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Christmas 2017, Special Tails
Additional Info
- A Special Job
About Tank
The Ninth Save of Christmas 2017: Tank
A Special Job
The morning started out like most sunny summer days, it looked like it was going to be another hot one and then the phone rang. I grabbed it and a male voice said, “I hear that you rescue Persian cats. I have a Black Persian that has been living in my garage that I don’t want anymore. I will drop it off at the ABC corner vet”. He then hung up.
It was odd to say the least but I called my vet and before I could explain my call they told me that a Black Persian had just been surrendered to them for me! Well that was fast, I thought. It took me about 10 minutes to arrive and as I walked in I saw two vet techs and my favorite veterinarian with anxious faces. “We couldn’t just leave the little kitty in the cage so we took him out to cuddle him”.
When we got him home, we saw he was going to need a bath, so we just started the bathing. Three full baths later, the dirt just kept pouring off him; oil from a garage floor, dirt, fleas, mites, bugs, pebbles, everything you could think of, kept pouring off him. Then we wrapped him in a soft blanket and started cleaning his ears, nose, eyes…. and suddenly we all started to laugh. This little boy was not a Black Persian at all! He was a gorgeous Cream color. A very tiny Cream Persian with soft expressive gold eyes. And that is how I first met little Tank.
I was lucky enough to be his foster mom. I have no idea how long Tank had lived alone in those conditions but when he came to his new foster home he was beside himself with joy. He was so happy to have foster fur friends, he would groom them, play and sleep with them. He loved his humans and was immediately a gentle little boy. Oh my, what a lovely little spirit he was!
When the time came to find him a forever home, we knew it was going to be painful. I knew it would be hard for both me and Tank, but I also knew that little Tank had something special to do in his life and it would be up to me to find out what that would be. I received a call one afternoon from a potential adopter who asked if I had time to chat with her about little Tank and about why she really wanted him. Her story was very unusual. For the past 18 years she had always adopted what are called special needs kitties. The elderly ones or ones with heart problems or long-term kidney or liver problems. Ones where she had to give them IV fluids or medications. Hard, hard cases. She had found herself in a situation that she wanted to talk with me about. Her last two kitties were 16 and 18 years old and were very ill. Her vet had told her that she ought to consider adopting a young kitty to bring energy and life to her home and to her elderly boys. Would I consider allowing her to adopt Tank?
The story of his adoption is equally amazing. After several months of back and forth conversations, she adopted Tank and his first night at his new home he was afraid and lonely. He sat and cried and cried and cried. His new human Momma was in tears not knowing what more she could do to help when suddenly one of the most astonishing things I have ever heard of occurred. Her two elderly gentlemen kitties heard the cries of this small, young kitty and brought some of their favorite toys and their blanket to him and put them at his feet. They then began to groom Tank and curled around him to all sleep together. This may sound like a Disney movie but it is all true. Tanks’ new Momma called me the next day to relate the story and we all dissolved into tears. To this day they all sleep together and play together, Tank stays by his kitty friend while he gets his IV’s and medications.
I believe that Tank had a special job to do for this family of humans and furry boys. His story always reminds me that kindness, gentleness and love make even the hardest times a little easier.
Your donations allow us to take on special kitties like Tank throughout the year. Thank you.