HAPPY ENDINGS ~~
     Lance and Winston

  

              Lance                                                                                                                                                                                          
         Winston                         Be sure to see their 
                                                        update photo below.                          

Winston is an beautiful cat.  He is so sleek and elegant.  
Very affectionate and loving pet.

Lance -- look at that adorable face!  Doesn't he look like 
a little girl?!!!  At least that is what we first thought.  We 
named him Lacey, only to find out later he should be named 
Lance.  As he has gotten older, it is very obvious Lance is 
a little boy.  He still maintains his gentle, sweet way, and 
wins the hearts of anyone who meets him.

Lance and Winston were captured in September of 1999.  
Winston was a member of the feral colony FLUFFY Cat 
Rescue attends to each day.  Lance came from Urbana, 
Illinois and was either feral or abandoned.  Winston was 
in pretty good shape, just hungry and doing his best to survive 
in the rapidly growing commercial area from which he came.  
Lance, on the other hand, was covered with fleas, very much 
underweight, and very frightened.

Both guys adapted to being in our care very quickly.  Our 
socialization process for these two was separate cages in the 
early stages with each having play time alone in a small area 
so that they could get used to being with humans.  After about 
a week of this socialization, we began putting them together with 
a caretaker for play time.  At the beginning of this stage, Winston dominated and Lance pretty much tried to hide on the lap of 
whoever was supervising their play.  By the end of the second 
week together, they had learned to love both humans and each 
other.  It was wonderful watching them play.  Whenever either 
needed a time out, they would run to snuggle up in the arms of the caretaker, only a few minutes later, to jump out, pouncing on their 
playmate down below.  

On approximately 10/15/99,  Lance and Winston went to their 
new home.  It is very appropriate that we chose the names 
Sir Winston and Sir Lancelot.  One was chosen for Winston 
Churchill and the other for Lancelot of King Arthur.  The parents 
of the family who has decided to give Winston and Lance a home 
are from Great Britain (Scotland and England).  Family of five -- 
mom, dad and three boys.  The youngest boy, Ben, is responsible 
for making the request for a kitten.  FLUFFY Cat Rescue convinced 
them that the two little boy kittens would be happiest if they were 
placed together.  

In January of 2000, Lance and Winston were both neutered.  They 
received a straight "A" from the veterinary technician who said they 
were "very special cats".    This is quite a compliment.  Much the 
same as a child receiving honor roll recognition.  Usually when cats 
have to make a trip to the veterinarian office, their worst manners 
are on display.  Not these guys.  The technician did not realize they 
were FLUFFY Cat Rescue prodigies.   

Lance and Winston reflect the personalities/dispositions of most of 
the cats leaving our care for new homes.

The mother of the family who adopted Winston and Lance admitted 
she was glad they had adopted them both.  They are inseparable and 
it became obvious to the family that they would have regretted making 
a choice between one or the other as they are both wonderful, 
wonderful cats.  Not afraid of anyone who comes into their very 
active household.  

In a situation like this, having seen from where these two little guys 
came and seeing what great love and care they are receiving, as well 
as the love they are giving to their new family, makes one feel such 
a sense of pleasure/accomplishment in knowing a difference was 
made. 

March 1, 2001

We received an update photo of Lance and Winston which 
we are posting here.  They are very happy with their current 
life.  They have no idea how miserable they would have been 
had they been left to survive outside this winter.  Champaign-
Urbana has had an incredibly cold winter complete with much 
snow/ice and low wind chill factors.  Many days have been 
subzero with wind chills as low as 45 degrees below zero.

Lance and Winston play cards ~~~~
They've turned Mother Ann into a real cat lover.  To my 
knowledge their family had not had pets until Lance and 
Winston joined them.  I believe they had, come to think of 
it, a hamster or two and a tank of aquarium fish, but not a 
cat or dog.  Many adults, college-age young adults and 
teenagers visit the house regularly.  Lance and Winston 
have always been very comfortable with all visitors.

Winston's siblings, Cassie, Bunny and Chrissie are all happy 
in their new homes as well.  I am sorry to have to report that 
their mother, Bandit, was hit by a car last spring.  She was 
a very sweet cat.  She resisted capture, however, and lived 
in the very hazardous area with heavy traffic which in the 
end took her life.  Additionally, Bandit would have been 
difficult to place due to most individuals being uncomfortable 
with taking a feral adult cat.  Sad, too, as all would welcome 
a comfortable home and every cat we have taken from that 
area, no matter what the age, have settled down to be 
wonderful, loving pets.  They require a little extra attention 
at first, but become so grateful that they almost worship the 
ones willing to take a chance with them.  They are snuggly/
cuddly, playful -- have all of the traits one usually looks for 
as a new family member/pet.  We have also not had one turn 
into a problem cat of missing the litter box or "spraying".     

