Fred was adopted by a wonderful Aruban family who was looking for an inside cat. His new “mommy” is a five year old girl and her two brothers. So now Fred has a great family and a lot of love. They stopped by to visit the zoo the day after he was adopted and was very content in his new mommy’s arms. Considering he and his 2 sisters came to us at about 4 weeks of age after their mother was killed. He is one lucky boy!
When we got Elmo he was too small to be with the Flintstones and Max out on the patio and we still had Tiger in the quarentine room – so poor little Elmo had to be confined to my office. He loved it. He got special attention and more food than you could imagine. At times I thought his little belly would pop like a balloon.
At about 6 weeks old he was catching up to the Flintstones and we put them all together keeping a watchful eye so he wouldn’t get bullied. Lo and behold, little Elmo was one not to be reckoned with. Absolutely fearless and ready to take on all comers.
Having longer fur that’s soft as chinchilla, Elmo was snatched up by a wonderful young lady from Philadelphia who was here in late June. She and her family had brought supplies for us when they came and she wanted to adopt Max. Unfortunately it was not possible at that time and Max found a new home here in Aruba a few weeks later. We kept in touch and last week she decided she would like Elmo. As luck would have it, we had a visitor on the island who was able to transport the lucky little guy to Philly for us.
The Flintstones miss Elmo and are sad that they were not picked first since they were older, but they are happy for him.
We’ve had Max since he was 2 or 3 days old. He has a warm spot in our heart because he is one of the most mellow, easy going kittens we have had. He was adopted this weekend by a really nice Dutch couple that have just moved to the island. They are just in love with him and he has stolen their hearts already! He is very happy in his new home! We will miss our little “Maxie”!
Cute, cuddlely, cantankerous – did I mention cute? Elmo arrived Tuesday afternoon from Savaneta. The woman who brought him to us found him in a box in front of her house. She was one of the founders of Animal Rights Aruba and believes that somebody had knowlege of that and therefore thought it would be a good house at which to dump a kitten.
We estimate Elmo to be about 4½ weeks old. He is in good shape but a bit skinny. He is eating on his own and wolfed down his first meal as though he hadn’t eaten in days. He’ll be off to the vet’s later for his initial checkup and first worming.
Right around lunch time today the phone rang and I could hear Liz talking. “How old do you think he is? What hotel are you staying at? Okay, we’ll be there in about 15 minutes.” And as we drove down island she filled me in about Harry and Linda. By the time we got to the hotel I had been informed that we were setting up travel arrangements for a young male cat that stole the heart of his new adoptive mom, Linda.
Harry had been working the hotel crowd for quite a while it seems. He was in great shape and didn’t seem to have anything wrong with him. He was ultrafriendly, a trait that they seem to pick up when they hit up the vacationers for food. “Pet me, feed me, feed me some more.” It’s a scam we’ve seen many times and it looks like this time Harry decided that he not only wanted food but a new home in the US.
He had his marks picked out and was working his charms on them, but then he met Linda. It was love at first sight and fortunately Linda was lucky enough to have met some people that told her that there was an organization on the island that could help get the necessary travel papers needed to get Harry out of Aruba.
That’s where we came in. We went through our inventory of donations and got together everything Harry would need to make the journey back to his new home. A new pet carrier, a harness (which turned out to be too big) and a leash, sealed goodies for the trip and a makeshift kitty litter (for when he landed, in case he had to go) and we were on our way.
We met Harry and Linda at her hotel and gave Linda the info. She had already made an afternoon appointment at the vet’s to get his tests, shots and health certificate. A call had been made to the airline to make sure there was available room on the return flight and the wheels were in motion.
Later in the afternoon we drove back to the hotel and picked up Linda and Harry who was adjusting to his new pet carrier. He wasn’t real happy about it but he knew it was his best chance to get to America. At the vet’s he had his tests for feline aids and leukemia and we waited in anticipation for the results. We were also told that Harry was about 1 year old. Fifteen minutes later the vet told us that Harry was disease free and he was then given his rabies shot. We adjorned to the waiting room while they filled out the health certificate and 15 minutes later we were back out on the road to get a proper fitting harness and then take Linda and Harry back to the hotel.
