Shelter in New York City
Article by Lucifera
Loki
In my search for a home or shelter for a stray male black cat that found its way to the door of my apartment, little did I know what a task it would be. Some of the places I called were "overwhelmed"(or too packed with cats), they only wanted kittens, charged a price for boarding the cats (usually to cover vet costs and food) etc...
I didn't want to send this magnificent black beauty, which I named Loki, to the ASPCA or other shelters that put animals to sleep (kill them) if they couldn't find a place for them (gee, just imagine if we did this to children who weren't adopted or homeless people.
In that case I called a no-kill shelter, one of them being Bide-A-Wee, not only were there some operators that were a bit hostile they put you on a damn waiting list to tell you later that there was no space for the cat, they also explained that they only wanted kittens. Loki looked about two years old and he's healthy.
Exhausting that resource I called an independent shelter Being Kind, they were "overwhelmed", and although the person who spoke to me seemed a bit peeved she was somewhat helpful and gave me other places to try but most of these places I had already called (they were listed in the Yellow Pages) or I had found these contacts already by going into pet stores and finding some ads but they had no shelter to offer.
I was become quite frustrated. One day I wandered into a veterinary clinic and found out there was someone who is in charge of a Pet-I-Care program, the veterinarian of Westside Veterinary Clinic was the program coordinator. I thought I had found hope here but I was wrong. She seemed a bit nutty to me and aggravated. I think the worst thing she did was to ask me to justify why I couldn't keep Loki. Trust that I wanted to but why should I give a full detailed explanation to a stranger as to why I can't keep him??! Shouldn't it be the other way around, why couldn't they keep the animal under their care, if they had the facility, a place to give the necessary attention and care and the damn program they were announcing?! Shouldn't they question the person that wants to adopt an animal? To make sure that the person is trully interested in a companion rather than a mouse terminator that will be tossed aside when no longer needed?!!!
I planed on getting Loki checked and neutered/ spayed and get him shots. I did try to keep him but there was so much against that. I kick myself for not living alone!
I asked other people, they either have their own pets, other members of the household didn't agree with having pets or some people just didn't like cats. Sometimes, I felt like volunteering at some of these shelters for self-investigation, I wondered which ones could be legitimate and which ones were not? So many stories and one just can't sort the truth.
I noticed that in my mission to find Loki a good place I ran into other dilemmas and questions that I asked myself. Am I doing the right thing for Loki. I know he needs to be fed and needs a place to live, but he wouldn't be as free as he was when he roamed the streets. What if he was taken into an apartment or a cage in a shelter for that matter especially here in the city and the apartments in my area are not very big, would he feel more comfortable. Loki wont be able to roam about freely and there are rules to abide by among us humans. But he was so friendly, he just didn't look like he would survive on the streets. He easily trusted people and was vulnerable to abuse by ignorant people.
I did think, at some point, that it was every wiccan's and sorcerers dream to have that wonderful familiar, the cat, and even some Satanists would be proud to have the equally sinister black cat with it's beautiful outstanding eyes. I wondered where were these damn people when I needed them. "Who knows," I thought, "I may even end up with this prized beauty myself, after going through so much just to find him a place I wont give up that easy."
After some time I did take Loki to a clinic where he was neutered and remained under my care until he was better. During this insanity of keeping Loki in my apartment along with the lion king of the house, Honey, fights began to break out and I had to keep them locked up seperately. In one instant my leg got all scratched up because I went to stop them. No matter, the scratches were beautiful and the fights memorable. They did look beautiful in all their anger. Anyway, enough of my dark pleasures. I was happy to find that there was an elderly lady who longed for this dark wonder I kept in my house and guess who found a cozy shelter? Yes, Loki found a new home with someone who loves him. It was a crazy road but I did it. The sense of accomplishment was great. I heard that he is well fed, fat and friendly. Worshipped as he should be in a castle he can call his own.
Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end there. I’m sure Loki will have to move more than once in his lifetime. Last I heard the lady had asthma and couldn’t stay with him, I called her and she assured me he would have a new home. Loki may just have been lucky and I hope he finds warmth where ever he is taken. It was funny the amount of calls I got after he was gone of people who wished to adopt him. Ladies and gentlemen just visit those shelters and rescue the keepers of ancient secrets. Loki has his home now.
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