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She was on her balcony looking over the lawns below. Their eyes met and locked, each of them knowing that a question was being asked.......and answered.
He was a loner from the streets, homeless and battered. She was a widow, living in a very smart condo with all the creature comforts one could hope for. Still, she knew that she would spend the rest of her life with him, somehow.
And so it began. Janet called Critteraid and asked for help. She explained about the connection she had with this cat and how she knew she just had to help him. Every day he looked worse - more scars, more bloodied wounds. She just knew he had reached out to her and in that one single moment, he had asked her to help him.
With the beginnings of a plan in mind, the trap was set. It wasn't set in an ordinary place, it was set on Janet's second story terrace. In order for the cat to get there, he would have to scale the 8-foot fence and leap upwards to the opening at the bottom of the semi-enclosed balcony. Then, he had to use all of his "upper body" strength to pull himself through that gap. He was used to doing this because that is where he ate all winter. Because of Janet's kindness, this feared, feral cat managed to go from a skinny, unhealthy stray into a muscular power-house of a cat. But, over time, wounds and earmites take their tolls, and he was not spared. He knew he wouldn't be able to survive the neighbourhood dangers much longer.
He was trapped on Night 2. Quickly, he was taken to Critteraid and put into one of the isolation rooms until he could get to the veterinarian. He was tested for Feline Leukemia and Feline AIDS, given vaccinations for upper-respiratory diseases, dewormed, treated for earmites, and, of course, neutered. He was also microchipped and given a tattoo in his right ear. He stayed in that isolation room for three weeks, where he slept most of the time. Janet visited him almost every single day. He was called Sir Charles but Janet had her own terms of endearment for him including "Charlie, "Sweetness" and "Bunny Toes".
When he was able to integrate with the other cats, the Yellow Room was selected for him. It was then that we realized just how remarkable a cat he was. He deferred to the other cats for food and attention. Even when he was swatted by the needier cats for taking Janet's attention away from them, Sir Charles let things slide. His fighting days were finally over and he knew he was safe.
Janet approached the Strata Council where she lived and submitted a letter from her doctor proclaiming the necessity for her to have this cat. Council agreed and she sought further permission to have the balcony enclosed. The carpenter did a fabulous job and the screen adds a wonderful finished look to the condo. Some residents weren't pleased and Janet faced their wrath and disgust because she was bringing in this wild, stinking tom cat that would soon cause more problems than one could possibly imagine. Janet persevered with the plans and she even went further and made arrangements for one of the Critteraid volunteers to adopt this vagabond should something untimely befall her and she couldn't care for him anymore.
And then the day came that Sir Charles was to go back home and live with Janet. I swear, both of them were smiling as they drove down the long drive leaving Critteraid. Instantly, he made himself at home. Of course, Janet spoils him mercilessly and he chirps and chortles like royalty. Where Janet goes in the condo, Sir Charles isn't far behind her. He is as besotted with her as she is with him. He sleeps soundly knowing that he is out of harm's way.
And they both lived happily ever after...
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