As we said our goodbyes, Harry was curled up in his carrier taking a little nap, for he was leaving tomorrow and it was going to be a long day. We will be getting reports on Harry’s progress as he learns what it is like to be getting regular meals, a safe place to sleep and pats from someone that loves him very, very much.
Yep – it was a great day when Harry met Linda. And when Linda met Harry.
Tigger made friends with a wonderful lady who was staying at one of the resorts. She instantly fell in love with her and contacted us about getting her rescued. She was not a “cat” person and estimated her age as 6 weeks old. We were quite surprised when we came to pick her up that she was 6 months old and pregnant. We became 100% dedicated to her rescue so took her to the vet and got her tested and neutered. She is now happily living in our guest room where she watches TV and gets pats all day. She is a very sweet cat and will make someone a great pet. We have to still get her a rabies shot in order to leave the island.
We are estimating that she will be ready to go at the end of June. We found rescue group in Philly who agreed to take her and find her a good home. The rescue group has paid for her plane ticket so all we need is for someone to take her on the cabin with them when they return from Aruba. We will meet you at the lobby before you leave for the airport with Tigger and all her documentation. Please email us here if you can help us.
As a follow up to an earlier post, here’s the picture and story of our latest additions
We recieved the call late Saturday afternoon from our main liasson at the local veterinarians. They had 3 four week old kittens that needed to be placed. And so about an hour later we met our new charges.
Naming is always a chore so we figured we would sex them then think of a familiar group with the same amount of gender. Immediately the Flintstones came to mind though later Jack, Chrissy and Janet from 3’s Company sprang to mind. So much for naming conventions.
They are at the awkward stage of eating. They don’t want a bottle and they don’t want solid food. So it’s glop at this point. They roll in it, stick thier heads into it, slurp it and make a huge mess. I have some horrifying pictures of the whole proceedure that I will post when I have a little more time.
We had Lucy to the vets every day since last Friday. They tried everything they could to get her out of her dire condition. By Monday she was still fiesty but wouldn’t eat and I had to feed her special formula and pedialite with a tiny syringe, ½ a cc every 15 minutes.
When I checked her at 8 pm last night she had finally lost her fight.
I held her and stroked her until she passed at 10 pm.
Even as I write this I can’t hold back my tears. Sometimes a rescue becomes very special and Lucy was one of those. We have had kittens before that didn’t make it, and it is always sad, but little Lucy had won a big place in my heart and now there is an emptiness. The only consolation is the emptiness is space that can be filled again, as I am sure it will. But for some reason it feels as though it will never be as full as it was.
Last week we took Max and Lucy to the vets for checkups and to be dewormed. As usual they were both a little sluggish with poor appetites after the visit. The next day Lucy still was not eating well and the day after that she developed diarrhea. We took her back to the vets and they gave her shots of antibiotics, vitamins and bucapan(to relieve the digestive tract).
Then on Saturday evening we recieved a call for help with a litter of 4 week old kittens. We had the dropped off to us and put them into the quarrentine room. Except for fleas they appeared to be in good shape. A male and 2 females who have been dubbed “The Flintstones” – Fred, Wilma and Pebbles. Pictures to be posted soon.
We received an email with a photo giving us an update on Mo and Mojo (now named Zoe and Tyson. It reads as follows:
Hi Liz & Mick!
We are all settled back in Maine. The kittens are doing great. The trip was a breeze, and they were so good the whole way. Its still a 4 hour drive back to Camden, Maine even after arriving in Logan Airport, so we didn’t get home until after 9 pm. They were little troopers though. Everyone at the airports was super nice just like you said, and most of the passengers didn’t even know. The couple who did were very impressed with the whole effort.
Max and I went to the pet store in Camden yesterday morning and got them all the essentials for a happy life. They are adjusting very well and can’t get enough of playing with each other and Max. It was very nice to meet you both, and I hope more people will continue to help the other Aruban orphans you find, and get to enjoy this rewarding experience. Thanks for what you do.
Best Regards,
Joel, Barrie, & Max
Here’s a pic of how everyone woke up this morning all to enjoy the
playstation 2…
