Happy Endings
From a sad life to one that they wouldn't
trade for the WORLD...
The story of Spooky the cat, and how it all began.
Spooky wasn't like any other stray cat. I named my website after him because he was the one that encouraged me to save more animals. Since we're in Vermont, not many stray animals just appear on your doorstep. But one afternoon, there was a skinny, black & white cat lying in our orchard. We live in a rural area, and this kitty did not belong to any of our neighbors. He was almost brown because he was so filthy and I did not doubt that he had fleas, ticks, and who knows what other kinds of issues. If he was friendly, we would have taken him right inside and to the Humane Society, but the only problem was that he was so skittish. It took almost five weeks to catch him. He wouldn't let me get within a 100 ft of him and would bolt, jumping over the fence and disappearing into the woods. Mom told me that I might as well give up, because I would never be able to catch a cat as wild as this one. But, I was determined and didn't give up. Even though he didn't let me catch him, I put out food and water for him every night, right next to our door. I just sat patiently and watched him eat from inside. Slowly, he began to trust me.
It was towards the end of week four, and I was outside walking my dog, Annie. I saw his tail under a bush. I knew that once I got really close to him, he would take off running again. But I felt as if my gut was telling me to go over there. I quickly put Annie inside, and slowly walked over to the bush. He immediately saw me and crouched down, ready to run. I sat down on the sidewalk, and started talking to him. "Hey, everything is going to be all right, buddy. I won't hurt you, I promise." I reached out my hand, and touched his head. He didn't move - he was just staring at me with a hesitant look in his eyes. I started petting him, and I heard the faintest purr. I backed away a little, and took my hand away from him. What he did next was unbelievable. He walked out of the bush, came over to me, and just sat in my lap. I was frozen and didn't know what to do. He rubbed his head on my knee, and was loudly purring. My mouth was open - I pinched myself to make sure that I wasn't dreaming - but I definitely wasn't. Then, out of all times for our neighbor to start the lawnmower, he had to do it at that exact moment. He quickly jumped out of my lap, and bolted, jumping over the fence and into the woods. When I told mom, she didn't believe me.
It was the following day when I finally caught him. I was sitting on the porch reading a book, when I heard a demanding meow. I looked down, and there he was, just sitting at my feet, looking up at me. I slowly reached out my hand to pet him - he instantly starting purring. The second move I made was pretty risky, but something was urging me to do it. I leaned over and picked him up, and he didn't protest. I went to the garage and got a cat crate with a warm kitty bed inside. I put him in it, and he started fearfully meowing, looking up at me with worry and distrust in his eyes. I felt bad, but I told him that he would no longer have to live outside, keeping one eye open in case a coyote was near, or worrying if he was going to get a meal that night or not. I took him inside and brought him to mom. She just looked at me with her mouth open. "You...you actually caught him?", she asked.
Turns out the Humane Society wasn't open - they closed at 5pm that day (I caught him around 7pm) and wouldn't be open for another two days. We planned to take him to the Humane Society when they opened next, but we ended up fostering him for about six weeks - we never took him to the Humane Society. The day after we caught him, we took him to the vet. He did not have a microchip, but it was strange because he was already neutered. It was there he got his name Spooky, as it just seemed to fit! Spooky got a warm oatmeal bath, and when he came back home with us his coat was so shiny and sleek. We hung flyers everywhere with a photo of him, we posted on Craigslist, Lost & Found Animals of Vermont FB page and Front Porch Forum, but no one claimed him. He was probably friendlier than our four cats that we got when they were 5 weeks old - which says a lot.
He started developing separation anxiety and would cling on to my leg whenever I would leave him, desperately meowing at me. He also tore down the curtains and kept dumping over his litter box when I was not with him. It started worrying me, because he was so attached to me, and I was to him. I knew that it was not good for both of us, as I knew we couldn't keep him - we already had four cats that were tightly bonded. I started trying to find a foster (or even a forever home) for him. I ended up finding Susanna, who works at PMR (Pibbles and More Rescue). She agreed to foster him, and he lived with her for a while. Finally, Spooky found an absolutely wonderful home with a family in Essex, VT. He is so spoiled there, and is best friends with their tiny dog. Doesn't every animal deserve a happy ending like Spooky? Unfortunately, that is not the case for millions of animals. But with your help we can save them all! Spread awareness and tell your friends and family to please adopt, not shop. So many animals out there need your love and a wonderful family. Can't we give them that? All they want is to be loved. Spooky taught me that there are animals just like him out there that need to be saved.
