This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Submit your own rescue story here. Your story just might be the next to be featured on our blog!
I was walking home from work on a summer’s night after a thunderstorm had passed. I was almost home when I heard the cries of a distressed kitten. Following the sound, I discovered the kitten taking shelter under the tire of a vehicle parked in the large lot outside my apartment complex. He was cold, wet, and no doubt hungry.
I called to him, but he fled further under the car. Instead, I trilled like a mother cat. He ran out immediately, but he retreated when he saw me. I trilled again, and when he ran out a second time, I snatched him up. He puffed the tiniest hiss I’d ever heard and froze in fear. However, he relaxed instantly once I tucked him beneath my shirt against my warm skin. He seemed to understand that he was safe.
The choice to keep him wasn’t a decision I needed to consciously make. I’d never even considered an alternative option. I brought him home and rummaged through my cupboards. I had no cats at that point in my life, so I likewise had no supplies. However, I had some milk and tuna, and that was a start. Since I had no litter, he slept beside my bed in a box lined with newspaper.
The next day, I sprung to the store for all the cat essentials. I also called a local vet to schedule an appointment for the following day. With the exception of a few fleas, he was given a clean bill of health. Naming him came as naturally as the decision to keep him. He reminded me of the orphaned kitten from Oliver and Company.
Oliver, aka Loafy, is a true lap cat. Like clockwork, if there’s a lap, he’s laying in it within 10 seconds flat. You can set your watch to it. Maybe the warmth of a lap brings him the same comfort as the moment my warm skin melted away his fear all those years ago – when he knew he was saved.
Story submitted by Lauren from Doral, Florida.
This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!
