A (Cat's) Profile In Courage

I am amazed by the courage of cats. We all know the story of Scarlet and
how she continued to run back into a burning warehouse to rescue her kittens
even through her ears were burned to nubs. But I am also in awe of the
everyday, quite courage displayed by the cats in our lives - from Tak's
Betty, facing pain yet still able to shoe her love to Tak, to my Bandit,
who, though blind, continued to roam the house and take on all comers.
There is another brave little girl in my life now...

Little Tayla was thrown out when she became pregnant - she was made to pay
the price for her humans' stupidity, but she bore her kittens and cared for
them as best she could on scraps scrounged from garbage cans (and her little
body paid the price for her sacrifice, compromising her immune system and
making her ill).

Tayla and her kittens were picked up by strangers and brought to a place
with dozens of other cats trapped in cages all around her and barking dogs
in the background (PetsMart's don training ring is kept right next to the
cat adoption center!!!) The rescue personnel were pretty sure she was
either treed by a dog or had to defend her kittens against one because she
went ballistic whenever a dog passed by her cage - but *NOT* trying to run
from them, she tried to get out and attack them!

Tayla was separated from her kittens as soon as they could be weaned (the
rescue personnel wanted them to be adopted without the adopter "having" to
take Tayla also - a cruel but necessary tactic to place as many cats as they
can. She tried, at every opportunity, to escape from her cage and get to
her kittens, but she watched them leave, one by one, until she was left
there alone in a cage with no more hope of ever seeing her kittens again.

When I knelt down by her cage, she looked up at me with her green, green
eyes and did not flinch as I reached out my hand to scratch her ears. She
didn't try to escape her cage - there was no reason to now that her kittens
had gone. She lay there resigned to her fate and watched me walk away and
leave her - she didn't know I was only going home to get Ben to come and see
her.

Tayla was put into a tiny cardboard box, and because the rescue was so busy
had to stay in that box for over 2 hours (cats and kittens were coming in so
fast they needed her cage). The cardboard box was then picked up and
carried into a larger, noisy box, and then carried into a strange place
smelling of strange cats.

I was expecting Tayla to dash out of the box when it was opened an hide
under the nearest piece of furniture for at least a week or so. But Tayla
surprised me again! She jumped out of her cardboard prison and immediately
walked over to me and gave me a head-but! Then she walked over the where
Ben was sitting on the floor and climbed onto his lap and rolled over onto
her back for belly rubs!!!

Ever since we brought her home she has been loving, patient when we have to
give her medicine, and purrs every time she sees either one of us. The only
time I've seen her even look a little worried was when we had to put her in
a carrier to take her to the vet - and even then she was calm and didn't
panic, she just gave a few worried and inquisitive meows.

Tayla, after having been treated so horrible by human, after having by
thrown out to fend for herself and her kittens, after being separated from
her kittens, after all the scary things that were done to her showed me the
greatest courage I've ever know - the courage to trust and to love again. I
can only hope to live up to her faith in me and reward her love with as love
as great as a mere human can give in return.

--
Hugs,

CatNipped

See all my masters he http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/

On Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:02:36 -0500, CatNipped wrote:

I am amazed by the courage of cats. We all know the story of Scarlet and
how she continued to run back into a burning warehouse to rescue her
kittens even through her ears were burned to nubs. But I am also in awe
of the everyday, quite courage displayed by the cats in our lives - from
Tak's Betty, facing pain yet still able to shoe her love to Tak, to my
Bandit, who, though blind, continued to roam the house and take on all
comers. There is another brave little girl in my life now...

Little Tayla was thrown out when she became pregnant - she was made to pay
the price for her humans' stupidity, but she bore her kittens and cared
for them as best she could on scraps scrounged from garbage cans (and her
little body paid the price for her sacrifice, compromising her immune
system and making her ill).

Tayla and her kittens were picked up by strangers and brought to a place
with dozens of other cats trapped in cages all around her and barking dogs
in the background (PetsMart's don training ring is kept right next to the
cat adoption center!!!) The rescue personnel were pretty sure she was
either treed by a dog or had to defend her kittens against one because she
went ballistic whenever a dog passed by her cage - but *NOT* trying to run
from them, she tried to get out and attack them!

Tayla was separated from her kittens as soon as they could be weaned (the
rescue personnel wanted them to be adopted without the adopter "having" to
take Tayla also - a cruel but necessary tactic to place as many cats as
they can. She tried, at every opportunity, to escape from her cage and
get to her kittens, but she watched them leave, one by one, until she was
left there alone in a cage with no more hope of ever seeing her kittens
again.

