by Lorraine Monfils
Maggie’s turn
Approximately two years ago, a little buff-colored kitten came to the Ark, we named her Maggie. Maggie was very timid and nervous and always hid. She wanted to trust people, but just couldn’t do it. The days went by and then turned into months and Maggie remained with us simply because she never bonded with anyone. Last summer Maggie went to a foster home and had the luxury of an outdoor cat pen which she really loved.
Sadly, Maggie came back to the Ark in November. She is still waiting for just the right home. We would watch Maggie and our hearts would break because she really was a lovely girl; she just needed someone to love her and bring her out of her shell. She would watch as the other cats got adopted and wait patiently. One day a lady noticed her and thought she was beautiful and would come in every day to visit her and try to gain her trust. But the lady stopped coming and still Maggie waited.
In February, we received an e-mail inquiring about Maggie, we responded back and told the lady all about Maggie and explained that she was very shy. The lady’s daughter was also very shy and they had just lost their young cat and it was very traumatic for them. Her daughter had told her mother that if she were to get a cat she would get an orange tabby and call it Maggie and love it very much. That was all her mom needed to hear. She started searching online and up came Maggie’s picture. It was meant to be. We communicated back and forth and at last, Maggie was going home. They drove 240-mile round trip to get Maggie.
This family opened their hearts and home to Maggie knowing that she was not going to be the perfect cat right off the bat, they had patience and enough love in their hearts to make this happen.
These days, Maggie is loving life in her new home with her new humans and she is right where she was meant to be. Two years is a long time to wait, but for Maggie, it was well worth the wait.
For the month of February, The Ark took in $1,214 in fundraisers and donations, with our expenses being $1,744.02.
We took in one cat and adopted 11 cats. We currently have 27 cats. We took in three dogs and adopted two dogs. We currently have three dogs.
Please join on Saturday, March 16 and 30 for a bake sale outside Hollywood Pet salon from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In light of the normally anticipated spring kitten season, due to unaltered pets, we have initiated an online campaign drive to help us offset the cost not only of our incoming animals spay/neuter surgeries, but also to help the financially challenged neighbors in our community who want to do the right thing by fixing their pets to prevent further unexpected surprises. You can find this campaign at www. IndieGoGo/Ark Animal Sanctuary and click on campaign.
Spaying and neutering not only relieves the burden of unwanted litters entering The Ark’s care, but also alleviates hoarding situations for good. Samaritans whose hearts for taking in unaltered homeless pets can easily override and overwhelm their household budgets. We don’t ask for a lot. We only ask for help.
Of course donors can also mail or drop off donations right at the Ark and earmark them for the spay/neuter campaign. But if you do have online access, please help spread the campaign info far and wide. This is also greatly appreciated.
