I have some news about Vincent, the orange tabby rescue cat whose best buddy is Torti, a dark tortoiseshell. Both live at Zeus’ Place, a genuine no-kill cat rescue.
I want to thank Jo Singer very much for telephoning the shelter. Because of her conversations with Kevin at Zeus she’s able to provide the following information.
Firstly, I am pleased to state that Vincent is not in a cage 24/7. Vincent is not being confined all the time. He gets out to play and romp and the staff and volunteers adore these kitties and give them a LOT of TLC. Zeus’s rescue cats get out overnight to freely roam the facility – they all get along – not too many at the rescue at this time. Vincent and Torti are now visiting Michelle, the owner of the facility, and are loose with her other animals. The two cats hang out together for the most part and are not concerned about the other animals. They are having a blast being in a home!
They have had Vincent since he was about 2 years old, and he is now around 5ish or 6ish – they are not exactly sure about his age.
Vincent has always been somewhat “grumpy”- does not particularly like people but he can warm up somewhat. He and Torti are completely inseperable and they do not want them split up. That is one of their requirements. These cats are simply bonded very deeply.
Kevin does not want them leaving the country. This is a response to the long shot suggestion that they might be homed in the UK if no one comes forward. The suggestion was born out of desperation really and a back stop position. However, knowing, now, how well the cats at Zeus are cared for and that they are strictly no-kill, the suggestion is redundant anyway.
They were extremely moved by the donation offers and they are interested in learning more about the declaw repair surgery if that is what is causing Vincent not to trust people and be aloof. If he is in pain. He seems to run around fine when he is loose. We talked about how cats hide pain. But they are open to have their vet evaluate the condition of Vincent’s paws.
Anyone within flying distance who is truly committed to adopting both cats will not only have to be vetted by us, but by Zeus. They will have to pass their requirements. They are very fussy about who gets their cats which is a good thing. I explained that we would also be vetting anyone coming forward.
That is the latest. Jo Singer is trying to get hold of Pilots N Paws to find out if any ground transport could be arranged for a potential adopter who lives a longer distance away than the 350 miles, They sometimes do this. Jo has called the pilot that she had interviewed but so far no response and no response to an email either although it has been read. Jo will write to Pilots N Paws directly again about the kitties.
Note: the words are 95% Jo Singers. Thank you so much Jo for your excellent work in updating and reassuring us. Thank you too for obtaining information that corrects our previous misconceptions. Extremely useful and most welcome.
I’m just pleased that the shelter is caring and that Vincent is actually happier than he looks. It appears that the fact they have had him as long as they have is testament that they won’t give him to just anyone; they have to be exactly the right people AND he has to go with his pal.
I hope that whatever the future holds for Vincent it is with people who never do anything to him to cause him pain and distrust ever again.
It’s great that there is no urgency to get Vincent and Tori out of that shelter and I have a feeling the right person will come along soon if we wait patiently.
I am pleased too because I had this dread that Vincent would be euthanised at some stage. Perhaps I have a jaundiced view of US cat shelters. Probably have.
I’m just happy that Vincent is having a nice time. As long as that is the case then so be it. I guess it’s not urgent then – I’m glad he has a close buddy in Torti. Poor guy – I’d love to have a word with his previous owner – and even more so his previous vet. So evil. Declaw vets are giving vets in general a bad name. I think regular non declaw vets should really get together and campaign against the practice.
I still keep my offer/promise of 30 bucks a month for 10 months on top of Michaels original similar offer. Just looking at Vincent makes me sad. I’m sure it’s a particularly sad photo of him – he probably looks much happier most the time. I would still take him and pay the 2 grand or whatever to have him here but it seems not to be urgent but I would still do that if ever it seemed like a good idea in the future.
The urgency was my big worry. The stories we read about no-kill shelters creates a sense of urgency.
I was concerned that he was going to be euthanised at some stage but not knowing when.
The position, I am delighted to see, if somewhat different.
I am not sure how this will work out now. The PoC funding offer still stands so everything is in place for an adoption. When you think what is on offer: free transport, no adoption fee and $600 funding, if Vincent and Torti aren’t adopted I’ll be flabbergasted. In fact it will say something about cat “ownership”.
It’s such a relief that the Rescue Shelter is obviously run by really good and compassionate people who care about their cats. It makes it much easier to wait patiently until the right person comes along to adopt Vincent and Torti, although I expect the Shelter people would be very happy to have those two cats in a loving forever home sooner rather than later as that would free up places for two more needy cats.
Yes Vincent is most likely hiding his pain as cats do, he does sound to be a very stoic and strong character and deserves his poor paws repaired if necessary so that he can be much more comfortable.
It’s sad that the person who had this cruel surgery done to him didn’t want him around. To ruin a cat’s life and then dump him in a Shelter is evil. I don’t see how declaw vets can go on denying the truth for much longer, that declawing cats does not keep them in their homes.
You don’t think they are too comfortable or at home where they are?
I’m sure they are ‘at home’ and comfortable enough, but as good as a Sanctuary is and as kind as the people are who look after the cats, there is nothing to compare with having a forever home.
Also if Vincent and Torti were adopted it would free up their space for 2 more cats who might otherwise be roaming the streets hungry and cold, or killed for lack of space in another shelter.
I think the upheavel of being taken out of their present comfort zone would be well worth it when they settle in their very own home.
The rescue housing Vincent and his Torti companion reminds me of The Cat Network. The cats aren’t in cages all the time and volunteers foster animals on a regular basis.
That they are saying he’s walking around fine does not mean to me a definite answer that Vincent is not in pain. Cats hide their pain. I can tell in an instant whether a cat is declawed or not based on his gait, and that does not have to be an antalgic gait. Declawing changes how cats walk. He also still needs to lose weight, because obesity will exacerbate all the problems caused by the loss of his claws.
If nothing else Vincent is proof that declawing does not keep cats in homes. He lives in a rescue shelter. Just like thousands of other declawed cats.
Well said. Good points. The fact that he is almost permanently at a cat rescue and badly obese does tell us that declawing isn’t a solution to anything. It is the opposite for me.
Pilots N Paws responded to my email almost immediately. The problem with a longer distance than 350 miles is that coordination between pilots might be difficult- for one pilot to do the first leg- then another pilot will have to be at that airport picking up the cats to take to another airport, etc.
This CAN be done if the gods are with us- and all the necessary pilots can get lined up for the journey. These pilots are extremely well trained in handling cats and dogs…and other critters in fact. They ALL love animals and want to help them to reach their fur-ever loving homes.
So it MAY be possible to coordinate a longer trip.. it may take time to arrange it but PNP has been so helpful. Zeus would have to post on their request for transport page on their site- instructions will be forthcoming- but purrhaps the distance can actually be extended.
Here is a recent blog I wrote about one of the pilots who just rescued his 2,000th dog.
http://pilotsnpaws.org/2013/11/2000-rescued-animals-the-story-of-a-pilots-n-paws-volunteer/
So let’s cross our paws that someone will come forward and we can procede from there.
Bonks,
Jo
You’re doing such good work, Jo. I hope it pays off.
By the way, I have been having terrible technical problems with the site which delayed posting this page. I still have problems.
I’ll see if I can fix them tomorrow.
Thanks Jo – The photo we have of Vincent is so sad but I guess he’s generally pretty happy by the sounds of it – I’m sure he doesn’t look like that all the time. Thanks for everything you do.