screwed up. We've screwed up royally, and we are making animals pay the price. We are duty-bound as stewards on this planet to do better. We also have to look beyond our own and reach out to our brethren, our communities, and ask, "Where can I help? Can I volunteer? Can I donate? Do you know someone who needs help?" That is our duty.
My friend, this animal control officer who was so willing to go the extra mile...my friend has done more to help these animals in need than many a member of the surrounding community...members who blame or are utterly apathetic, irrational, or irate. I also know, though, that there are lots of members of our communities who are open and willing and simply want to know what to do.
Here's what to do:
Support your local shelter - county or private.
Speak up about what your community needs.
Speak up for those whose voices go unheard.
Recognize your role as a leader, as a steward - we all are leaders and stewards in our own way.
Fix your pets...help the animals in your community get fixed.
Remember that you might think you know how someone else feels or lives their life...but you really don't...we each have our own journey.
Be a friend to those on their own journeys - strive to make things better, not worse.
Be kind. Be Compassionate.
Keep the forest in view...it is beautiful...and nurture those trees.
Love from the Tailroad,
Chandra
P.S. The kitties, when I saw them, were beautiful!!! Wee kittens, umbilical cords still attached, were snuggled up to a doting mother in a comfortable crate. Pregnant mum was settled into her cushy crate as well, and they began their journey north. The older kittens should be leaving tonight, February 21st. Life is beautiful. Living things are divine. Twenty-one dogs, two adult cats, five kittens, and a litter on the cusp of birth had their ride to freedom and families. Let's wish them many happy beginnings in New England, and may we revel in the Rescue Magic whenever it comes upon us.
And, Josh, Thank You.
