Who are You & Where are We Going?

September 5, 2007

Early morning Tonya took to the road - beginning the 500 mile round trip to pick up Seiko.

Meanwhile Seiko got her vaccines and health certificate and adoption fees are paid.

Tonya arrived at Kat Kamp and they were on their way - but not so fast...

Just as they were about to get on the interstate Tonya's phone rang - they had forgotten to give Seiko her microchip. Back to the shelter they went. Seiko was none too impressed with the process and made her displeasure known. It was our first indication that the little princess has a powerful set of lungs.

Finally I got the call that they were on the way home.

Spay Day

Checking my e-mail on August 26 brought welcome news...

Seiko was on the way to be spayed. Pets ALIVE Spay/Neuter Clinic had the services of a top notch surgeon, Dr. Jerry Edington, that day. Although Seiko weighed only 2.25 pounds, they had decided to move forward because of his skill and experience.

Of course I spent most of the day anxiously checking my e-mail for updates. Its hard to be a long distance meowmy.

Finally I got the good news, Seiko was back at Kat Kamp and recovering nicely.


The last major hurdle was cleared. Seiko would be ready to travel east on schedule.

Kat Kamp

Bloomington Animal Care and Control has a dedicated group of volunteers who, through the Foster Guardian Program, "provide temporary homes for companion animals who have special needs; need socialization; are youngsters under the age of 8 weeks; do not show well in a kennel situation, but are otherwise deemed adoptable; are purebreds awaiting placement in breed rescue; are in need of additional training to improve their chances of finding a life-long home."

Seiko was placed in one such foster home, under the care of a kind and witty woman named Martha, who refers to the foster home as Kat Kamp.

Under Martha's excellent care, Seiko began to blossom and gain weight.

Enter Tonya

Seiko has a guardian angel. Her name is Tonya.

I had been able to find drivers for parts of the transport, but there were large gaps in the route - gaps hundreds of miles long. Plan "B" - using Pro Pet Transports, a professional ground transport company - also had some major flaws.

I had all but decided to give up when I received a private message on one of the cat forums I frequent. Tonya generously offered to pick up Seiko and board her until a satisfactory transport could be arranged.

Riding on the huge wave of hope, I re-faxed my application to the shelter. Just a few hours later the application was approved. Seiko could come to Virginia.

Waiting

Making the decision to adopt Seiko was the easy part.

The hard part was getting a shelter in Indiana to approve adopting her to a home in Virginia.

I faxed the paperwork and waited. The shelter adoption counselor, I was told, would call me for an interview.

Meanwhile, I was scrambling to arrange transport. Since Seiko was not eligible for the Siamese Rescue Program, we would not be able to use Meezer Express which is without doubt the most organized, reliable, and generous group of transport volunteers. My hat is off to the Meezer Express Transport Coordinators. It is not easy to arrange transports - especially from the middle of Indiana to the coast of Virginia. I put out a plea for help on several message forums and the Wayward Cats crossed their whiskers.

48 hours went by with no contact from the shelter. I was getting cold feet. Even if I were approved to adopt - how would I be able to get her home...

Then a miracle occurred.

SiamList

July 15, 2007, The SiamList ad read:

"Seiko, female, age 2 months, 1.14 pounds, chocolate point, applehead, has claws, indoors only.... will be spayed prior to adoption... Seiko is in good health, good appetite,excellent litterbox habits, though needs a short sided litterbox. She has a problem with her back legs that will prevent her from being taken into rescue but she can walk and run around fine, just a funny duck-like walk in her back legs. Future problems are possible but unknown at this time, no litterbox or mobility problems noted at this time. A delightful kitten with special needs...trying to place her privately as return to shelter will mean euthanasia since she has this deformity."


They each found me one way or another. A kitten going stir-crazy in his cage; a kitten with broken ribs; a shy unadoptable; the sick; the frightened; the starving. They are not perfect, but they are beautiful. And so it was decided that little Seiko would join my rag-tag band of Wayward Cats.