An Emory & Henry Kitten Rescue Story

Posted January 01, 2021 by Monica Hoel

Is “rescute” a word? It might need to be.

During the 2020 Christmas bird count, a gregarious, stinky kitten with a wonky walk wandered up to my bird counting team and made it clear that he had no one to love him but we would do just fine.

Unfortunately, not one person in our group was in a position to help, so we left him.

But I sent out the Bat..uh..Cat Signal on Facebook.

Immediately, Aileen Duffy, Knower of all Things Cat and all around great person (and daughter of E&H’s Claudia and Mike Duffy), said she’d help.

Meredith Fellows (E&H Class of 2000) texted to say that she and her kids were thinking about adding a kitten to their family and she just happened to be in the area for a couple days.

I left the bird count early and we went to get the cat, but we found no cat. Just before leaving empty-handed I looked up the road and saw what might have been trash….or a squirrel…or a gregarious, stinky kitten with a wonky walk. That’s when a truck popped over the hill.

I put my hands over my eyes because I couldn’t watch it happen: but the truck saw him in time to swerve. We walked up the road to greet him, he immediately followed us, went straight into the cat carrier, and collapsed in exhaustion. Aileen gave him a bath so then he was only gregarious and wonky – and super sweet with a non-stop purr.

One more text to send. This time to Leola Neal Griffin (E&H Class of ’86) and her daughter Dr. Erin Griffin (E&H Class of ’13). Erin is a veterinarian who has just opened Saltville Animal Clinic (and she’s amazing, by the way). We got an appointment for the next morning. She determined that the kitten was a boy, found that he had no dire diseases, and his wonky walk was from a broken pelvis.

Meredith arrived the next day with Anna Newman Jones (E&H Class of 2000). Gregarious and wonky kitten proceeded to win over Meredith just like he had Aileen, the entire clinic staff, and even me – confirmed cat-hater.

On January 1, 2021, ready for a new year, Meredith and her children, Reagan and Bradley, headed back to Saltville to pick up a kitten that was no longer looking for love in this world.

– Submitted by Monica Hoel, E&H Class of 1985

Meredith meeting the kitten for the first time.

A bunch of E&H friends made an itty bitty rescue happen this week. Meredith Fellows, Anna Newman Jones, Dr. Erin Griffin, Monica Hoel, Leola Neal Griffin (not pictured, Aileen Duffy and Doug Brown).

Reagan and Meredith and Bradley picking up their new family member.

Headed to Richmond!

Jan. 2 Update: Looks like love.

He knew how to work those eyes.

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An Emory & Henry Kitten Rescue Story

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