A Social Cat

Social networking has changed the face of rescue. Only days ago there began appearing on Facebook a picture of a beautiful black cat in a high-kill shelter in Georgia, who was days away from euthanasia. She had come in producing milk but no kittens were to be found. Her picture on the shelter web site caught the heart of a rescuer in Connecticut who shared it on FB with a plea for rescue. Another rescuer in California also did the same. Time and time again her picture appeared with an appeal for rescue, until the message came that she was to die after the shelter closed the next day and if anyone could take her it had to be done fast so a hold could be put on her. One of the FB posters had found someone in GA willing to go and get her and keep for a few days; there was no longer-term foster and no group or individual willing to take her after that.

I had watched all this feeling that there was nothing I could do from Arkansas; FuRR (Feline Rescue and Rehome) had no foster homes open. Then came a miracle of a call! One of my friends, a neighbor and FuRR supporter called me and said that he had fallen love with this beautiful girl with the drop-dead gorgeous green eyes and if we could get the kitty to AR he and his family would adopt. He had, as I knew, a soft spot for green-eyed black cats! I told him to consider it done!

AR equals Arkansas?

I knew that one of my friends had a former college roommate in Atlanta. I reached this person who agreed to get her from the rescuer and foster her as long as was needed. So a hold was put on her the next morning early and she was pulled from the shelter at 2pm, just 3 hours before the deadline. Everyone following her held our breath; we have known mistakes to be made in cases like this. Once she was safely out she was checked over by a vet and given a rabies shot. The vet needed a name for her; the lady, thinking AR stood for Arizona rather than Arkansas, named her Arizona!

My plan was to fly out to get her but the cost was prohibitive. We located 2 FuRR volunteers who had recently moved to GA. They could go to Atlanta to get her on July 17 and fly with her to Bentonville, AR on the 24th. We had a plan; the backup plan was that if this fell through I would drive to Atlanta the 17th to get her.

Then we had the next amazing development. A friend of the people who had offered to foster her had, out of the blue, offered to drive Arizona, who she had not even met, halfway to Arkansas if someone could meet her. So, long story short (this really IS the short version!) on July 12, 2010 two of us drove to Tupelo and picked up Arizona and delivered her to her forever home last night!!

Her Forever Home

She came out of her carrier acting as if she had lived with the family for ages. The boy-child in the family, sitting on the floor with her, said, "Welcome to your new home, Freya (her new name). Your new last name is Berryhill." So Arizona/Freya is home for good, in the arms of love!

Our chip-in has begun to pull in funds for her expenses and we have received a donation from Canada and two from Austrailia...so this has truly been a worldwide effort!

Freya has been spayed and the rest of her life has begun.

Thanks, all for your time. And thank you for caring. There are many more Arizonas out there in kill shelters.