Tails of the City: Adventures in Animal Rescue and Placement

by Patty Adjamine

Tails of the City: Adventures in Animal Rescue and Placement: Chapter 43. "Do You Remember Snowy?"

Chapter 43. "Do You Remember Snowy?"


    I got the call from Judy late one night in the summer of '97.

  "Patty, I just picked up a cat from some woman in the projects.  She was threatening to throw the cat in the street.  The cat's named 'Snowy.'  All white, very pretty.  I am getting her vetted and spayed.  Can I bring her to Petco on Saturday?"

  "Why was the woman threatening to put the cat in the street?" I asked Judy, wanting to know the whole story.  "She said one of her grandkids is allergic," Judy answered. " The woman was only about 35-years-old. Can you imagine she's a grandmother?  The place was crazy.  Four little kids running around.  It wasn't good for the cat anyway. I'm glad I got her out of there."

  "Well, all right. If the cat is healthy and friendly enough, bring her in," I told Judy, wanting to help out.

  The following Saturday, Judy arrived to Petco with three cats, including a very nervous and agitated Snowy.  As we set up the display cages and put Snowy in one of them, she retreated to the back of the cage and immediately hissed.  A small crowd of curiosity seekers gathered around us as they did each Saturday wanting to see which cats we were showing that day.

  I was a little concerned seeing the stiff posture of Snowy and considered putting up a "Do not touch" sign in front of her cage as soon as I got a moment.  But, before I had a chance to do so, I noted a woman putting her hand in Snowy's cage, despite the cat's obvious stress and unhappiness with the situation.

  Snowy immediately threw a paw out at the woman's hand and one claw appeared to catch on the woman's index finger.  The woman immediately withdrew her hand from the cage and turned to show me her finger.  A tiny drop of blood comparable to what one might get on one's foot from a splinter on a beach boardwalk appeared.  "Oh, dear," I said.  "Seems you got a prick there.  Do you want some alcohol and a Band-Aid?"  "Oh no," the woman answered, nonchalantly. "It's nothing. It will be fine.  Just go about your business. I have to get going anyway."

  The woman exited the store and I didn't think anymore about the incident.  I did, however, put a little sign in front of Snowy's cage advising people not to try and pet her.  I also lightly complained to Judy that Snowy wasn't ready for showing.  "Judy, this cat was not ready to be brought in.  You have to be sure cats are social and friendly enough for this."  "But, Patty she came from a family," Judy said, trying to defend her decision. " She wasn't a feral from the streets!"  "Yea, but you said yourself, Judy, the kids were kind of wild and the owner was going to throw the cat in the street.  You have to consider the quality of the home!  Snowy can't be shown here tomorrow."

  As usual, Judy went to work on trying to find a foster situation for Snowy.  She was successful by the end of the day in finding a young woman from the neighborhood willing to take Snowy for the week.  "She's really scared," Judy told the young helper. "But, I'm sure Snowy will come around."

  It seemed we were particularly lucky that Saturday. We had several adoptions and Judy found a nice foster person to take Snowy. But, if I was feeling comfortable at the end of the day, the feeling would not last.

  The following morning, while setting up at Petco, the woman who had received the nick the day before appeared once again and this time approached me holding up a heavily bandaged finger. "I had to go to the Emergency Room at the hospital last night. The bite is infected."  Bite? I wondered.  The cat's claw had barely clipped her! "Do you have insurance?" the woman questioned me.  "Insurance?  No, of course not," I answered.  "Were you looking to adopt a cat?  The only kind of assets we have are cats." 

  The woman, seemingly not liking the fact we didn't have insurance, immediately left to find a manager.  Some moments later, the manager called me and asked for proof that Snowy had her rabies shot.  I brought him Snowy's vet papers showing that she did.  We all hoped that would be the end of the incident.  "I saw what happened," I told Jonathon after the complainer left.  "The woman was nicked by a claw.  She wasn't bitten.  I can't believe she went to a hospital for something like that!  It was nothing!"  "You need to put polite signs in front of the cat's cages advising the public not to put hands inside." Jonathon advised me.  "That woman could try and make trouble."

