The SOS just successfully completed our first state to state rescue! What an adventure and a story to tell. We spotted a little kitty in need that was in danger of being killed in a high kill shelter in Florida, we MUST save her, we started the behind the scene contacts, a fellow rescuer, (enter Sherri) booked a flight to go save her, the stars were aligned, LETS'S GO!
We were soon notified that "Little Lady" was rescued by a local rescue, she was SAFE! Great news....but it was too late for Sherri to cancel her flight, soooo, if we already have her going down, willing to fly back a kitty off death row, let's put plan B together and rescue another! Ok, (enter Chris), she came across a pair of black sister kitties, both pregnant both very much in danger of being killed, yes, babies and all. LET"S GO!!!
Sherri hopped on her rescue flight down...the plan was perfect, both Stella and Bella could fly back in one carrier with Sherri. And then the unthinkable happened, the Miami Dade Animal Services (MDAS) slammed us with terrible news, they spayed Bella, therefore aborting her babies. AND Stella gave birth in the shelter. Oh no. The flight would only allow on adult cat and 2 kittens in one carrier, and only one carrier per passenger. How in the world were we going to save them both.
Plan C quickly developed, Sherri would fly back to Michigan with Bella, we found transport, (enter Wendy), and a foster, (enter Lisa), for Stella and her 5 babies, to assure their safety! Now...how do we get them from Orlando to Michigan..flying them back is out of the question. Enter the white knight, driving a white charriot, Ryan the Great!
Ryan is a member of his local Humane Society, LOVES cats and kittens and was up for the trip of all trips! He offered to drive to Florida to fulfill our promise to reunite Stella and Bella, and complete our mission to rescue them.
As Ryan was driving the interstate to scoop up Stella, Sherri was flying the skies above with Bella at her side, a criss crossed adventure that continued to grow....
As we chatted and messaged between the hundreds and hundreds of miles that seperated this group of rescuer's that have never before met, out excitement suddenly turned into heartache and heartbreak. Due to the stress of Stella having a litter of kittens in a high kill shelter, she began to show the signs of a viral infection. Our dear Stella was ill, and so were her kittens. This mission of rescue turned into vet visits, ER trips, hospitalization, all night vigils and one by one we sadly said goodbye to Braveheart, Warrior, Little Bear, Louie and Rocky too little to fight off the infection. We were devistated, and we ached to be with Lisa, the foster angel that opened not only her home to this family but found herself surrounded by the pieces of her broken heart.
Originally being brought together with eagerness to rescue, we were then connected by sorrow and pain that ran deeper than the blue ocean...Chris, Wendy, Sherri, Lisa and myself, hardly left each others side, via the internet, where we tried to comfort one another and see through the tears to continue on.
From the tippity top of mountain highs, to the lowest and darkest valley lows, we five gals, continued to work at our goal, to reunite Stella and her sister Bella. And what clearly should have ended there, once again this crazy adventure took one more turn. Ryan was in Florida. In the state where the MDAS is located, where cats and kittens were currently on death row....hmmmm what if we just filled Ryan's white charriot with as many kitties off death row we could. Should we? Stella's Freedom Ride quickly turned into a rescue to go down in SOS history!
What started as a rescue for one white kitty named "Little Lady", turned into the "Stella and Bella breakout" for 8 additional adult cats that would have surely died a sad and lonely death! YES! And that my friends is exactly what we did! Stella rode shotgun as Nina, Sheree, Clark, Charlie, Tossie, Marble, Gabby, and Sansy were one by one pulled to the safety of the white knight and driven across country from the depths of Florida into the northwoods of Northern Michigan.
Whew....all arrived safely and soundly on Wednesday April 4th. Not only did we pull off the rescue to go down in the history books, I have found myself 5 wonderful friends, most I have never met, but promise to do so one day. Lisa, Sherri, Wendy, Chris, Ryan, my fellow rescuer's, through the hurrah's and the tears, our hearts will always remain woven with the friendship brought together by 2 unsuspecting black kitties named Stella and Bella, and the infamous "Stella and Bella Freedom Ride"!
We 6 friends have decided that Stella and Bella will never be seperated and will be adopted to a home together...forever they will remain. If you can find it in your heart to keep our dream alive, and adopt these 2 lovely girls that were the start of many, many more lives to be saved, please contact me for more information. Thank you~
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