SCRUFFY

Photograph taken by Cynthia Fain – May 2017

Rescuing and fostering cats is a very powerful and moving experience. I first began my journey into the world of humane trapping and fostering cats way back in the 1990’s. Under the light of the full moon on a cold March night, I walked into the small patch of forest where stray cats often frequented. The chill of the night air numbed my face and hands as I used my flashlight to check the humane trap.

A pair of inquisitive eyes reflected through the trap as a grey and white tabby cat cautiously followed my every move.

I knelt by the humane trap and spoke to the frightened cat, “I haven’t seen you before. I won’t hurt you – I am here to help you.”

I gently picked up the trap, and carefully navigated my way down the hill and through the dark woods. As I walked up to my apartment, I sensed that this was someone’s abandoned pet as the cat did not act feral or in a panic.

Tragically, many of the strays I rescued were abandoned by heartless tenants who had moved out of the apartment complex where I lived. Left behind in the parking lot, fending for themselves, they often found their way to the cat houses and food I set up in the woods.

The name that came to me as I stayed up late into the night was Rocky. I regularly checked on Rocky and spoke to him and reassured him, that he would be taken care of.

The next morning I contacted Mary who generously fostered many abandoned cats. Due to my small apartment and the fact that I had 3 cats of my own, I sadly, was not able to keep him.

As I walked up to Mary’s, I was reminded that parting with a rescued cat is never easy. So many questions come to mind as I wondered who would eventually adopt him, and would they make a life commitment to him. I rang the doorbell and as Mary welcomed us I glanced around the room filled with cats who were all hoping for a happy home. I introduced her to Rocky and thanked her for the commitment she made to helping so many lost and abandoned cats.

Before leaving, I pet Rocky and gave a heart felt goodbye. I turned and looked at him one last time as I headed for the door. I hoped all the cats Mary cared for would find dependable caring homes and never end up abused or on the street again.

Years later, my cat rescue journey continued when I moved to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Rappahannock County, Virginia. Situated at the top of a hill, the old bed and breakfast was surrounded by thousands of acres of forest.

One February evening, a woman who lived in one of the rental cottages came running up the driveway. Out of breath and clearly shaken, she said, “Two grey and white kittens and a mother cat were just abandoned at the foot of the driveway! A white pickup truck stopped and dropped them off. I tried to run after them to get the license tag but they sped off too fast. Whoever did this needs to be held responsible!”

I hurried down the long gravel driveway and searched the woods where the kittens and their mother were callously dumped. After finding no sign of the kittens or mother I alerted my neighbor who thankfully was a cat lover and an experienced rescuer. John assured me that he would keep an eye out for the mother and kittens. After their abandonment, I regularly left a bowl of water and a bowl of cat food out in the woods hoping the trio of cats would find this sustenance.

Weeks and months went by with no sign of the cats. I contemplated the fate of the two kittens and their mother, and how they could possibly survive being dropped off between a highway and forest. A busy 2 lane highway connecting Rappahannock County and Culpeper County was at the foot of our driveway. The huge expanse of forest, behind the Inn, was home to black bear, fox, bobcats, raccoons and many other animals. Until we were able to rescue each of them, the cats abandoned at our property had to carefully navigate between that busy road and the predators of the forest

Over several years, these two kittens and their mother were just a few of the abandoned cats on our property.

When I first arrived to the Inn, every night I saw a tabby cat peering into our house with sad forlorn eyes.

I began putting food and water out for him, and by the spring I was able to humane trap him. He had been camped out under our front porch and scavenging through the trash when the name Scruffy came to me. Another resident on our property said she too had named him Scruffy when she saw him peeking into her windows at night.

After a few months of fostering Scruffy, he found his happy home with my sister who is also a great rescuer of cats. Scruffy went from sleeping out in the cold, to King Tut at my sister’s house. He had his special beds and blankets and always commandeered the bowls of cat food.

With every unique cat or kitten that I have rescued and fostered, I always found it very difficult to say goodbye. Most of my rescue cats went to nonprofit cat rescue organizations that do adoptions. Each cat had their own very special story and personality. No cat belongs out in the wild fending for him or herself. I encourage everyone to stay aware and learn to recognize when any cat (or dog) is clearly abandoned, neglected or abused.

The protective guardians of nature looked over the two kittens that were abandoned in February 2019 on our property in Rappahannock County. Their miraculous story will be shared in my next book, “More Stories Along The Golden Path of Nature”.

In memory of Scruffy and many other rescued cats, please support cat rescue groups and be kind to any abandoned dog or cat that you come across.

Copyright – Cynthia Fain – 2023