  But, if i didn't have enough "trouble" that Sunday, more was to come later.

  The young woman who had taken Snowy to foster the day before, called late Sunday evening to ask that I come and get the cat.  "She's hissing and tries to swat me anytime I go near her.  I'm afraid of her!" she told me.  "I'll be right over," I told the young woman who lived six blocks from me.

  The problem was, I already had too many cats in my place and Judy had already left to go back to Brooklyn with her husband.  Where was I going to put Snowy?

  Ada Arnez was a petite Cuban woman in her 40's who sometimes assisted us with the cats at Petco. She told us stories of her own rescues in Harlem and once in a while, would foster a cat for Judy or myself if a situation was particularly dire.  Ada was very kind and cat-experienced and only had a couple of cats of her own.  She wasn't fostering any cats for us at that time and I now had a very dire situation on my hands.   I immediately dialed Ada's number and when lucky enough to get her on the phone, explained the situation.  "This cat's a nervous wreck and possibly aggressive.  Do you think you can handle her?" I asked Ada.  "Sure, Patty, bring her over.  She can stay here a while and settle down. It's quiet and peaceful."

  Snowy was extremely crazed and difficult by the time I got to her foster person's home.  I brought thick suede gloves with me, as it was obvious the cat was not going to be cooperative. It took me more than an hour to try and corner Snowy in the girl's apartment and finally get her in a carrier. "I'm so sorry for this, " I told Angela.  "The cat was from a home with children. We had no idea she would behave like this in a new environment."  Despite the ordeal, the young woman was understanding.  "I'm sorry too, I couldn't be of more help. I just couldn't handle her.  Hopefully, you have someone else."  "Actually, we do."  I assured her. "Snowy will be well cared for.  I hope this experience doesn't turn you off on fostering forever. Its not usually like this."  "Well, perhaps in the future," the young woman answered. "But, right now, I think its best to take a break."

  It was after 11PM by the time I finally arrived at Ada's apartment on East 106th Street with a very angry Snowy.  "Just let her be, Ada.  She is one hell of a stressed out cat," I warned Ada.  "Not to worry, Patty. I've handled worse," Ada assured me.

  The next morning, I called Judy and blasted her for bringing in such a difficult and aggressive cat.  "You're lucky, Judy, Snowy didn't bite or scratch the foster person!  I had to get her out of there before she could do real damage.  Ada has her now. You can't bring in cats like this!"

  Judy apologized, again saying she had no idea that matters could turn out like this.  "Snowy was with little kids, Patty!"  

  "Maybe, that was the problem, Judy."

  Two months later, I received a call one day at Petco from the corporate office.

  The woman who had received the nick from Snowy was trying to sue Petco.  Judy and I would have to give depositions.

  I later learned that the woman had checked herself into a hospital for a week.  She had all kinds of tests while there, but there was no record of her being treated for bite or any kind of animal wounds.

  The lawsuit went nowhere.  But, it was enough to shake me up forever.  "Do not put hands in cages" signs now routinely went up on cages when we showed cats.  To this day, I am nervous about too many people lingering around the animals.  And to this day I am more nervous about animals who come from rowdy homes than those rescued from the streets.

  But, the story of Snowy eventually had a happy end.

  Though initially difficult and swatty with Ada, Snowy eventually settled in with the kind, patient woman, though it took many, many months for this cat to love and trust again. 

  This past weekend (eight years later), I met Ada while showing cats for adoption on East 86th Street.  "You have no idea how loving Snowy is with me," Ada told me. "She sleeps and purrs by my head every night.  I love her so much."

  While never becoming "adoptable" to the general public, Snowy nevertheless found her loving and forever home.  As with so many other things in life, it just took time.

  "Do you remember Snowy?" Ada asked me.

  "Oh yes," I  answered and smiled, rolling my eyes. 

  "I could never forget Snowy." 

 

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