Would-be cat parents Ella and Mario de Torres were scanning the VOKRA blog when they came across an Adopt Me article featuring two cute kitties in search of a forever home. After a quick read, Ella and Mario realized they’d found their cats! Soon Trixie (now Sushi) and her son Mike (now Kimchi) were on their way to a new place.
There was no doubt in Ella and Mario’s minds they’d made the right choice. In their foster home the two cats were coming out of their respective shells, with the small mom meowing chattily and her son showing a marked fondness for pats and playtime with strings and sticks.
But now after eight months with Ella and Mario, Sushi and Kimchi are showing their true and adorable colours. Ella has many “meow-versations” with chatty Sushi. “She sounds like a trilling pigeon!” said Ella.
At first, though, Sushi needed a bit of time to get used to her new home. Ella describes the first few months as being “like a cha-cha – we’d feel like we were making progress, but then something would spook her and she’d be back to hiding again.” One such spook happened early on when Sushi’s small paw stepped on a remote control that operated Ella and Mario’s bedroom ceiling fan. “Sushi was so frightened she wouldn’t walk past the open bedroom door!” said Ella. Fortunately, Sushi’s now settled in and has become much more confident and cuddly. In Ella’s words, “She’s a serious lap cat. There are times when I have literally just made contact with the couch and her paw is already on my thigh, demanding a lap to sit on!”
Kimchi too has gotten braver and braver the more time he spends living with Ella and Mario. In fact, the (human!) couple have nicknamed their boy “Explorer Cat” and he continues to lives up to that name, always climbing up to a high vantage point to survey his domain. When Kimchi’s down on the ground, he’ll spend time “zooming,” as Ella put it, running around like a “crazy cat”. In true cat fashion, the zoomies often come in the early morning when Ella and her husband are happily snoozing! As you might expect from all that activity, Kimchi likes his food. In the mornings he’ll “meeeeeoooooow pitifully as if he’s starving and will continue to meow until someone opens the bedroom door,” said Ella.
All in all, Ella and Mario are delighted with their new snuggle bugs. And we couldn’t be happier to report yet another happy tail!
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Piper (formerly Sasha) is now singing a happier tune. This little cat had a rough start to her life but luckily she’s found a home, thanks to VOKRA and her adoptive kitty-mom.
Piper and her siblings were found in a ditch, covered with fleas and lesions from the fungal skin infection ringworm. It was VOKRA and vets who stepped in to help, said Eeva Wanders, who adopted six-month old Piper.
At first, the newly healthy Piper was very shy and VOKRA recommended a quiet home for this little kitty. At Eeva’s, it didn’t take long for Piper to come out of her shell. “For all [Piper’s] shyness, she took to me quickly and on the second night she jumped into my lap,” Eeva marveled. “The next morning I woke to her lying on my stomach.”
Eeva herself was delighted to meet Piper. Having lived with cats all her life, Eeva suddenly found herself alone and lonely after the death of her beloved Cairo. “I missed him terribly,” she said. “And I knew only a cat could help.”
Happily, Piper was there to fill this cat-shaped hole. Eeva says that even Piper’s markings seemed fortuitous. “I had hoped to find a silver tabby with a pink nose as I had one growing up. Lo and behold, there she was!”
Now, after six years together, Eeva and Piper are still very much enjoying each other’s company. The formerly shy Piper is “quite comfortable and curious of people and is keen to sniff their hair or ears,” said Eeva. “She LOVES to play and investigate boxes and paper bags. She loves her grey mouse, her felted braids and milk jug rings. And she plays fetch…but only when she wants to.”
“She truly is an amazing and special cat,” Eeva said, “I’m glad to be owned by her.”
We’re glad, too, that Piper and Eeva have found each other and that Piper now has a forever home where she can be happy!
Would you like to share your Happy Tail? Email us at [email protected].
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Nicole and her partner Bayani weren’t considering adopting another cat after their beloved 16-year-old tabby passed away. Even though she was still grieving, Nicole could see how her other cat Lex needed a friend. After a colleague showed her a picture of little Lincoln on our website, she couldn’t help but consider bringing another kitty into her home.
“I was pretty sure when I had seen his photo but it sealed the deal as soon as I met him in person,” said Nicole. “Out of all the kittens I had an instant bond with him…he came right up to me and curled up on my lap and fell asleep! My heart instantly melted!”
Before long, Lincoln became the newest member of Nicole’s household. Slow introductions are advised when introducing a new cat into a home, especially when there’s a kitten coming into a senior cat’s domain. It was hard for Nicole to keep Lincoln separate for those few days, but once he had access to the house he wasted no time making himself right at home.
