MELISSA

As a foster of special needs cats and kittens, our Assistant Director had suggested I visit Melissa to see if I was interested in fostering her. I have to admit, despite having been told of the massive “improvement”, to being shocked when I saw her. So tiny, but still so injured. The staff at the hospital, who all claimed her as a favorite, picked her up and placed her in my arms. This little girl settled in my lap, placed her head on my arm, took a deep breath and went to sleep purring. The decision was made – I was going to bring her home with me when she was ready to be released. On the day I was to pick her up I prepared a cage for her in my office; wanting to keep her still and isolated so that her stitches would not be disturbed by my other cats and fosters. This would prove harder than I realized. Once home, she explored my office where I had set up food, water and litter in her cage with a bed. But, the other cats were clamoring at the door to be let in to meet the new one. I opened the door and they all came in to meet Melissa. Little or no hissing took place and little Pete, only a week or two older than Melissa, started to play with her immediately. Fearing she would accidently be injured I ushered everyone out and Melissa and I spent the day in the office, she exploring, me working and Pete throwing himself against the door wanting in. After several days, the cage and closed door proved fruitless. She was quickly integrated into the household and she and Pete were inseparable, like two peas in a pod. And, they remain that way to this day. While Melissa is showing some independence by curling up with me at night while I read or watch TV, they can usually be found together – playing, sleeping, grooming each other. They can play for hours in the bathtub with a ball and have given a cardboard box a good workout. My family, used to my fostering special needs, when told about Melissa, had all voiced the opinion that they “didn’t want to see this one”. My sister forgot and came over one day and while she was talking I held up Melissa for her to see. Her reaction was to gather her in her arms and hold her close. Since then Melissa has had many guests and she is attentive and loving to all. And, I tell them all that while we may see her as different, Melissa doesn’t act different. Her coat when she first came to my house was coarse. It is now a luxurious, shiny black with some “salt” mixed in. Melissa stole my heart, and that of everyone she met. A very sweet, gentle kitten who knew no strangers. While it was so very tough to let her go, she was adopted by a young single mother and her two young children. While the mom had not been looking for a special needs kitten she cried when she came upon her webpage. The family had lost a husband and father after a long and courageous battle with cancer. When the young boys saw mom crying they asked her what was the matter. She explained about Melissa and how she was “different”. Their response – “Dad was different too, and we loved him. “ On a dark and rainy night, they drove from Delaware and took Melissa home with them. All my fosters mean something special to me, Melissa has her own part of my heart, tucked close.