Notes of a Day-To-Day Diary Kept on 
Lance and Winston's Progress 
From Capture to Adoption

~ Winston.  Four to six weeks old.  His eyes are still blue, so he must be in that age frame.  A manager of a restaurant located in the same area as the colony we work with captured him on 9/9/99.   She called us to come take him into our care.  Very quiet at this point, just beginning to feel comfortable with us.  Has gone from having incredible fear in his little eyes to the point that he loves the spoon feedings he is getting.  He is quite small and we thought him younger, so we got out the bottle and formula.  He chewed huge holes in the nipple rather quickly, so we believe him to be older than his size led us to believe.  He wasn't sure of our touches at first, but has decided that the combings we are doing to rid him of fleas are actually enjoyable.  I would imagine he will soon forget his cat family and think of humans as the only family he knows.  Come a long way in a few short days.  Shared his cute little meow with us today as we entered the room to see him.  Excited to see us and even more excited to see the spoon with the food.  He will be available for adoption in three to four weeks after he gets completely checked out and passes our required medical tests/treatment.      
(9/17/99)  Has become a very playful little guy.  Is still a little unsure about snuggling.  Not quite sure if we are going to squeeze him or drop him, but he is beginning to like it.  Had a bad upper respiratory infection.  Has come through that quite nicely.  Fleas galore, but they are pretty much gone, thanks to flea comb and baths.  If any fleas remain, Advantage® flea treatment will completely take care of eliminating them when he is eight weeks old.  Tests now to see if there are any intestinal parasites and if so, treatment to take care of that.  Will be healthy and ready for a new family in about two to three weeks.  
(10/2/99) We are calling this little fellow Winston.  Tested negative for intestinal parasites, FELV, FIV, etc.  He is growing quickly and will be ready for his first distemper shot by the end of the week.  Winston is quite the vocal little fellow.  He loves to talk to us.  Has a great time playing with our other foster kitten, Lance.  Both love all of the human members of our household and are not at all bothered by the many teenagers visiting our home.   
(10/10/99)  Have found a possible home for Winston and Lance (Lance's information below).  They have such a great time playing together.  I would imagine that since they have played together since they were four to five weeks of age that they think of each other as siblings.  I'm pleased that they might possibly be going to a wonderful family who lives close to me.  That way I hopefully will have a chance to watch them grow.  Hope all works out for everyone involved.  

~ Lance.  About five weeks old.  My oldest son's friend found her at a gas station in Urbana, Illinois.  Appears to have been dumped in the area.  In relatively good shape.  Perhaps a few fleas and a little underweight, but basically in pretty good shape.  Very social.  Medical screenings, food to bring to normal weight, distemper shots and then ready to find a new home.  Don't want to pry yet, but due to the incredibly gentle nature of this kitten, we're assuming she is just that, a "she".  We're going to call this little girl Lacey.  
(10/2/99)  We're no longer calling Lacey by the name we chose for her.  That's because she's a little boy.  A very gentle little boy at that.  So, "she" is now Lance.  We call him Sir Lance along with his buddy, Sir Winston.  Turned out to be a tad bit more than a FEW fleas.  After bathing and combing, I found close to 100 fleas on this little boy's tiny body.  He would not have made it, I do not believe, had he not found someone to care for him.  He is now flea-free and growing rapidly.  We are running another test for tape worms tomorrow as these sometimes accompany fleas.   If it shows up positive, we'll treat him for them and in about a week, he'll be ready for his distemper shot and then, hopefully, his new home.    
Lance is very gentle and has such a sweet way about him that he wins the hearts of all around him.  He frustrates Winston a bit when they are playing.  Lance loves to squeal and whine as Winston attacks him.  Sometimes Winston just ignores this and takes after Lance anyway.  They tumble and twist and turn.  After a bit, however, Winston thinks Lance's squealing indicates that he is being hurt, so he moves away.  Lance then quietly walks up behind him and jumps on Winston's back as he walks away.  Sneaky little boy, isn't he?  
10/10/99  As mentioned in Winston's information, a possible home has been found for Lance and Winston. 
10/15/99  Lance and Winston are going to their new home.  We'll miss seeing them, but look forward to a visit or two here and there as we help them and their new family adjust.  Also, when we pet sit them in the future.