Festus
Festus is a lucky boy. He is lucky for the simple reason that he survived. He survived long enough to be noticed by someone who cared. Because he had some big flaming hoops to jump through to get there.
Our volunteer noticed Festus meandering along the roadside, weaving in among the bushes the grew there. She noticed him not only because she is hyper aware of cats roaming at large, especially those along the roadways in rural areas, but also because at a glance she thought he looked to be in rough shape. He was rail thin and his fur was ratty. It was enough to have her screech to a halt in the middle of the road and turn back to suss him out. Festus was little nervous to see someone paying him notice, scuttling further into the weeds, but his head shot up when our volunteer cracked a can of food. She sat back in her car to watch as he carefully approached, and saw him begin to scarf down the food. It was enough to know that he was starving, so she jumped out the car to interrupt his eating and grabbed a trap (always on hand) to catch him. She had him within two minutes, as Festus wasn't going to let the opportunity to eat a good meal pass him by. And once she had a chance to get a better second look at him, our volunteer was very grateful she had noticed him and stopped. He was indeed scruffy and looking the worse for wear. And hungry as hell, poor thing. Heaven knows the last time Festus had had a meal of any substance.
At our vet clinic the next day, we were even more grateful that our volunteer had picked Festus up, as we discovered that he had a 22-bullet lodged under the skin on one side (a miss of sorts, thankfully) and a smattering of bb pellets in his broken tail. He was also found to have a healed injury in his right eye, something that is not expected to give him trouble going forward. He was - of course - intact, so besides the removal of the bullet, Festus received a neuter, a microchip and parasite treatment to give him a leg up on life, a life that had been clearly a miserable affair prior to his capture.
Festus was a little nervous of people in the early going - as you might imagine - but it was clear he had once been in their company, as he was receptive to gentle touch. Mind you, food was definitely the ticket to his heart, so we knew we stood a good chance that he would flower in foster care. And we are so very pleased to report this most recent update:
"Festus is one of the sweetest cats I have ever met! He is energetic, loving, and playful. He will reach up to your hand to get pets, like a little high five, he follows you around the house and watches you from around the corner, and sleeps on the floor at the foot of the bed. Also, he doesn't meow - he chirps! The sweetest little sound that melts hearts. He loves all kinds of toys, from storebought contraptions with rattles, to bootlaces! Festus is very enthusiastic about meal-time! He expects food promptly as soon as you open your eyes in the morning and the moment you step foot in the door after work. If there's leftover in the other cat's bowl, he'll help himself! He is so unique, friendly, loving, and handsome, you'll just love him. I know we do!
Festus gets along well with other cats, so hopefully that will make him even more appealing to a prospective adopter. Please consider adopting this deserving little survivor, as he had been through the wars already and needs only the best that life can offer in the days coming to him. May there be many!
We ask for a minimum $160 donation for each of our rescued cats. A charitable tax receipt will be issued.
ADOPTION APPLICATION
Back to Adopt page
Our volunteer noticed Festus meandering along the roadside, weaving in among the bushes the grew there. She noticed him not only because she is hyper aware of cats roaming at large, especially those along the roadways in rural areas, but also because at a glance she thought he looked to be in rough shape. He was rail thin and his fur was ratty. It was enough to have her screech to a halt in the middle of the road and turn back to suss him out. Festus was little nervous to see someone paying him notice, scuttling further into the weeds, but his head shot up when our volunteer cracked a can of food. She sat back in her car to watch as he carefully approached, and saw him begin to scarf down the food. It was enough to know that he was starving, so she jumped out the car to interrupt his eating and grabbed a trap (always on hand) to catch him. She had him within two minutes, as Festus wasn't going to let the opportunity to eat a good meal pass him by. And once she had a chance to get a better second look at him, our volunteer was very grateful she had noticed him and stopped. He was indeed scruffy and looking the worse for wear. And hungry as hell, poor thing. Heaven knows the last time Festus had had a meal of any substance.
At our vet clinic the next day, we were even more grateful that our volunteer had picked Festus up, as we discovered that he had a 22-bullet lodged under the skin on one side (a miss of sorts, thankfully) and a smattering of bb pellets in his broken tail. He was also found to have a healed injury in his right eye, something that is not expected to give him trouble going forward. He was - of course - intact, so besides the removal of the bullet, Festus received a neuter, a microchip and parasite treatment to give him a leg up on life, a life that had been clearly a miserable affair prior to his capture.
Festus was a little nervous of people in the early going - as you might imagine - but it was clear he had once been in their company, as he was receptive to gentle touch. Mind you, food was definitely the ticket to his heart, so we knew we stood a good chance that he would flower in foster care. And we are so very pleased to report this most recent update:
"Festus is one of the sweetest cats I have ever met! He is energetic, loving, and playful. He will reach up to your hand to get pets, like a little high five, he follows you around the house and watches you from around the corner, and sleeps on the floor at the foot of the bed. Also, he doesn't meow - he chirps! The sweetest little sound that melts hearts. He loves all kinds of toys, from storebought contraptions with rattles, to bootlaces! Festus is very enthusiastic about meal-time! He expects food promptly as soon as you open your eyes in the morning and the moment you step foot in the door after work. If there's leftover in the other cat's bowl, he'll help himself! He is so unique, friendly, loving, and handsome, you'll just love him. I know we do!
Festus gets along well with other cats, so hopefully that will make him even more appealing to a prospective adopter. Please consider adopting this deserving little survivor, as he had been through the wars already and needs only the best that life can offer in the days coming to him. May there be many!
We ask for a minimum $160 donation for each of our rescued cats. A charitable tax receipt will be issued.
ADOPTION APPLICATION
Back to Adopt page