Nicole and Bayani quickly learned life with a kitten is a lot different than with a senior cat. “My other cats have always been well behaved and not as playful so it’s definitely been challenging keeping up with him!” she said. “Lincoln has a serious case of the ‘zoomies’, so he constantly runs laps around the house. He’ll even leap at doors and run across walls. It’s crazy!”
Lincoln enjoys many comforts in his new home, such as a box full of kitty toys and endless belly rubs and cuddles. By far his biggest quirk is his love for water. He always comes quickly when he hears water running and will even jump in the shower! Lincoln’s also obsessed with people food – especially chicken. Nicole and Bayani have to keep an eye on him when they’re cooking and now have a good system of covering ingredients – but Lincoln still manages to sneak off with a nibble from time to time!
Lincoln’s high energy and big personality have brought a light to Nicole, Bayani and even feline big brother Lex’s life. “Lincoln has a lot of the same traits and habits as my cat Cedes who passed so I really connect with him. His big personality just brings constant happiness every day,” said Nicole. “He’s just really silly and we honestly couldn’t imagine life without him!”
Thank you to Nicole and Bayani for giving a loving home to a kitty in need!
Would you like to share your Happy Tail? Email us at [email protected].
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Rachel and her partner Chris already had three cats and were not looking to adopt another when they sat down to read the VOKRA newsletter together earlier this year. Living with Type 1 diabetes herself, the article on Timmy, an older male Maine Coon with diabetes, really resonated with Rachel. In fact, one of her previous cats also had diabetes so she was familiar with how to care for a diabetic cat. However, they were already short on space and were confident Timmy would find a forever home soon.
Several months later another VOKRA email arrived in Rachel’s inbox featuring Timmy front and centre. Once again Timmy’s story was used to highlight how your donations to VOKRA are used to care for special kitties in need. Rachel’s heart went out to Timmy and, after convincing Chris, she contacted VOKRA to arrange a meeting.
Visiting Timmy at his foster home (only five blocks from her own!), Rachel was able to review his lengthy medical files. It turns out Timmy had been a struggling diabetic without a permanent home for nearly seven years. Furthering her bond with him, Rachel learned Timmy was on the same insulin and required the same glucose checks as she did. Despite her concerns that adopting Timmy into their happy three cat home could potentially disrupt the other cats’ lives, Rachel knew the value of giving Timmy the opportunity for a happy, stable home overshadowed the risks. Rachel and Chris decided to take the plunge and take Timmy home.
The first thing Rachel and Chris did when they adopted Timmy was to change his name to Louie. Shortly prior to his adoption, it was discovered that Louie needed emergency surgery to remove his teeth. The recovery was difficult for an older diabetic cat like Louie and developed pancreatitis. After a few close calls and attentive care from Rachel and Chris, Louie pulled through.
It took a month for all three cats to come around but Louie has now been accepted as part of the clowder. Louie’s a lover of all people food but is kept on a strict diet and schedule to manage his diabetes (even though Chris sneaks him a tiny taste here and there!). In fact, Louie’s diabetes has improved since his adoption and he now requires less daily units of insulin to manage his glucose levels.
Since Rachel treats her own diabetes she quickly accepted Louie’s needs as part of her routine. “I think, if anything, taking care of him has left me feeling like I’m not alone,” said Rachel. “It never felt to me like I was taking on too much more, but rather I was gaining someone who was helping me deal with my depression around diabetes. A support buddy!”
Thank you so much to Rachel and Chris for giving Louie the loving home he’s been waiting for. We wish you all many happy years together!
Would you like to share your Happy Tail? Email us at [email protected].
Little Beamer was born with limited vision, hearing and mobility, in a barn to a feral mom. He was surrendered to VOKRA by a local animal hospital and brought into foster care. Despite his physical limitations, Beamer played and explored his foster home just like any other kitten. He also loved getting pets and hanging out with his feline foster siblings. Beamer just needed his future guardian to keep a clean space to help him get around and have some patience as he navigated a new space. Eventually, he found his perfect match with his adopter Jen.
After his adoption Jen spent a lot of time with Beamer on his physio and walking exercises. All that hard work paid off and Beamer went from barely using his back legs to climbing and diving off his five-foot-tall scratching post.
“We had to Beamer-proof the apartment we had for him. He cannot be barricaded or confined as he’ll tear thru anything you build like child’s play,” said Jen.
