Imagine the shock of the tire shop staff. An abandoned car with four flat tires is towed to the shop and when they look in the back seat, a cat and her two tiny three-week-old kittens look back at them from the filthy interior. The cats were hungry, dehydrated and terrified.
The kind-hearted staff took the cats to an animal hospital who contacted the BC SPCA. The family was soon getting the care they desperately needed, and thrived in the warm, safe home of the BC SPCA foster – basking in the sunlight that poured through windows, curled up together at night.
“We read about the abandoned cat and her kittens and immediately contacted the BC SPCA to see if they were available,” says Courtney. “They informed us the kittens would need to stay with their mom until they were eight weeks of age.” Needless to say, there was a lot of interest in these sweet kittens.
Courtney was sure Nutmeg, and Marshmallow Fluff, renamed Scout and Luna, were going to be part of their family. “I think I manifested it,” she says. “I had a dream about the kittens coming home with us three days before we got the email that they were available for adoption.” Courtney’s application was accepted, and the kittens were soon snuggled up with her three children.
“I can’t tell you how much my kids love Scout and Luna,” says Courtney. “When they come home from school they go right to the kittens. They thank me every day for adopting them. Knowing my kids will grow up with these cats fills my heart with joy.”
Courtney reports the kittens are very cuddle tolerant. “Our kids will snuggle up with them for an hour and they just purr through it all. When the kids are all asleep at night, they run in and out of their rooms.” Their favourite place to sleep is in her son Beau’s room, on the top bunk of his bed. Courtney says it is the cutest thing to see their little heads pop up when she enters the room. “There is a little staircase instead of a ladder, so it is easy for them to get up there.”
The decision to adopt both kittens has been a blessing. “They play like crazy together. They also keep each other company when the kids are at school,” Courtney says. “They get the roughhousing out of their system and then they are all tired and gentle with the kids.”
One of the biggest surprises, is how much Dad has bonded with the kittens. “He left the decision to get the kittens up to me,” says Courtney. “He said he wasn’t a cat guy. Now he doesn’t go anywhere without one of the kittens in his arms.” She adds that he has a beard, and the two kittens just love to rub their faces and the top of their head against it. “We are guessing it reminds them of their mom.”
Courtney says they had no idea two little kittens could make their family so happy. “We didn’t know we needed them until we had them in our home,” says Courtney. “Now we couldn’t imagine our family without them.”
The best Mom gets a home and a big brother
Scout and Luna’s mom, Cardamom, now Karma, has also found a lovely forever home and a very large 12-year-old Norwegian forest cat mix named Bronx to snuggle up with.
“I was looking for a companion for Bronx who lost his sister to kidney disease recently,” says Hami, Karma’s new mom. “I saw Karma on the adoption page and went to meet her at the BC SPCA animal centre.” Hami adds that Karma was all by herself and sitting at the top of the cat tree. Staff warned Hali she might not come down – she was a little hesitant to meet new people. “I just sat there ready to wait patiently for her and within a minute she came down and said hello,” says Hali. “Between that and her beautiful long hair, I knew she was the one.”
Karma was a little shy the first few days in her new home. “She hid under the bed,” says Hali. “She was eating and drinking but just wanted a little space as she got used to her new surroundings.” She wasn’t shy when it came to getting to know Bronx. “He hissed at her originally,” says Hali, “but Karma wouldn’t give up and kept walking in front of him until he gave in and now, they sleep together on the bed.” Hali adds Bronx is a momma’s boy, so he still gets a little jealous when Hali shows Karma affection, but they are all settling in nicely.
Hali adds that she has a home office so Karma is getting a chance to meet lots of new people. “She runs into my office whenever someone is there and can’t wait to meet them. She likes to raise her little arm up when she walks up to you like she is waving. Then she rolls on her back. She is just so loveable.”
One of Karma’s cutest quirks is sitting behind her mom on the couch and playing with her hair. “She loves the laser light, cat nip and making biscuits. She is just the happiest cat.”
Two cats found in towed vehicle will spend the holidays safe and warm
Original story: December 26, 2024
The BC SPCA is currently caring for an elderly black female cat and has found a forever home for a grey male cat who were found inside an abandoned vehicle that had been towed.
“The towing company reached out to the BC SPCA’s animal helpline when the cats were discovered in the vehicle,” says Eileen Drever, the BC SPCA’s senior office, protection, and stakeholder relations. “The cats were living in a hoarding type of situation, the car was filled with hazardous items, rotting food and garbage throughout.”
The towing company staff provided the cats with food and water. “They were particularly concerned about the elderly cat who appeared to be injured,” says Drever. “She wasn’t moving but would eat food when it was placed in front of her.”
A BC SPCA animal protection officer attended the towing company. “They reported that the vehicle’s windows were closed, and it smelled strongly of feces and urine,” says Drever. “It took quite some time to get the cats safely into carriers as the cats were nervous and they tried to retreat to the rear of the vehicle there was a concern some of the haphazardly stacked items would fall on them.
Both cats were safely contained and brought to the BC SPCA’s Vancouver animal centre.
The grey cat has already been adopted, but the elderly cat is still waiting for her forever home.
“This is the second incident of finding cats inside towed vehicles in a month,” says Drever. “The other took place in Abbotsford, where an abandoned vehicle with flat tires was towed to a tire shop where staff found a cat and two kittens inside. In this case, the cats were brought to an animal hospital who reached out to the BC SPCA asking if we could take them into care.”
The cat and her kittens are currently in foster and will be available for adoption in approximately three to four weeks.
The holidays can be a magical time, but it can also bring new challenges and struggles. The BC SPCA would like to remind anyone who may be struggling to care for their pets to reach out to the BC SPCA’s animal helpline to discuss the available options and resources for help.