When I knelt down by her cage, she looked up at me with her green, green
eyes and did not flinch as I reached out my hand to scratch her ears. She
didn't try to escape her cage - there was no reason to now that her
kittens had gone. She lay there resigned to her fate and watched me walk
away and leave her - she didn't know I was only going home to get Ben to
come and see her.

Tayla was put into a tiny cardboard box, and because the rescue was so
busy had to stay in that box for over 2 hours (cats and kittens were
coming in so fast they needed her cage). The cardboard box was then
picked up and carried into a larger, noisy box, and then carried into a
strange place smelling of strange cats.

I was expecting Tayla to dash out of the box when it was opened an hide
under the nearest piece of furniture for at least a week or so. But Tayla
surprised me again! She jumped out of her cardboard prison and
immediately walked over to me and gave me a head-but! Then she walked
over the where Ben was sitting on the floor and climbed onto his lap and
rolled over onto her back for belly rubs!!!

Ever since we brought her home she has been loving, patient when we have
to give her medicine, and purrs every time she sees either one of us. The
only time I've seen her even look a little worried was when we had to put
her in a carrier to take her to the vet - and even then she was calm and
didn't panic, she just gave a few worried and inquisitive meows.

Tayla, after having been treated so horrible by human, after having by
thrown out to fend for herself and her kittens, after being separated from
her kittens, after all the scary things that were done to her showed me
the greatest courage I've ever know - the courage to trust and to love
again. I can only hope to live up to her faith in me and reward her love
with as love as great as a mere human can give in return.


Purrs for Tayla to be forever happy in her new home. Best wishes. MLB

I am amazed by the courage of cats.

IT sounds insane how busy that shelter was! Poor Tayla!

She is very fortunate for a mom cat being adopted by people like you!

Our bitties do not remember being brave, or that long walk home when
Dylan got kicked off the bus and had to walk home (across the city),
then go research how to care for infant kittens, then go get formula
and prepare it...All they remember is

Dylan = Mother

and of /course/ they grew up fine, they had a mother to look after
them!

I think of Smokey though, who had to more than meet us halfway in his
feral to housepet transition

--Fil

I was expecting Tayla to dash out of the box when it was opened an hide
under the nearest piece of furniture for at least a week or so. But Tayla
surprised me again! She jumped out of her cardboard prison and immediately
walked over to me and gave me a head-but! Then she walked over the where
Ben was sitting on the floor and climbed onto his lap and rolled over onto
her back for belly rubs!!!

Ever since we brought her home she has been loving, patient when we have to
give her medicine, and purrs every time she sees either one of us. The only
time I've seen her even look a little worried was when we had to put her in
a carrier to take her to the vet - and even then she was calm and didn't
panic, she just gave a few worried and inquisitive meows.

Tayla, after having been treated so horrible by human, after having by
thrown out to fend for herself and her kittens, after being separated from
her kittens, after all the scary things that were done to her showed me the
greatest courage I've ever know - the courage to trust and to love again. I
can only hope to live up to her faith in me and reward her love with as love
as great as a mere human can give in return//////

You can be sure that Bandit has been in touch with Tayla. She's
probably told Tayla that you and Ben are complete softie mugs, will do
anything you're told, and need to be ruled with an iron paw. Tayla has
been told that you can be trusted to do the right thing, (but you
still need to ruled by an iron paw) and that the Catnipped household
is a safe place to be. Oh, and that you need to be ruled by an iron
paw. Except that Tayla is too polite to rule you with an iron paw.
She's just done it her way and stolen your heart with a velvet soft
one instead. ;o)

It never ceases to amaze me the capacity animals have for forgiveness,
trust and unconditional love.
{{{HUGS to all}}}
Helen M

aw, God bless you and Ben. Tayla is blessed.

Lily & her mama

--
Irulan
from the stars we come
to the stars we return
from now until the end of time.

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
I am amazed by the courage of cats. We all know the story of Scarlet and
how she continued to run back into a burning warehouse to rescue her
kittens even through her ears were burned to nubs. But I am also in awe of
the everyday, quite courage displayed by the cats in our lives - from Tak's
Betty, facing pain yet still able to shoe her love to Tak, to my Bandit,
who, though blind, continued to roam the house and take on all comers.
There is another brave little girl in my life now...