Beamer now lives the good life with Jen and his feline siblings, Max and Kink. He spends his days napping on a heated kitty bed and running around the house playing with Max and Kink, or just about anything else he can find. Jen tells us that, like most cats, Beamer loves to sleep on (or steal!) anything comfortable, with baby blankets being his preferred choice.
Despite his rough start in life, Beamer’s the perfect example of never giving up and persevering through adversity.
“Beamer, even with all that goes on with his medical issues and all the help he needs, has been an amazing and awesome addition to our family. He’s always doing something to make you laugh,” adds Jen.
You can keep up with Beamer by visiting his Facebook page, The Beamer Diaries.
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Brody’s a special kitty who was born with Cerebellar Hypoplasia (CH), a neurological condition that results in walking and balance problems. While he has trouble getting around on his own, he loves cuddles and is a happy-go-lucky kitty. Although Brody also suffers from poor eyesight, he’s otherwise healthy and enjoys the life of a pampered housecat like any other. He particularly loves the company of other cats and dogs so we knew he would make a great buddy to an existing pet in a family.
After two of her cats passed away from old age, Dolores decided it was time to again open her home to a cat in need and to find a friend for her other two female cats. She found Brody on VOKRA’s website and thought he would make the perfect companion for her “girls”, Nugget and Doodles. Then, several years after Brody came home with Dolores, she adopted Bojangles, another kitty with CH.
Brody adores having Bojangles in his life, as do Nugget and Doodles. Thank you Dolores for opening up your home to not one but two special needs kitties!
Would you like to share your Happy Tail? Email us at [email protected].
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Daisy’s a black beauty with cerebellar hypoplasia, which means she has a “wobbly walk” and a tendency to fall down, but otherwise is just like other cats. She enjoys the company of people, whether being brushed, pet or just relaxing on the couch. Despite her gentle nature, Daisy spent the first three and half years of her life in foster homes.
Trace is a cat lover who always had cats in the family home growing up. After receiving a promotion at work, she decided the perfect way to celebrate was to open up her home to a special needs cat. Trace arranged to meet Daisy in her foster home after viewing her profile on our website. During the visit, “Daisy leaned into me to steady herself and let me pet her,” said Trace. “I knew then that I wanted to take her home.”
Although shy at first, with time and patience Daisy slowly learned to trust Trace and embrace her new life as a pampered housecat. She loves playing with cloth measuring tapes and clean, empty pill bottles. Trace thinks Daisy likes the way the bottles move in unpredictable ways – just like her! She also loves sleeping in Trace’s lap or leaning her head on her palm with at least one foot on her person. “I think she feels safe that way,” Trace said. “It’s very cute.”
Daisy’s wobbly mechanics sometimes make mealtimes messy. Like a good cat mom, Trace keeps an eye on her so she doesn’t fall into her food. As a writer Trace spends several hours a day working on her computer, which makes Daisy a little jealous! She’s a vocal cat and not shy about voicing her displeasure at not being the center of attention.
We’re so glad Daisy was able to find such a doting, patient guardian in Trace. Thank you for opening up your home to a special needs kitty.
Trace said it best when she told us, “I like to think the universe was waiting for us to find each other. I love my new fur roommate.”
Would you like to share your Happy Tail? Email us at [email protected].
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Louisa, her son and their kitten Bailey were left with a hole in their family when their beloved dog passed away at age 15 from old age. Having grown up with him from six weeks to 11 months old, Bailey was particularly attached to his canine friend and was distraught after his passing. After a few months Louisa decided Bailey needed a friend. When she looked up the available kittens on our website she quickly came across Maeve, a special needs kitten with feline cerebellar hypoplasia (CH).
CH is a neurological condition that results in walking and balance problems and is caused when the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls fine motor skills and coordination, is underdeveloped at birth. Maeve didn’t let her CH slow her down and was quite the busy kitten in her foster home! She spent her days playing, exploring or just watching the action from afar, waiting for that special someone to come along and make her a part of their family.
Louisa quickly booked an appointment right away to meet Maeve. “I watched her brother and sister running around and I watched her try to keep up and decided with that tenacity and spirit she was mine!” said Louisa.
While it took Bailey a few days to get used to having another kitty in the house, he soon came around. Now he and Maeve are BFFs (best feline friends). “Bailey is not a real cuddler except with Maeve,” said Louisa. “She head butts for attention and gives her little squeaky purr sounds. Her wobbly demeanour is adorable and it does not impede her running at breakneck speed after Bailey.”
