As you know, after a recent fire we were ordered to evacuate and find temporary homes for all of our cats. For ten of our residents, their temporary home eventually became their forever home. Here are some of their stories:

Bernadine

Four cats from our Socialization Program were fostered by a long-time volunteer who lives across the street from Tree House. Bernadine had been at Tree House since October, 2004, and she was described as being “frantic” when initially captured. Her file sported warning stickers that said “may bite” and “shy.” Kalamazoo arrived in January of 2004, and his file was also labeled with cautionary stickers.

Dreamsicle

Dreamsicle, an orange tabby, had been here since March, 2001. He had many medical problems when he was admitted, from terrible ear infections to eye problems to severe dental problems. Tyrell had been at Tree House since 1993! This h andsome brown tabby was shy, but people could h andle him if they moved slowly and cautiously. None of these cats were considered to be easily adoptable because of their special needs, but the volunteer and her husb and fell in love with this quartet of cats and adopted them all!

Gaston

Gaston came to Tree House in April, 2004, after being found under a car with injuries to the rear half of his body. He had a bruised bladder and dislocations in both rear legs. His bladder and right rear leg injuries healed, but the ligaments in his left rear leg were permanently damaged. He received surgery to stabilize the leg, but unfortunately, the surgery was not successful. In the future, his leg may develop painful arthritis and may have to be amputated. The good news is that one of the staff took him home during the evacuation and fell in love with this brave, playful kitty, so he now has a loving home of his own.

Horace

Horace was found outside last November with lesions all over his body, the most sever of which were on both sides of his face. He responded well to medical treatment and moved to the open area of the first floor.

Clyde

Clyde, the 2005 honorary chaircat, arrived in 2001. While Clyde looked healthy, it soon became apparent that something wasn’t right. Tests showed that he had an immune-medicated hemolytic anemia – an auto-immune disease in which his own immune system attacks his blood cells. His condition was stabilized, but he remained on the first floor. After being fostered by a clinic staff member for a few weeks during the evacuation, Horace and Clyde were officially adopted into this loving home on April 1 st.

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Those of us who work or volunteer at Tree House are fortunate to be able to witness these ongoing miracles – both medica l miracles and the miracle of adoptions. We wanted to share some of these stories with you, our supporters, who make all this possible. You allow us to have a part in turning sad stories into happy endings, lemons into lemonade!