A perfect cat for an infertile

When my beloved Mara

died earlier this year, I knew we would adopt another cat. I was also pretty certain that we would again turn to Siamese Cat Rescue Center, since we had such a wonderful experience with them when we adopted Bilbo 3 years ago. The volunteers were fantastic, so helpful and friendly, and they made sure that we chose the right cat for our household.

I spent a lot of time browsing the adoptable cats. There were so many that were so beautiful and needed good homes. I was tempted to choose a Geezer Meezer, but I realized that an older cat wouldn't necessarily be happy with Bilbo and Robin wanting to play. Though tempted by the sheer adorableness of the kittens, we decided that our best bet would a female between the ages of 2 and 5. 

In time we saw a listing for Biscuit; she was the right age and playful. She even had the same foster mother that Bilbo did years ago, in Indianapolis. When we heard her story, though, Steve was certain that she was the cat for us. Biscuit was found as a stray, and a good Samaritan was feeding her. With the help of the staff at a local shelter she was able to lure Biscuit into a dog crate and trap her there. Biscuit was pregnant when she arrived at the shelter; it was too close to her due date for her to be spayed. One Monday the shelter staff came in and discovered that Biscuit had gone into labor the night before; she had given birth to 3 kittens, none of whom survived. To make matters worse, one of Biscuit's kittens was stuck in the birth canal; she needed an emergency C-section. Biscuit had 7 kittens total, none of whom survived. Shortly thereafter Biscuit came into rescue at Mama Katie's. 

We weren't first in line to adopt Biscuit, and we couldn't imagine the people ahead of us not falling in love with her, so we kept looking. Eventually the family that was first in line for Biscuit decided that she would not be a good fit for them; she could be ours if we wanted her. We set up a Skype call with Katie, since that would be the only way for us to meet her before making our decision. Biscuit was scared and skittish; she needed people who would be patient with the time it would take her to learn to trust. 

Katie's vet discovered that Biscuit hadn't healed properly from the C-section/spay surgery; she had a hernia. Before she could come home, she would to have surgery to repair it. But before Biscuit could have surgery, they discovered that she was anemic, and there was a problem with her lungs. So first Biscuit needed to be re-isolated and put on antibiotics for 3 weeks. Then if the blood work showed improvement, she could have the hernia repair. Because she is a rescue cat, the testing that was done was limited; we don't know what caused the lung problems or the anemia and probably never will. Biscuit tolerated the antibiotics well and came through her second surgery with flying colors. 

This poor little girl has been through so, so much, and yet is amazingly resilient. She is one of the happiest cats I have ever met. I have a lot to learn from her about bouncing back from pain and difficulty.