Bailey and Maeve make a purrfect pair. She has a habit of pecking at her food, leaving her with a messy face after mealtime. Bailey helps her out by cleaning her face and, in return, she cleans his ears. Maeve also plays fun cat games with Bailey and they keep each other company during naptime. Louisa says Maeve has, “made a wonderful addition to our home and a great companion for Bailey. She is very, very sweet.”
Thank you Louisa for giving a loving home to a special needs cat. We’re glad Bailey has a new friend and Maeve has a forever home with kind guardians to care for her.
Would you like to share your Happy Tail? Email us at [email protected].
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Every day the dedicated volunteers of VOKRA go to great lengths to save the lives of homeless cats and kittens from around the Lower Mainland. Little Hazel is one such kitten who may not be here today were it not for our care.
Hazel was born to a semi-feral mom who had recently been brought in to our Operations Centre. Not only was she the smallest kitten in the litter, she was born with one eye swollen shut. It turned out poor Hazel was born with an eye infection, resulting in ongoing issues with pain and poor vision in her eye.
Hazel didn’t let her vision limitations slow her down though. She played, tumbled and chased her siblings around just like any other kitten. During one particularly active play session, Hazel’s weak eye was damaged and she was rushed to an emergency vet. It was discovered her weak eye was acting as a foreign body and had no chance of recovery, so it would eventually need to be removed.
As the months passed by, all Hazel’s brothers and sisters were adopted while Hazel struggled with recurring infections, leading to her eye being removed at four months old. Unfortunately, her health problems continued and she returned for a second surgery.
After two surgeries, two dewormings, four rounds of antibiotics and many more vet trips, Hazel continues to be a loving, intelligent, playful and overall adorable little ball of fluff. She’s so resilient that even two months of living with a cone around her head hasn’t slowed her down.
Happily Hazel will be available for adoption in the coming weeks. She’s a spirited little trooper who will be make some lucky family very happy. If you have room in your heart and home for little Hazel, keep an eye out for her on our ready-to-adopt page.
And if you’d like to help us pay for Hazel’s medical treatment, as well as the veterinary cost for all the other special kitties in our care, you can donate today at givetovokra.ca.
Maria Von Trapp (now Cricket) and Flossy (now Cookie) had a difficult time on their own before coming to VOKRA. Maria started life as a street cat and Flossy was removed from a household with too many cats. After an unsuccessful adoption, Maria was placed in a foster home with Flossy. The two cats bonded immediately and the decision was made to adopt out the newfound feline friends together.
Having grown up with cats and wanting to adopt for quite a while, Coby was waiting for the right time to bring a cat (or two) into her home. After catsitting for a friend for several weeks, she knew she was ready to adopt and reached out to us shortly thereafter.
Coby immediately felt a connection to Maria and Flossy when she saw photos of them on our website. She knew she wanted to bring them home as soon she met them. Coby remembers how, “they looked so shy and nervous, which made my heart hurt. I wanted to give them a forever home where they could feel secure and loved.”
Maria and Flossy, now known as Cricket and Cookie, came home with Coby and have adjusted to their new life on their own time. Cookie loves to be the centre of attention and was happy to have couch snuggle time from the start. Cricket, however, took a while to accept she was now in a safe place and preferred to keep her distance under a table. “I’d pet her while she was under the table, which she didn’t mind, and I let her come to me on her own time,” said Coby. “For whatever reason, she has never been afraid of me when I’m in bed… she loves a long cuddle in the morning and really gets into belly and head rubs.”
Cricket has recently come around to life in a safe, happy home and has come a long way from that anxious kitty under the table. “I’m so proud of how far little Cricket has come,” said Coby. “In just the past couple of weeks she has started to snuggle in with Cookie and me on the couch. I’m pretty proud of Cookie too, as she used to swat her away, so Cricket’s first attempts to cuddle were thwarted by her sister from another mister.”
Cats are, by nature, creatures of habit and Cricket and Cookie are no exception. They have set the schedule for playtime, bedtime and TV time! Cricket likes to hang out in her ‘kitty cave’ with one eye on the TV and the other on Coby and Cookie. While Cookie likes to remind Cricket of who’s the alpha kitty in the household, they live a peaceful co-existence and have learned to share the attention and toys.
Cricket and Cookie definately hit the jackpot with their new person Coby! Thank you for giving these girls a loving, happy home. We wish them many happy years of couch cuddles and TV time to come.
Would you like to share your Happy Tail? Email us at [email protected].
PS: Some info about the split screen pic of Cricket. She had just finished having some catnip and was completely spaced out and frozen like that for about 15 minutes. Cookie sat just out of frame staring at her the whole time.