HAPPY ENDINGS ~~  

This is Callie and her kittens.  We refer to her as Callie II.  She is not the Callie living in our feral colony in Champaign.  She is a cat who was taken to a local animal shelter.  She and her brothers lived in a barn in the area.  The farm owner made the decision that he did not want cats in his barn anymore and took them in to the shelter.  The boy cats were deemed not good candidates for adoption and were euthanised.  Callie was pregnant and the decision was made to foster her out to allow her to give birth to the kittens and raise them.  After she had completed the nursing process, she would be returned to the shelter.  If deemed adoptable, she would be put on adoption row and if not, she would be euthanised. 

Callie was given to a foster family to care for her.  Robin and Rhonda were patient and loving with Callie and her litter.  While Callie was nursing her kittens, she was very aggressive.  Some protectiveness could be expected, but her foster family felt she was aggressive enough that they feared she would not be put out for adoption.  She had bitten her caretakers a few times and while she was obviously grateful to them for caring for her and her kittens, she still would for no apparent reason, strike out at them occasionally.  With all of the wonderful, cuddly, lovable cats and kittens being left at the shelter regularly, with many having to be euthanised due to lack of space, it seemed unlikely that Callie would make it to the adoption process. 

Not only had Callie raised her kittens to an adoptable age, she took on a foster kitten brought to her by an individual who found the feral kitten in a puddle on a local farm.  All of Callie's kittens were adorable and very socialized, thanks to her caring foster family.  They were all placed on adoption alley at the shelter and all found good homes. 

Stephanie from FLUFFY Cat Rescue took care of Callie and other pets for Robin and Rhonda while they were away on vacation.  Being the soft touch when it comes to cats, Stephanie discussed with Rhonda and Robin options for making sure Callie was repaid with kindness in the end instead of having to worry about her possibly being euthanised. 

Through one of her pet sitting clients, Joyce, Stephanie was able to make a contact for a possible barn placement.  This barn is a boarding stable for horses in a nearby town.  It is very clean and there are all types of animals living there.  Dogs, cats, horses.  And many, many people visiting on a daily basis who give lots of love and attention to the animals.  All of the animals are given exceptional care.  The lady who owns the stable did not really feel she needed another pet, but hearing Callie's story, she decided to give her a chance.  Rhonda and Robin arranged to have Callie spayed and paid her adoption fee.

Callie was taken to her new home in the late Fall.  Her new owner was very patient with her.  She kept her confined to a cage for a short period so that she could become accustomed to the noises, other animals who came up to the outside of her cage, and human visitors.  When she was let out of the cage, she disappeared.  Our worst fear when the arrangements had been made was that she would run away, not liking her new home.  It seemed that this had happened.

A few days later, the stable owner found her.  She had been wandering around the barn at night, evidently, and stayed in one corner of the barn during the day while everyone was present.  The corner where she had taken up residence was a pile of hay being occupied regularly by two other young cats.  The three had become good friends.  Callie has now settled into the routine and stays out to visit with the regular stable visitors each day.  Joyce saw her recently and said she looks great.  Her new owner has reported that Callie is very sweet and happy in her new home.  The smells, noises, etc., were evidently so similar to what Callie had previously come from that she settled in quickly and is now very happy.