About a Cat...
In the alley outside my office, I regularly feed several stray cats who have grown fat, sleek and proprietary, appearing at 6 am and 6 pm to be fed and complaining loudly when I am late. It is a ritual that helps keep me sane and grounded in a place where violence can strike at any moment, a relationship that gives me a small sense of nurturing routine in an atmosphere of tension and unpredictability.
About a month ago, a new cat appeared, hiding under a parked truck. He was very thin and dirty, battle-scarred and sickly. I started leaving food for him under the truck each night, a safe distance from the regulars. He never came out and I never saw him eat, but the food was always gone in the morning.
After a while I started trying to approach him, holding out my hand when I left the food dish, but he always shied away and waited until I was a safe distance away to eat. He never seemed to gain weight, and I wanted to get him some help, but there seemed to be nothing I could do.
In the alley outside my office, I regularly feed several stray cats who have grown fat, sleek and proprietary, appearing at 6 am and 6 pm to be fed and complaining loudly when I am late. It is a ritual that helps keep me sane and grounded in a place where violence can strike at any moment, a relationship that gives me a small sense of nurturing routine in an atmosphere of tension and unpredictability.
About a month ago, a new cat appeared, hiding under a parked truck. He was very thin and dirty, battle-scarred and sickly. I started leaving food for him under the truck each night, a safe distance from the regulars. He never came out and I never saw him eat, but the food was always gone in the morning.
After a while I started trying to approach him, holding out my hand when I left the food dish, but he always shied away and waited until I was a safe distance away to eat. He never seemed to gain weight, and I wanted to get him some help, but there seemed to be nothing I could do.
One evening about a week ago, I took the food, kneeled down and put the dish under the truck as usual. The cat was there, waiting and watching. But this time, he walked straight towards me and started rubbing his head against my legs. He had made the decision to trust me. I was astonished and overjoyed.
I stayed absolutely still for many minutes, afraid he would change his mind and bolt. But he stayed where he was, and let me stroke his back. He showed no interest in the food, however, which was a bad sign. He was getting sicker, and he knew I was his only hope.
The next morning, my driver and I approached the truck, an ancient Land Cruiser, with a plastic cat carrier. We put some food deep inside it and waited. The cat approached several times and finally went inside the box. We closed the door and latched it. He protested but did not try to escape, and we drove him straight to Tigger House. His name is Cruiser.
Now, he has been there for nearly a week, in his own small isolation room with a screen window and door. He has gotten antibiotic injections and deworming pills, rabies and distemper vaccines. The dirty mats in his fur have been brushed out, and he is eating with gusto, especially canned tuna.
Every time I come to visit, he trots out to greet me, and we have already developed a ritual. I sit down on the floor and he immediately climbs on my lap and rubs his face against me. Yesterday, I even heard him purr.
On a sad note, I am very sorry to report that Cruiser did not survive his chronic ailments and passed away last week of kidney failure, despite our best efforts to save him. He was loved and comforted until the end, and he kept purring and chirping as long as he could manage it, just to let us know how grateful he was to have friends with him in his final hours.
I will miss him terribly, but I am also gratified that we were able to offer him true shelter at the end of his life, when so many other homeless cats and dogs die alone in the streets, in pain and fear, without anyone knowing they even existed.
Please Adopt Dodo...
This sweet little cat was rescued by our German friend Anna in Kabul this spring and brought to Tigger House. She is spayed and healthy and very affectionate. DODO is petite and easy to care for, and she has lived easily with a wide variety of other cats indoors.
DODO came to the US in June and is now living with Val, a wonderful cat rescue person in Northern Virginia. She still needs a permanent loving home, so please contact Pam at 703-577-4460 or leave a message on the website if you or a friend might be interested. Thanks!!
Everyone Deserves a Home...
Winter in Kabul is cold and snowy, so housing is essential for the protection and rehabilitation of our residents. We are in the process of building additional dog houses and would appreciate your participation in this project. As you can see, Tigger House residents are thrilled to have their own home!
Click here to help provide a home for Tigger House residents.
In Memoriam
The Tigger House family mourns the tragic death of Samim Faramarz, an Afghan journalist who loved animals and brought many homeless kittens and several injured dogs to our shelter. We remember him on the first anniversary of his death on Sept. 5, 2018. His beloved rescue dog RANI, in this photo taken at Tigger House last summer, is now safe and happy in Virginia. May God give Samim peace and let him know that we will always have a place for him in our hearts.
We also mourn the recent passing of our friend Stroud Kelley, an engineer from Texas who befriended and rescued many homeless cats during his years in Kabul, and brought them to us for vaccination, sterilization and safekeeping. Stroud died in early August after a struggle with chronic illness, and his beloved cat Callie will remain with us.