Rescue Tail /Eight Cats

By Tara McFarland

The Florida Keys SPCA has many programs and services to assist our community, including low-cost and free spay/neuter, free behavioral counseling, a food bank, and emergency pet housing for people in domestic abuse, or other emergency situations. In early March, our Marathon Campus was contacted by a local resident in need of emergency pet housing due to unforeseen medical circumstances. Eagerly, we offered our assistance.

They say cats are like potato chips, you can’t have just one. This was the case when we arrived at her house and found ourselves bringing not one, not two, not three, but eight cats back to the shelter for safe housing. As with every emergency housing situation, our goal was to keep each cat safe, happy and healthy until they could be reunited with their parent.

However, this time we soon found out that reunification was not going to be possible; sadly, their owner was in need of long-term care. Although two cats have since been adopted, there are still six of these sweet cats waiting for a home of their own.

D.A., Alejandro, Frenchie, Will, Snuggles II and Tubby are available for adoption at our Marathon Campus. They were well-loved by their person and the happiness they felt resonates today while they patiently wait for the next person to come along and love them forever. Social, friendly and playful, this group of cats easily adapted to life in the Catio and have integrated with our shelter cats as members of the community.

It’s never easy to say goodbye to our beloved pets, especially when circumstances are out of our control. We know these cats were well-loved, and that the difficult choice was made to give them an opportunity at a new life. We are still in touch with their previous caretaker and share photos with her of her beloved cats.

The world is full of changes, and no matter how hard we try, sometimes we get thrown a curveball. What matters is that because we care deeply for our beloved pets, we do whatever it takes to ensure they are cared for.

Should you need help, in addition to emergency housing we now have a behavioral hotline with a team of animal experts who are ready to help. The bond between you and your companion animal is sacred, and we’re here to do everything possible to help keep you and your pets together. Even the most experienced pet parents need a helping hand sometimes. If you need help, call us at 305-294-4857 or email [email protected]. To adopt one of our cats from this tale, call our Marathon Campus at 305-743-4800 or visit us at www.fkspca.org