Little Tayla was thrown out when she became pregnant - she was made to pay
the price for her humans' stupidity, but she bore her kittens and cared
for them as best she could on scraps scrounged from garbage cans (and her
little body paid the price for her sacrifice, compromising her immune
system and making her ill).

Tayla and her kittens were picked up by strangers and brought to a place
with dozens of other cats trapped in cages all around her and barking dogs
in the background (PetsMart's don training ring is kept right next to the
cat adoption center!!!) The rescue personnel were pretty sure she was
either treed by a dog or had to defend her kittens against one because she
went ballistic whenever a dog passed by her cage - but *NOT* trying to run
from them, she tried to get out and attack them!

Tayla was separated from her kittens as soon as they could be weaned (the
rescue personnel wanted them to be adopted without the adopter "having" to
take Tayla also - a cruel but necessary tactic to place as many cats as
they can. She tried, at every opportunity, to escape from her cage and
get to her kittens, but she watched them leave, one by one, until she was
left there alone in a cage with no more hope of ever seeing her kittens
again.

When I knelt down by her cage, she looked up at me with her green, green
eyes and did not flinch as I reached out my hand to scratch her ears. She
didn't try to escape her cage - there was no reason to now that her
kittens had gone. She lay there resigned to her fate and watched me walk
away and leave her - she didn't know I was only going home to get Ben to
come and see her.

Tayla was put into a tiny cardboard box, and because the rescue was so
busy had to stay in that box for over 2 hours (cats and kittens were
coming in so fast they needed her cage). The cardboard box was then
picked up and carried into a larger, noisy box, and then carried into a
strange place smelling of strange cats.

I was expecting Tayla to dash out of the box when it was opened an hide
under the nearest piece of furniture for at least a week or so. But Tayla
surprised me again! She jumped out of her cardboard prison and
immediately walked over to me and gave me a head-but! Then she walked
over the where Ben was sitting on the floor and climbed onto his lap and
rolled over onto her back for belly rubs!!!

Ever since we brought her home she has been loving, patient when we have
to give her medicine, and purrs every time she sees either one of us. The
only time I've seen her even look a little worried was when we had to put
her in a carrier to take her to the vet - and even then she was calm and
didn't panic, she just gave a few worried and inquisitive meows.

Tayla, after having been treated so horrible by human, after having by
thrown out to fend for herself and her kittens, after being separated from
her kittens, after all the scary things that were done to her showed me
the greatest courage I've ever know - the courage to trust and to love
again. I can only hope to live up to her faith in me and reward her love
with as love as great as a mere human can give in return.

--
Hugs,

CatNipped

See all my masters he http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/

wrote in message
ups.com...
I was expecting Tayla to dash out of the box when it was opened an hide
under the nearest piece of furniture for at least a week or so. But
Tayla
surprised me again! She jumped out of her cardboard prison and
immediately
walked over to me and gave me a head-but! Then she walked over the where
Ben was sitting on the floor and climbed onto his lap and rolled over
onto
her back for belly rubs!!!

Ever since we brought her home she has been loving, patient when we have
to
give her medicine, and purrs every time she sees either one of us. The
only
time I've seen her even look a little worried was when we had to put her
in
a carrier to take her to the vet - and even then she was calm and didn't
panic, she just gave a few worried and inquisitive meows.

Tayla, after having been treated so horrible by human, after having by
thrown out to fend for herself and her kittens, after being separated
from
her kittens, after all the scary things that were done to her showed me
the
greatest courage I've ever know - the courage to trust and to love again.
I
can only hope to live up to her faith in me and reward her love with as
love
as great as a mere human can give in return//////

You can be sure that Bandit has been in touch with Tayla. She's
probably told Tayla that you and Ben are complete softie mugs, will do
anything you're told, and need to be ruled with an iron paw. Tayla has
been told that you can be trusted to do the right thing, (but you
still need to ruled by an iron paw) and that the Catnipped household
is a safe place to be. Oh, and that you need to be ruled by an iron
paw. Except that Tayla is too polite to rule you with an iron paw.
She's just done it her way and stolen your heart with a velvet soft
one instead. ;o)

LOL! I come away from your post with an inpression of a metallic
appendage!!?? ;

Hugs,

CatNipped


It never ceases to amaze me the capacity animals have for forgiveness,
trust and unconditional love.
{{{HUGS to all}}}
Helen M

"Enfilade" wrote in message
ups.com...

I am amazed by the courage of cats.

IT sounds insane how busy that shelter was! Poor Tayla!