Thank you for reading the story of Spooky! Please check back soon for more happy ending stories.
It was towards the end of week four, and I was outside walking my dog, Annie. I saw his tail under a bush. I knew that once I got really close to him, he would take off running again. But I felt as if my gut was telling me to go over there. I quickly put Annie inside, and slowly walked over to the bush. He immediately saw me and crouched down, ready to run. I sat down on the sidewalk, and started talking to him. "Hey, everything is going to be all right, buddy. I won't hurt you, I promise." I reached out my hand, and touched his head. He didn't move - he was just staring at me with a hesitant look in his eyes. I started petting him, and I heard the faintest purr. I backed away a little, and took my hand away from him. What he did next was unbelievable. He walked out of the bush, came over to me, and just sat in my lap. I was frozen and didn't know what to do. He rubbed his head on my knee, and was loudly purring. My mouth was open - I pinched myself to make sure that I wasn't dreaming - but I definitely wasn't. Then, out of all times for our neighbor to start the lawnmower, he had to do it at that exact moment. He quickly jumped out of my lap, and bolted, jumping over the fence and into the woods. When I told mom, she didn't believe me.
It was the following day when I finally caught him. I was sitting on the porch reading a book, when I heard a demanding meow. I looked down, and there he was, just sitting at my feet, looking up at me. I slowly reached out my hand to pet him - he instantly starting purring. The second move I made was pretty risky, but something was urging me to do it. I leaned over and picked him up, and he didn't protest. I went to the garage and got a cat crate with a warm kitty bed inside. I put him in it, and he started fearfully meowing, looking up at me with worry and distrust in his eyes. I felt bad, but I told him that he would no longer have to live outside, keeping one eye open in case a coyote was near, or worrying if he was going to get a meal that night or not. I took him inside and brought him to mom. She just looked at me with her mouth open. "You...you actually caught him?", she asked.
Turns out the Humane Society wasn't open - they closed at 5pm that day (I caught him around 7pm) and wouldn't be open for another two days. We planned to take him to the Humane Society when they opened next, but we ended up fostering him for about six weeks - we never took him to the Humane Society. The day after we caught him, we took him to the vet. He did not have a microchip, but it was strange because he was already neutered. It was there he got his name Spooky, as it just seemed to fit! Spooky got a warm oatmeal bath, and when he came back home with us his coat was so shiny and sleek. We hung flyers everywhere with a photo of him, we posted on Craigslist, Lost & Found Animals of Vermont FB page and Front Porch Forum, but no one claimed him. He was probably friendlier than our four cats that we got when they were 5 weeks old - which says a lot.
He started developing separation anxiety and would cling on to my leg whenever I would leave him, desperately meowing at me. He also tore down the curtains and kept dumping over his litter box when I was not with him. It started worrying me, because he was so attached to me, and I was to him. I knew that it was not good for both of us, as I knew we couldn't keep him - we already had four cats that were tightly bonded. I started trying to find a foster (or even a forever home) for him. I ended up finding Susanna, who works at PMR (Pibbles and More Rescue). She agreed to foster him, and he lived with her for a while. Finally, Spooky found an absolutely wonderful home with a family in Essex, VT. He is so spoiled there, and is best friends with their tiny dog. Doesn't every animal deserve a happy ending like Spooky? Unfortunately, that is not the case for millions of animals. But with your help we can save them all! Spread awareness and tell your friends and family to please adopt, not shop. So many animals out there need your love and a wonderful family. Can't we give them that? All they want is to be loved. Spooky taught me that there are animals just like him out there that need to be saved.
Thank you for reading the story of Spooky! Please check back soon for more happy ending stories.