Rusty & Lulu
Rusty and Lulu are, to quote a member of our board, “like a Disney movie.” Rusty was a feral cat in our colony for four years before we were able to finally trap him during a blizzard in February. He spent three weeks in the hospital recovering from surgeries, but was never able to adjust to being indoors and with people. On a sunny warm day in April he was released back into the feral colony.
That day he befriended Lulu, the young daughter of one of our other ferals, Violet. Lulu, a tiny mackerel tabby with white feet and front, was finally trapped and spayed in June (we had been trying to capture her since Violet first brought her to be fed when she was only a few weeks old). She was so feral the vet refused to even have her overnight in the hospital because she could not be handled. But we kept her indoors in the carrier (fortunately she was very small) for several more days until she was more healed from her surgery.
Meanwhile, Rusty had kept vigil outside the back door the whole time she was gone. When we released her, they spent the afternoon rolling around in the grass together. They now live in the garden and on the front porch, a loving feral cat couple that is inseparable. They come when called for breakfast and dinner, and sleep on their little cushioned chairs on the front porch every night