Cat Life: 9 Real Life Stories of Cat Rescue in Australia

By C.L. Williams

A story of the trials and tribulations of cat rescue in Australia. As a totally unregulated industry it is up to the individual to behave ethically and end ensure the cats in their care remain healthy and happy in foster care whilst they find their forever homes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Claire Williams
• Release date: Dec 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9780645594553

C.L. Williams

Looking to learn more about mental health? This book is for you. Learn about diagnosis, experience and perceptions, assessment and therapeutic skillsets, inlcuding several case studies. Plus free access to digital presentations.

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Cat Life

Cat Life

Cat Life

9 Real Life Stories of Cat Rescue in Australia

C.L. Williams

CLW Consulting

Contents

Dedication

1 Bam Bam

2 Lilah

3 Little Panda-II

4 Elvis

5 Gracie

6 Sarabi and Co

7 Friday

8 Jo Jo

9 Master Boston and siblings

For all the animals I have loved, and who have loved me. 

Copyright © 2022 by C.L. Williams

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First Printing, 2022

1

Bam Bam

Not all rescue groups are created equal, and not all of them tell the truth. A sad fact, but a true one. This is something I learned the hard way when I adopted Bam Bam at just 5 months old.

I was homeless at the time with 2 cats already when I saw Bam Bam on a social media page. Adopting another cat at that point in my life was completely out of the question, but I could not get his image out of my mind. Bam Bam was one of 4 kittens found in a box in a park, sunburnt and frostbitten at temperatures close to zero. Along with his sisters, Pebbles, Glitter and Tinsel, Bam Bam was taken to the local council pound. At only 4 weeks of age, they were not microchipped, so they had just 7 safe days. On the 8th day of impound, the council had the legal right to dispose of any un-microchipped animal in any way they saw fit. Many people do not believe it, but killing healthy animals in a pound is completely legal where I live and in many other places. This particular pound also had a high kill rate, as well as  a history of refusing to release animals to local rescue groups, particularly if the animal was incredibly old, unable to feed itself due to young age, medically or behaviorally complex or had a disability.

They also allowed families to be separated, allowing rescue groups to go in and handpick the animals they wanted to save. This could mean removing kittens or pups from their lactating mothers for hand raising or separating litters taking just one or two of a set. Many would only take on the easy breeds – designer dogs such as poodles, small white fluffies, and the most rehomable cat colours – typically tortoiseshell,  calico, and ginger. Thus, the hardest-to-home animals would remain. Any animal who was older, disabled, with a medical or behavioural issue, larger dogs, black and white cats, and the list goes on. Why do they do this, you may ask? Because they can. By taking the animals that are money makers through adoption fees, the ‘rescue’ survives. Sadly, many rehomable animals never even have a chance. I am not sure how these rescuers can live with themselves; I sure as hell could not.

Thankfully Bam Bam made it out of the pound and into the care of a local ethical rescue group. Bam Bam was advertised as being a special needs cat, the only remaining of his litter who had been unable to find his forever home. Bam Bam was diagnosed with  bilateral Legge-Perthese disease, meaning that the upper end of each femur had failed to develop a sufficient blood supply, and the bone was dying, with parts already dead. Bam Bam’s only symptom was a wobble when he walked. The only solution was surgery on both hind legs to replace the femur with metal to allow him to walk. The local vet had quoted around $1000 per leg, with the operations needing to be done around his first birthday.

Even being homeless, I was drawn to Bam Bam from early on. I watched him continue to be advertised for weeks without even considering I could adopt him, but one day, I just knew he was meant to be my cat. As soon as I met him, I fell in love. He was so cheeky, a climber and super active, never letting his disability slow him down or hold him back in any way. He was the oldest cat there by many months, and what I thought was an amazing rescue center at first seemed to be overflowing with cages everywhere, little enrichment, and so many cats.

By sheer luck, I was able to find accommodation that would welcome my cats just a couple of weeks later, and a week after that, I collected Bam Bam, ready to start our lives together. In the few weeks he had remained at the rescue after I had met him, he’d  developed an eye infection, which, although being treated, still remained as he was medicated with generic eye drops rather than having visited a vet and being prescribed appropriate medication. I was told that Bam Bam had a slight bit of cat flu that would clear itself quickly. This was the first lie.

On the way home, we stopped  at a pet shop for Bam Bam to choose himself some new toys. Everyone in the store fell in love with the little wobbly cat parading himself down each aisle on his lead, choosing a new bed, new toys and his very own cat tree. Bam Bam had no fear, running up to adults and children alike to say hello, even dogs which he had never met before in his life. We also managed to book and see a vet who diagnosed Bam Bam with a scratched cornea rather than cat flu and prescribed appropriate pain relief and medications to heal the eye.

And on the way home, he was a dream. For almost 2 hours, he slept soundly as we headed back for him to meet my other cats, Shadow and Nala.  Since he