Felix

Felix was one of four kittens born to a mom who was dumped outside up in the mountains. A kind couple started feeding her and named her Feeme. The couple contacted us and we were able to trap mom and the babies. Mom was fixed and returned to the couple. The babies remained at the rescue and were treated for fleas, ticks, and earmites. Felix is the only survivor of the litter.

Felix has Manx syndrome, which is a developmental condition inherited from a parent which causes abnormal development of the tail end of the spine. Felix, now 6 months old, needs to be monitored with his diet to avoid any medical complications due to his condition. Despite his early beginnings, Felix is a playful, happy boy who enjoys his foster home until he finds his forever home.

Midnight

Midnight was born outside and was rescued by a family. We were able to get mom and the kittens from this family. Mom got fixed and returned to the family. The kittens remained in the rescue.

Midnight had an eye injury which ruptured her cornea resulting in her left eye being removed. She had to have antibiotics twice a day and remain in a kennel. She has recovered and adapted to being visually impaired. She has resumed regular kitten activities such as playing with her cat mates, lounging on the cat condo in the sunshine, and playing with her toys. She has learned to play fetch with her little pink ball.

This cat has blossomed so much during her stay at the rescue.

Wild About Cats aims to help local feline population

By Sharon Hilton Chronicle contributor

Crossville Chronicle, April 9, 2024

2023 was a success for Wild About Cats of Cumberland County. The group had 322 cats and kittens accepted in to the program, not counting the kittens born in the R&R during the year. The group also had 167 cats fixed; 59 were ferals who were either returned to their original locations or relocated to one of the area feeding stations. Wild About Cats had over 130 adoptions, with 22 others placed in foster homes, plus 83 being cared for at the R&R facility. The organization also constructed a small “catico” on the deck of the maternity ward/nursery building, which the tiny fur-babies and their mamas are now enjoying.

Already this year the group has had over 50 successful adoptions, both locally and throughout the United States. By the time you read this article, they will have stated construction of Rocky's Retreat, which will be a secure, covered outdoor area extension of the second R&R building which houses the intake/quarantine unit and the up-for-adoption adult cats and older kittens facility.

Wild About Cats has several fund-raising events planned this year to help defray the cost of Rocky's Retreat and donations of any amount are greatly appreciated. All the Wild About Cats workers are volunteers, so all donations received go toward caring for the animals, and they are always in need of volunteers.

Wild About Cats offers adoption, foster to adopt and foster programs, so for more details, please contact the group at 931-337-0853, check them out on Petfinder, email wildaboutcatscc@gmail.com, or visit www.wildaboutcatscc.org.

MIKE THE ANGEL KITTEN (An Adoption Story)

By: Frank Piacine (frankpiacine@gmail.com)

September 2021 was a difficult month in our household. Covid 19 still loomed over everything and that surely cast a cloud but we had just said good bye to our wonderful Siamese cat Joe. Joe had been my wife’s constant companion and cat child for 17 wonderful years. He ruled our multi-cat household with a velvet iron paw and he had become the father/mentor to our new Siamese kitten Lou. Joe had developed diabetes, living with it for years, and we gladly gave him his daily injections to help with his quality of life. Unfortunately, in September he acquired a sort of flu from which he was unable to recover and his loss cast a pall across our little family.

Lou, our Siamese kitten, had grown attached to Joe and after Joe’s death he seemed lost. I suppose we all felt that way including the other cats too. September came and went with this deep sadness remaining unabated. I had begun to volunteer with the local cat/kitten rescue Wild About Cats of Cumberland County about this time. Wild About Cats specializes in saving feral kittens and mom cats, providing them with their medications, neutering them and socializing them so they can be placed in forever homes. They make placements locally in Tennessee but also as far away as the Midwest and Northeast United States. Cindy and Don who run the rescue have hearts of gold and they have saved so many lives through their personal commitment and personal sacrifice.

One of the things that brought my wife and me joy and helped us after the loss of Joe was to visit the rescue and spend some time in the kitten room. The kitten room is designed to help the kittens learn to get along with other cats, and dogs, while exposing them to a variety of human visitors. Who wouldn’t feel a sense of joy with 10-15 kittens frolicking about and climbing all over you? I know I loved every minute of each visit. As fate would have it, in late October on a visit I first crossed paths with Arch Angel Michael.

The visit didn’t seem unusual at first. My wife Robin and I sat in the kitten room with Cindy and chatted about things as they were unfolding at the rescue. It so happened that a little calico kitten kept jumping up onto my lap, climbing up my chest and even on top of my head. What made the little guy stand out was a white patch, centered on his back, that looked just like a pair of folded wings. “Who is this little guy?” I asked Cindy. “Arch Angel Michael,“ she said, “would you like to take him home?” My wife and I both looked at each other and an unspoken understanding seemed to pass between us. We thought we were not ready for another cat or kitten so soon after losing our Joe but something about the little calico kitten with the unusual wing pattern made us reconsider that position. After a brief discussion, during which Michael laid on my lap, we agreed to adopt him. What a faithful and happy decision that turned out to be.

Mike the Wonder Cat, as he is now known, changed the entire nature of our household. He fell right in with the rest of rescues after a brief acclimation period. He became fast friends and playmates with Lou our Siamese kitten. He brought Lou out of his depressed state and he lit up our entire household with his energetic and curious activity. It seemed as though the little kitten that had chosen us for his adopted family was sent straight from heaven like a little cat angel to restore the joy in our little family. And restore joy he has. Mike has proven to be so very bright. He loves to chase his laser light toy, watches “mouse tv”, and I have trained him to climb a step ladder (he loves the praise and attention he gets for this trick). Every day he makes us smile with some little trick or cute cat pose. Mike has lived up to his billing as Arch Angel Michael.

Maybe you find yourself in a similar situation to the one we faced after the loss of a beloved companion. Perhaps you feel it won’t ever be the same, that the joy has been stolen from your household. If so, perhaps out there right now, as you read this there is an angel kitten or puppy just waiting to adopt you. They might just appear, like Mike, when you least expect them. Thanks again to Wild About Cats of Cumberland County for taking a feral little kitten and turning him into a wonder cat!

On behalf of Artie and Archie, and in memory of Alfred, Alvin, Augie, and Adele

On a bitterly cold, rainy morning six beautiful kittens were found outside in a crate, left overnight in the cold and rain. They were only three weeks old, far too young to be taken from their mother. They were weak, freezing and near death when Wild About Cats took them in and immediately went into action to try to save these babies.

Volunteers gently dried them with hair dryers, fed them round the clock every two hours, and held them and mourned as one by one they faded away. They were just too young and the freezing night alone was too much for their little systems.

Did the humans who abandoned them have any idea how cruel they were being? Did they ever consider the other options available? Did they even care? We will never know.

But there is some good news out of this sad story. We were able to save two of the babies, Artie and Archer. They grew to be healthy, playful boys, and the best of buddies. We are so happy to report that they were adopted together, and now they are living wonderful lives in their new home.

Please - spay and neuter your pets!!! If you happen to have unwanted kittens, please keep them with mom and let her care for them for the first few weeks. There are so many other more humane ways to place kittens you might not want to keep. Call local shelters and rescues, ask friends and family to help you find homes.

For God’s sake, PLEASE don’t just dump them somewhere, there is a good chance they won’t survive. They just don’t deserve that!

We need to start taking responsibility as a community so this doesn’t keep happening!!!!