Happy Tail: Ruthie and Cello
Ruthie (formerly Petunia) and Cello came into the care of ACR when they were very small kittens. Cello was rescued from a dirty industrial site with the rest of his littermates. He and his brothers and sisters were given to Jacqueline for fostering.
At the time, Jacqueline had recently lost her own cat, so the kittens came into the house when they were needed. Ruthie was a solo rescue lifted from the streets. Originally, Ruthie was fostered by Carol, one of the many fosters working with ACR. However, due to a bad habit of urinating in places other than the litterbox, she was also sent to Jacqueline for fostering. Jacqueline welcomed the new kitten saying, “What’s one more kitten? The house was already full of chaos with the litter of kittens and it’s just one more thrown into the mix.”
Jacqueline was excited to take on the kittens. As soon as she saw the pictures of the small critters she accepted. She hadn’t fostered kittens in a while, as she usually did medical and socialization cases. The kittens were brought over to her in need of a lot of care. When kittens are scooped as young as these two,
they have to be syringe fed. Although Ruthie, Cello and their siblings were a lot of work, they were very fun to have. At three-and-a-half weeks their personalities were shining through and the house was always lively. The pair and the rest of the kittens were able to get Jacqueline to smile and laugh again.
Once the kittens were ready to be adopted, Jacqueline got in contact with Midi and Barbara, who were looking for a companion or two, since their previous cat had died a year prior. Midi and Barbara got photos of the kittens and then officially met Cello and Ruthie through a Zoom call. The encounter was a lovely surprise since, strangely enough, there were not that many cats out for adoption and selection was scarce. When they finally met Cello and Ruthie, the pair seemed absolutely perfect. It was one coincidence after another, and they decided that Ruthie and Cello would be ideal additions to their home.
Since being adopted, the cats have been completely socialized. Ruthie used to hide behind the dryer in the basement in the first month, but eventually came around. “Cello is the most mellow cat in the world,” says Midi. “Nothing upsets him.” He meanders about, minding his own business and is totally OK with being picked up.
Ruthie, on the other hand, is very arrogant and makes everything about her. She doesn’t like to be picked up, but she does love pats and attention. She even refuses to go to the vet, whereas Cello unsurprisingly complies. “The two are opposites of each other, however they are completely bonded and love to be in the same room as each other,” Midi says.
Midi and Barbara are very content with their two companions, and Cello and Ruthie seem to be enjoying their time, too. They’ve grown accustomed to their adopted life and now even have their daily routines of treat time at 9 o’clock and hanging up high on the bookcase (especially Cello as it happens to be one of his favourite spots). The cats have been great and Midi and Barbara agree that this has been a successful happy tale.
-Lucy Chen
