The True Story of Cee Cee
and her rescue along with SEVENTEEN other lost, cold and hungry kitties
On Veteran's Day, 2002, in a pouring rain, while visiting my elderly Aunt in Delaware, I went with her to the Christiana Care clinic. On the way out, I paused to admire a nicely landscaped lawn, when something made me look for a cat - for some reason, I felt that there were ferals there - don't ask me how I "knew". The next thing I know, a beautiful Long Haired Tortoiseshell kitty came slowly out from under a flowering bush and walked up to me!!! I felt so bad because at that moment I was unable to rescue her! I left her some dry food (in the pouring rain.!) and got out of there before she ventured into the parking lot. I alerted the people at the front desk of the clinic, that there was a kitty on their lawn that needed to be looked after (I had no idea if they would do anything about it....), and when I returned to Auntie's apt, I called all the local shelters -- all of them were closed. Returning to Virginia that day, with every revolution of the train's wheels taking me farther away, I felt so bad for that cat! When I got home I immediately emailed Alley Cat Allies, who provided me with 2 names and phone numbers of two women who rescued cats in that area.
Both ladies responded to my calls -- one went out and with my instructions and description, found Cee Cee (I named her after where she was found!!), AND also found SEVENTEEN other kitties, some of whom were CC's juvenile offspring. ALL were trapped, and the bank that owned the property PAID for all their vet bills!!! After all were spayed, neutered, vaccinated, eleven of the kitties had to be returned to where they were originally found, because they were too wild to be adopted -- the lady's boyfriend built some small inexpensive cat shelters (click to go to the Alley Cat Allies' instructions on how to build a shelter lean-to for feral cats), and someone was also feeding and looking after them on a regular basis. These cats will be cared for, for the rest of their lives. This episode made me realize how in this case, the word "kind" in Mankind REALLY means that (but I wish more of humanity would learn to be like that, too). As for Cee Cee, I got a ride to Delaware from a fellow cat person, and Cee Cee went home with me, to live in a special kitty penthouse (the spare bathroom) suite.
It's taken CC a while to get used to being under a roof, but right off the bat she LOVED to be petted AND brushed!! and she knew how to use a litter box. Diane May , an Animal Communicator, came to speak with my kitties and told me (among other interesting things) that Cee Cee lived in a home at first, but her people were "very distracted", and that when she came to live with me, Cee Cee at first had a hard time adjusting to the fact that she didn't have to search for food anymore! I am so glad I was able to provide Cee Cee with another home --mine -- and this one loving and happy. I let her hide whenever she wanted to, and let her know that I had a lot of love to give her, and food and catnip and toys.
I also gave Cee Cee "Feral Cat Comforter" tincture from Anaflora.com, and that seems to be helping her too. Now although she is still deathly afraid of strangers (one look at a stranger, and it takes me 2 hrs to find her!) Cee Cee hops skips and RUNS up to my Princess kitty (Princess hisses and spits like a diesel engine needing a tune up, but is still pretty tolerant), and CC runs to me, feet barely touching the ground, with eyes bright whenever I call her. She is filling out (no more protruding backbone!!!), her fur is shiny and full, and has learned how to play -- with her tail, with the cat tree, and all the cat toys, and, like Princess, she will sing happily and loudly to her favorite toy (but unlike Princess, who brings her toys to me -- Cee Cee does not ).
Baby Twinkle is another story - she and CC have to be kept apart or they will fight like lionesses when together, sigh... Well, this sometimes happens, and I am fully preapred to keep them apart for as long as it needs to be done, even if it is for their whole lifetimes.
Now, as far as Princess is concerned, Cee Cee ADORES Princess, runs after her, little hairy bloomers wiggling, and rubs rubs rubs against Princess. Princess responds with ugly faces and hisses (sounds like steam escaping!!<:-). Poor Cee Cee sometimes looks at me as if to say "But I LOVE her! Doesn't she understand??!!" Sometimes Princess will meow plaintively, run away from Cee Cee and look at me as if to say "Mommy! Get her away from me!!". But every so often.... I see Princess gently touch Cee Cee with a paw....... There's hope here. And of course I love them all.
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