All the no-kill shelters are like that during kitten season. I am amazed at
the courage and perserverance of the volunteers - I think I would quickly
become discouraged and depressed if I worked there. Trying to place all
stray and abandoned cats is like trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon!
:


She is very fortunate for a mom cat being adopted by people like you!

Oh, I think Ben and I are the fortunate ones! ;


Our bitties do not remember being brave, or that long walk home when
Dylan got kicked off the bus and had to walk home (across the city),
then go research how to care for infant kittens, then go get formula
and prepare it...All they remember is

Dylan = Mother

and of /course/ they grew up fine, they had a mother to look after
them!

I think of Smokey though, who had to more than meet us halfway in his
feral to housepet transition

The Poke's story always makes me cry!

Hugs,

CatNipped


--Fil

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
I am amazed by the courage of cats. We all know the story of Scarlet and
how she continued to run back into a burning warehouse to rescue her
kittens even through her ears were burned to nubs. But I am also in awe of
the everyday, quite courage displayed by the cats in our lives - from Tak's
Betty, facing pain yet still able to shoe her love to Tak, to my Bandit,
who, though blind, continued to roam the house and take on all comers.
There is another brave little girl in my life now...

Little Tayla was thrown out when she became pregnant - she was made to pay
the price for her humans' stupidity, but she bore her kittens and cared
for them as best she could on scraps scrounged from garbage cans (and her
little body paid the price for her sacrifice, compromising her immune
system and making her ill).

Tayla and her kittens were picked up by strangers and brought to a place
with dozens of other cats trapped in cages all around her and barking dogs
in the background (PetsMart's don training ring is kept right next to the
cat adoption center!!!) The rescue personnel were pretty sure she was
either treed by a dog or had to defend her kittens against one because she
went ballistic whenever a dog passed by her cage - but *NOT* trying to run
from them, she tried to get out and attack them!

Tayla was separated from her kittens as soon as they could be weaned (the
rescue personnel wanted them to be adopted without the adopter "having" to
take Tayla also - a cruel but necessary tactic to place as many cats as
they can. She tried, at every opportunity, to escape from her cage and
get to her kittens, but she watched them leave, one by one, until she was
left there alone in a cage with no more hope of ever seeing her kittens
again.

When I knelt down by her cage, she looked up at me with her green, green
eyes and did not flinch as I reached out my hand to scratch her ears. She
didn't try to escape her cage - there was no reason to now that her
kittens had gone. She lay there resigned to her fate and watched me walk
away and leave her - she didn't know I was only going home to get Ben to
come and see her.

Tayla was put into a tiny cardboard box, and because the rescue was so
busy had to stay in that box for over 2 hours (cats and kittens were
coming in so fast they needed her cage). The cardboard box was then
picked up and carried into a larger, noisy box, and then carried into a
strange place smelling of strange cats.

I was expecting Tayla to dash out of the box when it was opened an hide
under the nearest piece of furniture for at least a week or so. But Tayla
surprised me again! She jumped out of her cardboard prison and
immediately walked over to me and gave me a head-but! Then she walked
over the where Ben was sitting on the floor and climbed onto his lap and
rolled over onto her back for belly rubs!!!

Ever since we brought her home she has been loving, patient when we have
to give her medicine, and purrs every time she sees either one of us. The
only time I've seen her even look a little worried was when we had to put
her in a carrier to take her to the vet - and even then she was calm and
didn't panic, she just gave a few worried and inquisitive meows.

Tayla, after having been treated so horrible by human, after having by
thrown out to fend for herself and her kittens, after being separated from
her kittens, after all the scary things that were done to her showed me
the greatest courage I've ever know - the courage to trust and to love
again. I can only hope to live up to her faith in me and reward her love
with as love as great as a mere human can give in return.

This is so very much like Molly's story. Only when she arrived at PetSmart,
we were already waiting. We had been looking all day. What we wanted was a
little girl with big ears and a long tail.

The women from the rescue group that brought her in were so surprised that
we took to her almost immediately. Then we went and looked at her kittens
and played with them just a bit. I'm sure they thought one or more kittens
had found a home. But we were really just saying hi to them and socializing
them a bit. It was their momma we wanted.

She is still tiny, just under eight pounds. And she isn't as affectionate
as Tayla, but she is working on it and she tried.

She and Tayla even look a lot alike.

She has worked quite hard enough in her life and all we want to do is make
it as good as possible from here on out.

