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I used to be somebody’s pet until my people moved away and left me behind. Things were starting to look pretty desperate – no food except whatever garbage I could find, fights with the other stray cats, all those scary cars and the cold! One night in January, the tips of my ears froze right off! I felt like I’d used up all nine of my lives…

 

One night, I followed the smell of tinned cat food and walked into a trap. That was scary, but it was the beginning of the best part of my life. These people took me to a place called D’Arcy’s A.R.C. (Animal rescue Center). The first thing I noticed was how warm it was. Right away, someone put me in a kennel with food – really good cat food – and water, my very own litter box and a nice, soft bed.

Over the next few days, I was taken to visit a veterinarian for the first time in my life. The vet fixed it so I couldn’t have kittens again (whew!) and gave me some needles so I wouldn’t get sick. I was also given a tattoo! That way, I’ll never be homeless again.

There were a lot of really nice cats and dogs at the A.R.C. Some of their life stories were even sadder than mine. I met some great cats that got a disease called F.I.V. from fighting with other strays. You might think they’d be sick and unhappy, but they seemed to do very well – and some of them even got adopted into homes. There was a cute puppy there that had been beaten by some nasty people, but he found a home with the nicest family!

Being at the A.R.C. was great. I heard some horror stories about other shelters and how if you weren’t adopted quickly, they killed you! Let me tell you this – nobody was killed at the Animal Rescue Center just because it took a while to find their “soul person”. I was taken care of there, and got lots of cuddles too. And one day, a lady came in and thought I was the prettiest cat she’d ever seen. I was just about bursting with pride when she adopted me.

I have a wonderful life. My wonderful life started the day I entered D’Arcy’s A.R.C. and was given a second chance.