| | | October 2019
If you haven't yet responded to our letter last month, it's not too late! The kitties still need you! |
| | | Dear Friend of Feline Foundation,
Greetings from the trenches of “kitten season”, which seems to finally be waning (a bit later than usual this year)! For the dedicated volunteers of Feline Foundation, the relaxing days of summer… aren’t. Spring and summer are when kittens flood our intake requests, the need for rescue ramps up and we scramble faster than ever to save lives.
What does relax in summer, though is much-needed donations, which is why we are asking you to partner with us to reach our goal of raising $50,000 by the end of October. Your donation will help us to defray vet costs for the over 200 cats and kittens we have taken into our program since the beginning of the year, and to replenish our bank account so we can continue saying “yes” to requests for our help.
We have had many challenges in the past months – some very sick kitties, some heartbreaks and triumphs, some close-calls and near misses. What we would like to share with you, though, is a heartwarming story of a middle-aged cat who, despite all odds, was able to find a forever family in the middle of kitten season.
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| Athena was adopted as a young kitten and lived happily with her mom for many years before the woman added to the family: first a husband, then children, then a dog and then another cat. Aging Athena tried to roll with all of these changes, but she was picked on by the new cat and the woman decided it was best for her father to take Athena where she could be an only cat. So in the blink of an eye, Athena lost her mom and the only home she had ever known, through no fault of her own.
Athena lived very happily we are told, with her elderly dad. She liked to snuggle on his lap when he watched tv and enjoyed the peacefulness of being his one and only. However, as Athena’s dad aged he decided to move out of the country and could not take Athena with him.
And even though he sobbed when he surrendered her to us, it didn’t change the fact that Athena had just lost her second home and family, again through no fault of her own.
Athena struggled in foster care. Most of our fosters have other cats, so Athena – who by this point did not tolerate other cats – had to be in a separate room and not blended with her foster family. Poor Athena had to be moved three different times as foster space changed, and with such an incredible amount of disruption in her once-quiet life, it was not surprising that she acted out. When overstimulated - she would lash out.
Several adopters met her but did not choose her, and it seemed that Athena was destined to be a long-term foster. FFGW made a promise to Athena, though – even during kitten season when foster space was at a premium, we wouldn’t give up on her dream of a forever home.
And then… her savior, in the form of a lady named Becky, appeared.
Becky knew that older cats have a hard time finding forever homes, and she understood that some of them have quirks that make them easily overshadowed by the cute little kittens competing for forever homes this time of year. She read Athena’s story and fell in love before she even met her, and just a few weeks ago introduced Athena to her third – and truly final – forever family.
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| | Sometimes “third time’s the charm”, and at Feline Foundation we will keep foster cats safe and loved for however long it takes until we find the perfect, and truly permanent, forever home for the kitties in our care
We are asking you to make a donation at this time so that we can continue to find “happily every after” for more cats like Athena, and to reach our goal of $50,000 by the end of October.
With your help, we are truly making a difference.
Sincerely,
The Feline Foundation Board of Directors
Lisa Cason, Carla Estey, Christina Farver, Ruth Mulkerin, Brittany Scothorn, Harry Shubin
PS: You can donate by check to 11160 C-1 S Lakes Dr #707, Reston, VA 20191,
or online at www.ffgw.org
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