Rebecca Sonniksen
I’ll admit —I’m a list maker, a perpetual planner. My younger sister, Amy, might even accuse me of being Ms. Bossy Pants. So, that’s why my story of how my husband, Scott, and I ended up with two unplanned special needs kittens is a personal reminder of the gift of the “unplanned.”
Believe me, I know we’ve all heard enough these past few years about the ways people’s lives have had to change despite their plans. Like others, Scott and I were in agreement on what seemed a well-reasoned plan and suddenly had to let it go. But this sad story has a silver lining .
This past September we had to make the gut-wrenching decision to put down our sweet 13-year-old cat, Gracie. If you’ve gone through the heartbreak of losing a beloved pet you know the agony, doubts, and sadness we experienced.
When it’s finally over, the last thing you’re thinking is, “I need more emotional upheaval in my life.” So we decided, let’s keep it simple, no more kitties at least until the spring. But here comes the unplannin g.
About 2 months after Gracie’s passing I received an email from LaRae, a volunteer for Columbia Gorge Cat Rescue, (CGCR) who fosters feral kittens and cats. She knew we had lost Gracie and wondered if by any chance we might consider adopting a “Special Needs” kitten, Suki.
Her front leg had been crushed, perhaps by being thrown from a car, and it would need to be amputated leaving her with only three good legs. Because of her handicap she would need a safe indoor home and LaRae was worried this sweet kitty would be left alone in a cage for months waiting for her “forever home.”
Scrolling down, I looked at the video she had attached of little Suki lurching across a table dragging her useless front leg. Her sweet delicate face was punctuated with round yellow eyes giving her the look of a surprised lemur. Her furry coat looked soft with the coloring of a “diluted calico.” Then there were pictures of her cuddled with another foster cat, a large orange tabby, who was grooming he r.
Despite whatever cruelty she might have suffered, she was a sweet, loving little girl. Hard to resist. But still thinking, “not yet,” I wandered into the living room carrying my phone to show Scott. I guess he saw the same things I did because he thought we should consider it. So we arranged to go down to the CGCR clinic the next week and meet Suki and talk with the vet, Dr. Jean, about amputation. After conferring with Dr. Jean we decided it would be best to amputate the leg.
Planning ahead, I thought—based on the pictures of her with the other cats—that after she got adjusted to us we should adopt a companion for her. I mentioned this in passing to our neighbor Elke Neubauer of Pawsitivity, who also rescues feral/homeless cats.
Well, within a couple days, Elke had the perfect companion for her, a 3-month-old tabby male kitten she had just rescued. Like Suki, he was alone—no siblings, no mother. When there are siblings, Elke likes to adopt them in pairs.
Within the next couple weeks, we had two 4- and 5-month-old kittens, Suki (Love) and Shanti (Peace). They couldn’t be more perfect for us and each other. He even grooms her where she can’t reach without her front right leg. They are both survivors and maybe that’s what makes them grateful and ready to give and receive love.
And we are grateful to Elke, LaRae and the kind soul who brought Suki to CGCR. Their planning and dedication was responsible for saving these kittens’ lives. I guess it takes both–doing the footwork and the planning, and then just being receptive to what might come your way. To be ready to open your heart to the unexpected gifts of the unplanned.
And to add to that—when we went over to Elke and Frank’s to meet Shant i , we took our granddaughters, who immediately fell in love with two fluffy siblings who they later adopted .
The silver lining.
Pawsitivity is a smalll group of volunteers providing a feral cat spay/neuter program in Goldendale and Centerville. To contact Pawsitvity for additional information call 509 261-089 or visit the web site www.pawsitivity.info.