Desperate Housecats (Fall 2012)
Click here to see the full version. of..Desperate Housecats.
This headline calls to mind the weekly TV series, set on a quiet, residential street called Wisteria Lane. Like the characters in this series, the homeless cats on Contra Costa’s residential lanes (as well as urban streets and alleys) live desperate lives.
The most poignant are the DESPERATE HOUSECATS-– the ones who have been lost, left behind or purposefully abandoned by the people they depended upon. They remember love and care. They still hope to find it among people they can trust. But as each hungry day is followed by another cold night, and as they dodge cars, dogs, hostile cats and unfeeling or cruel strangers, they lose hope. Fear builds, and they hide or run from those trying to help them. Without the skills to survive on their own, these housecats don’t last long. When rescued, it may take a while for them to relax again, but then they are so very grateful for the love they’re given!
EPISODE 1: “Amy” & “Annabelle”
Crisis: These gentle tortoiseshell sisters were part of a multi-generational family neglected in a backyard. Fed a little but not fixed, the population had grown to 16 when CC4C was called in. All were thin and competing for the one mound of dry food poured on the patio each day.
Resolution: Despite their minimal contact with people, Amy and Annabelle welcomed the tender care and shelter of a foster home. Their formerly meager diet gave them a tendency to overeat, and now they are big armfuls of love. A recent disruption in their foster situation has made them shy, but a stable, loving home will soon help their tortie faces smile again.
