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This is my story about Isis. But I’ll back up and say
that for Christmas l994 I went to the Shelter and brought
home a black kitten to help me over my grieving of my
mother’s death. He was a real joy and died much too
soon of pancreatic cancer. A week after his death I
went to the shelter to donate his leftover food and
found this beautiful black cat named Draxson. After
considering for a few weeks we took him home and he’s
the joy of our life and has been a delight.
My husband, Jerry, needed to go see Gabby about the
upcoming annual fundraiser for the Animal Shelter. “Not
without me,” I said, as I always love to go see the
homeless cats and give them some love and attention.
So while Jerry and Gabby were having a “closed-door”
meeting I was loving the kittens, one at a time. Then
I was called into the office and we closed the door
and I understood why it was a closed-door meeting. I
saw this beautiful Siamese cat that was jumping on and
off of shelves and acting quite nervous. I learned her
name was Isis. Isis had very recently lost her mistress
(Gabby’s sister) to cancer. She had been uprooted for
a month, coming from Florida with her mistress and had
also been moved into a busy household with several cats
and dogs, then to her new home with her mistress. After
JoAnn (her mistress) passed away, Isis then moved into
Gabby’s office at the Shelter. The poor thing was in
turmoil and devastated at all that was happening to
her.
Isis walked over to Jerry and rubbed against his legs
and then did the same with me. We heard the words from
Gabby, “I really need to find Isis a good home.” I looked
at Jerry. He had said we didn’t need another cat as
we already had one but he graciously said “it’s okay.”
So Isis came home with us. She hid in the far corner
of the carrier on the trip home and looked the other
way when I talked to her. I knew this might be a challenge.
I felt sorry for her.
Isis hid under a bed for part of her first day and I
went and talked to her. She liked being talked to and
rolled over onto her back and let me rub her belly while
under the bed so I knew there was hope. I coaxed her
out and put her into the dog cage we had put in our
living room for her and put a blanket over the cage
so she would feel secure. I knew she was in trauma.
Meanwhile we had been told that in her state of transition
she had gone for four days without eating. I also had
heard that somebody else’s pet had grieved for a month
so I was concerned about her. I found my patient and
soft-hearted husband lying on the floor next to the
cage talking to her that evening and then listened with
excitement as he petted her and said she was eating
her food.
As I have watched the two cats behave like two squabbling
children at times, deciding who is in charge, I began
to question why I did this. As I watched her gain confidence
each day and reach out to us little by little, I knew
she was regaining her faith in life. As I sat and talked
to her and looked into her blue eyes, she reassured
me with her loving rubs, and my doubts went away. Each
day as they have made progress and reach out to touch
noses and begin to act like all is well, I smile. At
the end of the first week she made leaps and bounds
in her return to happiness. Within the next week they
began to become friends, little by little and Isis has
let out all of the stops. She runs, Draxson chases.
It’s a real joy to watch them interact. They run and
play cat and mouse, or tag, and keep us entertained.
It does pay to have patience, and reassure each cat
that they are loved. And Draxson has been special and
extremely patient, persistent, and kind to Isis.
She will also be another great cat for us. I heard Jerry
say the other day, “she’s a keeper.” Each of our three
cats have come from the shelter and have provided us
with a lot of joy. It’s a joy to have Isis come to greet
us at our door when we return home, and to watch her
play in the cat bed, and come when I call “din-din.”
I do not know what she is thinking as she stands or
sits looking out the door and window but I feel she
is content. We have smothered her with love, love heals.
The two cats make two old folks happy. Isis, our miracle
cat.
Ruth Zear
 
Hi!
Just wanted to send you some recent pics of Clyde. He's
not a puppy anymore, but still chews and eats everything
he can! For a short dog, he can reach more than you'd
think. We go to the dog park a lot and everyone thinks
he's very cute. His favorite game is to steal toys and
get a conga line of dogs to chase him all over the park.
He also really enjoys swimming in the pond and fetching
balls from the water. Boomer, our other dog, adores
him and the cats tolerate his wrestling and chewing
on them. Which is good, because they're his favorite
squeak toys. Clyde is learning manners and self control,
but as a teenager, the progress is slow. He can jump
up to your face and tends to bash noses, but we're working
on it. We love him a lot and are very happy that you
chose us to adopt him.
Thanks!
Deb Brown
 
Hello ladies!
Just wanted to give you an update on Shelby. She is
adjusting great and getting along with Lilli wonderfully.
We took her on a field trip to the vet yesterday and
had shot, nails clipped, and blood work done.
So far only one potty accident but otherwise she's
been going outside. She sleeps well in her new crate
at night and naps on the sofa or chairs, where ever
she finds a comfy place. She is so loved here and seems
very happy. Lot's of new friends and family and next
week she will meet her groomer. I did give her a bath
when we got home Tuesday night and she was terrific!
Thanks for all that you have done with her and I'll
keep in touch!
The Weyer Family, Randy, Dawn, Morgan, Lilli and Shelby
P.S. Do you have the name of the vet who found her
kidney/bladder stone? My vet would like further information
for her records. Thank you.
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