Jo

CatNipped wrote:
greatest courage I've ever know - the courage to trust and to love again. I
can only hope to live up to her faith in me and reward her love with as love
as great as a mere human can give in return.

Awwww... what a sweetie!!! I think you're on the right path there...

--
Victor M. Martinez
Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM)
Send your spam he
Email me he

On Jun 27, 4:21 pm, "jofirey" wrote:
"CatNipped" wrote in message

...



I am amazed by the courage of cats. We all know the story of Scarlet and
how she continued to run back into a burning warehouse to rescue her
kittens even through her ears were burned to nubs. But I am also in awe of
the everyday, quite courage displayed by the cats in our lives - from Tak's
Betty, facing pain yet still able to shoe her love to Tak, to my Bandit,
who, though blind, continued to roam the house and take on all comers.
There is another brave little girl in my life now...

Little Tayla was thrown out when she became pregnant - she was made to pay
the price for her humans' stupidity, but she bore her kittens and cared
for them as best she could on scraps scrounged from garbage cans (and her
little body paid the price for her sacrifice, compromising her immune
system and making her ill).

Tayla and her kittens were picked up by strangers and brought to a place
with dozens of other cats trapped in cages all around her and barking dogs
in the background (PetsMart's don training ring is kept right next to the
cat adoption center!!!) The rescue personnel were pretty sure she was
either treed by a dog or had to defend her kittens against one because she
went ballistic whenever a dog passed by her cage - but *NOT* trying to run
from them, she tried to get out and attack them!

Tayla was separated from her kittens as soon as they could be weaned (the
rescue personnel wanted them to be adopted without the adopter "having" to
take Tayla also - a cruel but necessary tactic to place as many cats as
they can. She tried, at every opportunity, to escape from her cage and
get to her kittens, but she watched them leave, one by one, until she was
left there alone in a cage with no more hope of ever seeing her kittens
again.

When I knelt down by her cage, she looked up at me with her green, green
eyes and did not flinch as I reached out my hand to scratch her ears. She
didn't try to escape her cage - there was no reason to now that her
kittens had gone. She lay there resigned to her fate and watched me walk
away and leave her - she didn't know I was only going home to get Ben to
come and see her.

Tayla was put into a tiny cardboard box, and because the rescue was so
busy had to stay in that box for over 2 hours (cats and kittens were
coming in so fast they needed her cage). The cardboard box was then
picked up and carried into a larger, noisy box, and then carried into a
strange place smelling of strange cats.

I was expecting Tayla to dash out of the box when it was opened an hide
under the nearest piece of furniture for at least a week or so. But Tayla
surprised me again! She jumped out of her cardboard prison and
immediately walked over to me and gave me a head-but! Then she walked
over the where Ben was sitting on the floor and climbed onto his lap and
rolled over onto her back for belly rubs!!!

Ever since we brought her home she has been loving, patient when we have
to give her medicine, and purrs every time she sees either one of us. The
only time I've seen her even look a little worried was when we had to put
her in a carrier to take her to the vet - and even then she was calm and
didn't panic, she just gave a few worried and inquisitive meows.

Tayla, after having been treated so horrible by human, after having by
thrown out to fend for herself and her kittens, after being separated from
her kittens, after all the scary things that were done to her showed me
the greatest courage I've ever know - the courage to trust and to love
again. I can only hope to live up to her faith in me and reward her love
with as love as great as a mere human can give in return.

This is so very much like Molly's story. Only when she arrived at PetSmart,
we were already waiting. We had been looking all day. What we wanted was a
little girl with big ears and a long tail.

The women from the rescue group that brought her in were so surprised that
we took to her almost immediately. Then we went and looked at her kittens
and played with them just a bit. I'm sure they thought one or more kittens
had found a home. But we were really just saying hi to them and socializing
them a bit. It was their momma we wanted.

She is still tiny, just under eight pounds. And she isn't as affectionate
as Tayla, but she is working on it and she tried.

She and Tayla even look a lot alike.

She has worked quite hard enough in her life and all we want to do is make
it as good as possible from here on out.

Sunrise: Eight pounds eyes go wide dat is as big as a d*g. R you
sure it is a kitty. I am watchin my wait becuz I way for hole pounds.
Bear must weigh more dan eight pounds and Uncle Bill but not a KITTY.

Sunrise, typed by Uncle Bill

Bill: CatNipped posted an inspiring tale and I cried for a few
minutes. But for happiness. Tayla is a little heroine and they are all
lucky to find one another.

--



Jo- Hide quoted text -

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