Henry
The Distinguished Gentleman
I found Henry on
death row at a local municipal animal shelter. I had made several
trips to this shelter while volunteering with a humane
organization. Our visits were not pleasant. On the first trip,
while cleaning filthy cat cages, I discovered a litter of dying
days old kittens. Some had already passed on. They were heaped in
a feces incrusted cage with a young mother cat who was so
mal-nourished she couldn't nurse her own brood, let alone take on
any others. I had asked the shelter personnel if I could take the
remaining 2 kittens to foster, but they refused. They died that
night. I don't know if I could have done anything to save them
but, it hurts to know that they didn't get a chance. On another
visit I discovered Henry in a cage on the bottom of the rack.
Henry a few days after his rescue.
I'm always a sucker
for the crusty old Tom cat and Henry definately fit this bill to
a tee! He was cowering in the back corner of his cage, very
withdrawn and you could tell that all the will had just gone out
of him. Having lost out on the kitten fosters I was determined to
get Henry out of there. Once again the shelter personnel refused
to let me remove him from the building to foster and informed me
that he was to be euthanized soon. Okay, I thought, if you can't
beat them, join them! I immediately filled out adoption papers
and paid the required fee. Henry's life had just taken a turn for
the better.
He was so battered
and beaten looking I was sure this cat was at least 8 - 10 years
old. His ears were covered with abrasions, his coat was filthy,
gray looking, and his air of rejection and dispair made my heart
break. I was absolutely floored when told that he was only 8
MONTHS OLD. What had happened to this baby in
such a short time to make him give up? After all these years in
rescue and all the trauma I have witnessed, I am still amazed at
what humans do to our animal friends. I'm even more amazed, and
pleased by these animals' ability to recover, indeed flourish,
after being subjected to such cruelty.
Henry went first for
vetting and a bath. He cleaned up really good! But, even though
the outward scars were healing, the inward ones were not. I
believe Henry was abused by a woman. Whenever I would approach
him for petting, he would curl up on the floor and close his
eyes, as if waiting to be beaten. He was friendly with my husband
and was accepted by and had interaction with the other cats, even
had no problems adjusting to the BIG DOG. But his fear of me, as
a woman, took a lot longer to overcome. Then, one day I felt a
little head butt on my leg. Expecting someone else I reached down
for a pet and discovered Henry. What a day! There is no other
feeling like gaining the trust of an abused animal. It is the
best.
Henry completely
recovered from his ordeal and seemed to be settling in nicely as
a house cat. Alas, it was not to be. He slipped by us one morning
and took off for the nether regions of the back yard. Many
attempts were made to catch him but he continues to elude us. We
leave food and water for him and occassionally spy him lurking in
the bushes but, he prefers the wilderness life to that of the
cozy hearth. Maybe as he gets older he'll remember that warmth
and venture back inside.
Home | Cool Stuff | Foster Furkids | Heroes | Kids n' Animals | Memorials | My Babies | Web Travels
Background
courtesy of 
all other graphics created by Girls In Boots
https://www.angelfire.com/home/greytmama/henry.html
