Happy Tail: Thumbelina
Thumbelina, named for the extra digits on her front and back paws, is part cat, part Labrador Retriever.
She is playful and cuddly, lights up her home, and is even proficient in the rarest of cat games: fetch. “There are no words to describe how wonderful it has been,” says her adopter Sarah. “She is the centre of our collective universes, and we love her so much. The first question anyone has when they arrive home is, ‘Where’s Thumbelina?’”
Her tale could have been much different. When the call came in about the cat colony near Spadina station, Thumbelina was thin, nursing a litter of kittens, and already in early-stage pregnancy with another litter. She was taken in, as many colony cats are, as part of ACR’s Trap, Spay/Neuter, Release (TNR) program.
April has been involved with ACR since 2015, mainly as a TNR volunteer, and fostered Thumbelina during her recovery. Thumbelina was friendly and cuddly right off the bat and April knew she would be a good fit for adoption. “Not all cats want to be rescued, and that’s OK, but all cats should be spayed and neutered because it makes their lives easier,” says April. “It completely stops the kitten cycle for females and reduces fighting in males. If we can make their lives better, shouldn’t we?”
Sarah and her family hold a similar philosophy. Aware that so many cats in our city need homes, they felt very strongly about adopting from a rescue organization. “We were worried that Thumbelina would be skittish and hiding in closets. A lot of the cautions that you hear about adopting a cat that lived in a colony didn’t really apply in her case.”
Another important consideration for Sarah — allergens. “For so many years we held off, because it is such a long-term commitment and you don’t want to get it wrong,” she says. “I would encourage people that have had allergies in the past to look into the options that are available now.
“We have a filter in our room and in our son’s room, and it was a small investment when compared with the dividends that the cat’s love and company pay over so many years. We certainly haven’t looked back.”
-Jessica Pellerin