The story is, unfortunately, a familiar one. A pregnant stray cat is discovered and no one wants to “deal” with her. So they do what they can–usually meaning dropping her off at a local shelter. That, or she is simply abandoned, which is what happened to one stray cat in Wisconsin. The Buffalo County Humane Association (BCHA) welcomed the poor cat in need of love and attention. It turned out she needed more than that when they found her to be pregnant. Luckily for her, her 6 kittens came soon after her arrival at the shelter. But for two bonded sisters in the litter, the next 3 years of their lives would be spent in feline foster care.
It would be a long 3 years waiting for the perfect adopter to see the love the two bones sisters had to offer.
Beginning on February 27th, 2016 in Mondovi, Wisconsin, the BCHA received a call around 9:00 am. It was from a man who’d found 2 cats in a box near a donation bin.
Photo courtesy of Kristen Gregerson
A gentleman happen to walk near the box and see a black/white cat pop her head out. He then called the shelter and brought them to us. BCHA would like to extend a big thanks to B. and K. for finding them and giving us a call.
They believed the duo to be a mother/daughter pair. The two females appeared to be healthy, but just scared from the ordeal. The 2-year-old mother was named Mary Ann and the daughter, Ginger.
Photo courtesy of Kristen Gregerson ~ Mom Mary Ann
Ginger was adopted out about a week later. Mary Ann was placed in foster care with Amber Hogan, where she could safely have her last litter ever. Six little kittens were born on March 28th. They were named Lexi, Hank, Calliope, Christina, Isabelle, and Meredith–all characters from Grey’s Anatomy.
Photo courtesy of Kristen Gregerson
By June, the kittens were ready to be adopted–and 4 of them quickly were!
Hank was pre-adopted before his eyes were almost all the way open! Lexi went in that same week. Two weeks later, Calliope and Isabelle were off onto new adventures. But for bonded sisters Meredith and Christina, their shy natures caused them to be overlooked at adoption events. The loud, unknown environment at pet store events is often too stressful for cats and kittens. Experienced foster mom, Kristen Gregerson, welcomed the 10-week-old kittens into her home. She knew with their special purrsonalities, they would need to find the right home to match.
Meredith is a dilute calico female. Her foster mom reports that she is very shy and does not like to be picked up. However, she does love to be petted, particularly around her face. (In true kitty fashion, she wants attention on her terms.) She tends to attach to one person, at least once you gain her trust. She’ll typically hang back and waits for her siblings to try something new, letting them find out whether it’s safe.
Photo courtesy of Kristen Gregerson
Christina is a tabby female. Her foster mom reports that she is a bit on the shy side, but is also very playful and loves her toys. She would do best in a patient family with older children.
Photo courtesy of Kristen Gregerson
It wasn’t until December that the luck changed for the bonded sisters.
The pair were actually adopted together into a forever home! Sadly, that household wasn’t a good fit for the girls. Soon after, they moved back in with their foster mom to patiently continue waiting.
Photo courtesy of Kristen Gregerson
The months turned into years and the girls remained in their foster home.
Many ask why their foster mom didn’t simply adopt the bonded sisters at that point. Remember, The Goal Is Goodbye! To a further extent, unfortunately she has resident cats who haven’t fully apurroved of her fostering habits. For Meredith and Christina, that meant they spent the majority of their time without free run of the house.
I want them to have a home where they can be free, where they can go anywhere and nap anywhere and sleep with their humans. Every cat deserves home that they can rule.
Photo courtesy of Kristen Gregerson
For the next 2 1/2 years, the girls bond only grew stronger.
It was to the point that BCHA listed them as a pair of bonded sisters, requiring they be adopted together. This is great for the cats but can make their chances of adoption even more difficult. A supporter of the shelter even paid for their adoption fees, hoping to entice potential adopters.
Meredith (the calico) learned that she liked to be petted and to have her ears scratched. Then one day, she surprised her foster mom by climbing onto her lap and plopping down for a cuddle. Once she had tried it, Meredith soon turned into a lap-cat.
Photo courtesy of Kristen Gregerson
She settles in for a snuggle and meows loudly if she doesn’t think she’s getting enough attention. Christina (the tiger), on the other hand, prefers to keep an eye on things from the other end of the sofa or perch. She does like having her ears scratched and enjoys a good petting, but she just isn’t into the lap-cat life.
Photo courtesy of Kristen Gregerson
The girls will do best in a quieter home with no young children. (Older children would be okay, as long as they know to let the girls come to them.)
The sisters would also prefer to be the only animals in the home. They can get along with another cat if they have to (they have one roommate at their foster home), but it would really depend upon the personality of the other cat. As well as the humans allowing plenty of time for the introduction process. Meredith and Christina continue to be shy about new people and places. So some patience may be required as they adjust to a new home, but it will be worth it.
Photo courtesy of Kristen Gregerson
Time went on and the bonded sisters third birthday slowly approached, having only one birthday wish–a forever home.
And in the wonderful world of “happy tales endings”, these bonded sisters got just that! On March 21st, a week before their birthday, the BCHA shared the girls story again in the hopes of granting their wish.
Three days later and they were off to their new home with two very happy humans!
Photo courtesy of Kristen Gregerson
Mom Sky, was happy to share this photo of the girls in their new home. They’re happily getting used to their new toys, comfy beds and even their very own catnip plant!
Christina (who is now known as Moira Christina) looks so relaxed! Her sister (who is now Calliope Meredith) is observing the new land from inside the cube shelf.
Photo by Sky; courtesy of Kristen Gregerson
Thank you so much to Sky and family for adopting a bonded pair of adult cats! You are all very lucky to have found each other, no matter how long it took.
Thank you to Kristen Gregerson for bringing this story to our attention. Most of all, thank you for never giving up on the girls!
REMEMBER: ADOPT, DON’T SHOP; FOSTERING SAVES LIVES & SPAY AND NEUTER!
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