When I was actively volunteering at the Shelter, I became increasingly distressed by the plight of the cats there. There was such a tidal wave of cats and kittens that there seemed little hope of getting them all adopted. Indeed, I was aware of several large scale euthanasia events. One spring when the Shelter was overflowing with unwanted kittens in far larger numbers than people who wanted them, a litter of friendly black and white spotted kittens came in. They were relegated to a back room because there was nowhere else to put them:
I'd decided to take on one more kitten, to save one more life, and was checking out this litter of black and white kittens with a Shelter employee. She said that she figured that these friendly kittens would find homes - except for the oddball kitten in the back of the cage. That kitten was differently colored, gray and white. And he was not friendly but skittish. She didn't think anyone would want that kitten, so Bramble came home to live with me:
Bramble was never like my other cats. He's always been suspicious of human contact and he's always been active and athletic. But he likes all the other animals and has, over the years, even become much friendlier with me, sometimes even enjoying being petted (as long as I don't go so far as to also pick him up). And he sure loves to play with a toy on a string. In fact, he's so fast that it's difficult to keep him from catching it and trying to yank it out of my hands (notice the broken string):
Bramble has made himself at home and has become a happy and healthy member of my family:
Bramble has remained slim and athletic, though like the other animals spends most of his life sleeping. But he's found himself a home:
