Chaos Wrapped in Fur

By Andrea Testa

Being a pensioner I walk to the grocery store daily and often encounter stray animals along the way. I noticed that I was encountering more and more animals and most were friendly. At the back of the grocery center where the trash dumpsters are kept I noticed that the amount of cats had increased tremendously and this concerned me. When a person walked close to the fenced area many cats would come running and meowing in a voice bordering on desperation. That’s when I realized these felines were hungry.
The Covid-19 had a huge impact on the planet completely changing everyday life for everyone including many animals. Unfortunately many people panicked and acted without researching facts and getting basic information. Hundreds if not thousands of pets were simply abandoned. I now feed my abandoned family and the proceeds of this book will be used to keep their tummies full and keep them healthy.
This book is a compilation of information that I use in order to care for my now feline family. I hope it is as helpful to you as it is to me.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Andrea Testa
• Release date: Oct 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005261344

Book preview

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my best friend Skim. The cat that taught me patience, that brought absolute joy into my life. The cat that taught me about unconditional love and gave me countless hours of laughter and fun for 19 years. It’s been twenty two years since he crossed over the rainbow bridge whereupon each day I continue to be grateful for the time we spent together.

Skim was a kitten of about four weeks old when I rescued him. I was a young man of twenty three years old on my way home from work on my motorcycle. It was pouring with rain when I stopped at the red light. As I sat in the rain waiting for the traffic light to change I heard this mewing of desperation and distress. Looking around I was unable to find where it was coming from so I parked my motorcycle and started searching.

I checked in the small trash bin on the sidewalk, under the parked cars and eventually established it was coming from inside a storm drain. The storm drain was quite wide and the water rushing into it half filled the 3 foot wide pipe. So I removed my shirt, boots and socks, climbed into the ditch and entered the drain pipe. A short distance in I found clinging to the side of the pipe this tiny kitten that was on his last desperate screams for help. With my upper body in the pipe I was able to reach the little fellow that screamed even louder as my hand got closer to him. The moment my fingers wrapped around him he released the pipe and clung onto me sinking his tiny claws into my hand just behind my thumb.

When I exited the pipe I discovered a small crowd had gathered yet not one person offered to assist me out of the ditch. But then again I must’ve been quite a sight with some leaves stuck to my bare torso, wet and now dirty pants and quite muddy. The kitten still mewing and holding on had his cheek resting on the side of my hand with closed eyes. Almost as though he knew that we were to spend a lifetime together from that moment on.

The amazing thing about a cat is that they allow us to think that they are our pets when in fact they treat us as though we are their pet. Skim brought home many a stray cat and from the day I climbed into the drain I have rescued hundreds of cats. Either out of trees, away from dogs and in the road.

I am now in my sixties and Skim passed away twenty two years ago yet each time I come home I still look to see if he’s sitting at his spot next to