Three Colorado Springs rescue organizations recently worked together to help several cats (and kittens) in need.

It's been a few years since Lauri Cross and Mike Nelson from Wild Blue met Jennifer Parks who needed assistance through the sanctuary's TNR (trap, neuter, return) program. Wild Blue took in a pregnant feral cat named Tinder. They placed her into their foster care program, found homes for her babies, made sure she was spayed and had proper veterinary care and then returned her to her very grateful guardian, Jennifer.

A bit later, Jennifer, then a taxi driver in Colorado Springs, was involved in a terrible traffic accident and again reached out to Wild Blue for help with another of her kitties named Hero. She was afraid that Hero wouldn't have the care he needed while she was in the hospital and then during her stay at a rehab facility. Lauri asked Cynthia Bullock, founder of a local, pet care organization, Harley's Hope Foundation, if she could assist in some way and not only did Cynthia step up immediately to take Hero into her own home - she also took Hero on regular visits to see Jennifer in the rehab facility!

Jennifer was also worried about who would care for Tinder and the other feral cats in her colony while she was away. Again not only did Lauri and Mike go out to her home to set up feeding stations and a fresh water supply - Lauri asked and received help from the National Mill Dog Rescue facility, located nearby to Jennifer's home, to keep an eye on the feeding station and refill the water and to watch over the cats.

Jennifer, Tinder and Hero are now back together at home and they are all doing well considering the circumstances. Jennifer's road to recovery will be a long one - but she is thankful to have her kitties there with her and to the gracious people who helped her. Jennifer shared in a recent email to Wild Blue that she 'just loves what (Wild Blue) is doing. It seems that the dogs have such an abundance of help, but people like you are so rare that focus on the kitties. It warms my heart to think of you and what you are doing when see those straggly rag-a-muffins running to find a hiding place. You deserve warm thoughts and kind words."

 Thanks Jennifer!

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 A kitty's life was saved thanks to the quick actions of a kind stranger and Wild Blue.

It was a Sunday afternoon when Casie called Lauri asking for help with a skinny white cat who looked like she had 'yellow stuff like pee all over her'.  Casie brought the cat to Lauri and she saw nasty yellow pus oozing out of open sores on her belly. The cat also had a tennis ball-sized mass on her underside. After an emergency, 2-hour visit to the vet, it was discovered that the cat had a severe case of mastitis and that this poor 8 to 9 month-old baby had had babies herself!

Casie and Lauri decided to name the kitty Beatrice. And it turned out that Casie, a wonderful young Mom of two kids and two dogs, and her Fort Carson soldier and husband, Travis, were serious animal lovers and had dreams of doing animal rescue work someday. She asked if they would be considered as adopters and if Beatrice survived that maybe they could adopt her.  
 

A few hours later when Lauri picked up Beatrice from the vet...she already looked a lot better.  The ER doctor said that Bea was an ideal patient who let them work on her without being sedated, despite certainly being in pain. Lauri needed to give her fluids, pain meds, antibiotics and warm compresses to help with draining her mammary ducts - but she healed very fast.

All the while, Casie kept in touch with Lauri and even brought her family to visit Beatrice. Of course they fell in love with her and she climbed up in their laps and purred and purred. The adoption was completed shortly afterward and Casie sends regular updates on Beatrice's progress. This is indeed a good, happy beginning for all of them.  And, Wild Blue saved a beautiful kitty from a certain and painful death.