In loving memory of Mai-Tai, 2000-2012
 |
| This blog is in memory of our little girl Mai-Tai, who left us way too soon but who lives on in our hearts forever and in honor of all those shelter kitties seeking their forever homes. |
Note: This blog originally ran on June 4, 2017 in memory of our cat Mai-Tai who lost her battle with kidney disease in 2012 and to recognize Purr Partners Feline Rescue and the work they do in the community for kitties looking for forever homes.
In 2012 we lost Mai-Tai to kidney disease at the age of 12 years old. Two years later, in 2014, we lost Oreo to feline hepatic lipidosis at the age of 18. After Oreo’s loss, left behind were Sleestak, age 12 and Hamilton, age 11. The decision to adopt again did not come easily. Slee and Hamilton seemed lost without their matriarch but how would they adjust to someone new at their age. Several discussions around this topic occurred and then we finally decided to go meet some potential companions.
After no love connections, a friend posted this photo of this little girl to our Facebook page simply stating she needed a home.
Her name is Waffles and she was in foster care through Purr Partners. I do not know what it was about her. We gravitate toward black cats and tuxedo cats yet here we were looking at this photo thinking “maybe?” We soon contacted the foster family and went to go meet this little one and learned of her rough start to life.
Her and her sisters were rescued by Purr Partners and placed in foster care. One by one they got sick and one by one they crossed over the Rainbow Bridge, except Waffles! They all had feline panleukopenia, a very fatal disease, but clearly not for all! This little one has the same fight in her as Mai-Tai. She was placed in the hospital for up to a month before she was able to go back into foster care.
 |
| Our first meeting |
When we first met her at her foster home she was busy. Busy playing with her toys. Busy running around the house. We said we’d think about it and went home and talked and looked over at our seniors wondering how they would handle a new baby in the house. Afterall, we were looking for at least a 1-year old and she was just 9 months old at the time. We decided to give it a go. She wasn’t getting any younger and unfortunately, teenagers/adults start to get overlooked and she was not one who enjoyed spending time in an enclosure at PetsMart with people tapping on the windows. Not this prima donna!
So, we adopted her and our house lit up again with activity and kitty drama. It’s wonderful! For months, she would bully her kitty big brother although I always warned her not to poke the “bear." Now he is in charge. She has actually got that boy up and out of bed and running around the house again. She adores Slee who wishes she would just go away. But I think she’s good for the seniors – keeps them young! She’s even become Triangle Around Town’s unofficial mascot. I often wonder who rescued who when we brought her home. We often joke that it takes a village to raise a Waffles as we have also become good friends with her foster parents as well.
___________________________________________________________________
Purr Partners Feline Rescue
Purr Partners was founded in 2009 and like other established shelters today, started with a love for animals, a couple of volunteers, no budget, but the drive necessary to take action and work with rural shelters where cats have less chance of survival and are overlooked and sometimes forgotten about. Just think, without Purr Partners, Waffles and her sisters would have had very little, if any, chance of survival and no one to fight for them.
Now, in just 8 short years, Purr Partners has grown to over 100 volunteers. The rescues are placed in loving foster homes where they are socialized and loved. They partner with PetsMart to showcase these cats with adopt-a-thon events on most weekends. In our case, we were fortunate enough to first meet Waffles in a home environment to see how she interacts with other cats and people. Which was good since she did not care for PetsMart.
Like other rescues, they could not do what they do without the dedication of its volunteers. Some of the volunteer roles needed are foster families, PetsMart cleaner, helping at adopt-a-thons, transportation, and fundraising. To consider volunteering with Purr Partners, click here for more information.
We decided that the best way to honor and remember Mai-Tai on her 5th anniversary was to sponsor a kitty in need of a home. We are currently working with Purr Partners on this so be sure to check back as we hope to feature a sponsored Purr Partner kitty in the hopes of finding him/her a new forever home.
To make a donation to Purr Partners, click here.
To make a donation to Purr Partners, click here.