West Virginia Kitties: October 2021

The Woods Resort is a community of of retirees, who are drawn to the golf courses, weekenders who want a place to get away from all the people in the D.C. metro area, and for some, they live there full time and year round as their primary residence, send their kids to the nearby schools, and work in the surrounding area.

Located near Hedgesville, West Virginia and the spa town of Berkeley Springs, it's a pleasant area nestled back amongst the rolling hills for which West Virginia is known. And it's only about an hour-and-a-half from the D.C. and Baltimore area, making it a convient getaway spot.

In October, word went out to the community via the NextDoor app (which is basically like a quasi-Facebook for neighborhoods) that people living full-time in one of the cabins had walked away, leaving behind their three dogs, their 10 cats and the cabin in a state of hoarding and deplorable conditions. They'd been a known entity within the community for years, with their dogs getting loose and attacking people, and for the horrible state of their yard. What many did not know was the terrible condition of their cabin nor that they'd been allowing their intact cats to breed with abandon.

When they decided to leave their property, they also decided to leave their pets behind. That included putting these 10 cats outside. Granted, many had probably been living in such a horrible state that they didn't understand what had happened, but these people also left them without shelter, food or water. They also left their three dogs inside as well, leaving the dogs to defecate all over the cabin. Eventually, they did come back for the dogs and all three were surrendered to a shelter. But, the cats were left to fend for themselves on their own.

Some very kind neighbors started feeding the cats and providing for them. But it was understood that this would be a temporary situation at best as many of the cats were not in good shape. But those that seemed better than the rest might be able to be adopted out. Unfortunately, shelters nearby were packed, which meant that most likely these cats would be euthanized, and rescues were also at capacity so they would not be able to take them in either.

For no fault of their own, these cats were definitely at risk of death. Which sadly happens every day across the U.S. as the statistics for a companion animal that is abandoned is not a good one.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (the ASPCA) offers the following sad and sobering statistics:

Approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.4 million are cats.
Each year, approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized. 1.4 million of them are cats.
Approximately 2.7 million shelter animals are adopted each year. 1.3 million are cats.
Of the cats entering shelters, approximately 37% are adopted, 41% are euthanized, and less than 5% of cats who came in as strays are returned to their owners.

So, this was going to be an uphill battle. But when faced with staggering odds and feeling a bit demoralized, always think of the short story "The Starfish Thrower" by Loren Eisley.

One day, a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?” The boy replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.” “Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…"I made a difference for that one."

So, that's the "origin story" of these guys!

Who are the cats?

Miss Sass: Black Domestic Short Hair, Female, Around 8 months old. She found her people!
Pumpkin Spice: Brown Tabby, Female. Around a year old. She is bonded to her sister, Cinnamon Spice. She found her person!
Cinnamon Spice: Brown Tabby, Female. Around a year old. She is also bonded to her sister, Pumpkin Spice. She found her person along with her sis!
Blaze: Black Domestic Short Hair, Female, Around 8 months old. She is awaiting her spay and then will be ready for adoption.
Fiona: Tortie, Female, Around 8 months old. She has a bad ear infection that has left her with a head tilt, and an eye infection for which she is going to a veterinary ophthalmologist. We need to get her healthy before her spay and before she can be adopted.
Samwise: Orange Tabby, Around a year old. He has an upper respiratory infection and gum disease, both of which are being treated with antibiotics to fix. He also needs to get healthy before he can be neutered and be adopted.
Black Kitty #3: Still at the cabin, gender unknown. Probably a litter mate of Miss Sass and Blaze.
Grey Tabby: Still at the cabin. Gender unknown. Has an eye infection.
Gray and White Kitty: Still at the cabin. Gender unknown. Has an eye infection.
Big Orange Kitty: Still at the cabin. We are presuming a boy.

I am including some pictures of the horrible conditions that these cats were taken from. I'm going to warn you now that these are not pretty. If you don't want to see them, turn back now.