A 21 Year Old Cat lost the only place she knew. Then came wonderful people who promised her the best rest of her life.
Julie and Amelia
Julie the cat was about 21 years old when she found herself homeless, wandering the street in front of her own house.
She had lived with her family since she was young and was very close to her human mom. “Over the years, she and her mom ended up as just two of them caring for each other,” Joy Smith, Executive Director of FieldHaven Feline Center, shared with Love Meow.
In recent years, a disgruntled family member put Julie outside whenever he was home, and a kind neighbored, Noah, stepped in to feed and care for her.
When the elderly mom passed away recently, Julie was abandoned outside, and her future was in peril. Noah, who had known Julie for 21 years, sent out an urgent rescue request, which reached Lisa, a member of the FieldHaven Animal Support Team.
A team of volunteers sprang into action and rallied to save Julie. That night, Joy posted a plea seeking a foster carer for Julie with the hope that someone would respond by morning.
Lisa
“As I was walking away from my phone, it ‘dinged’. It was from Amelia. She responded with a simple, ‘I will.'” Amelia, an adopter of multiple special needs cats from FieldHaven, agreed to take Julie in “for as long as she would be with us.”
The next day, as Noah secured the cat, Lisa braved severe weather to transport Julie to the rescue. “She head bunted the carrier door where I had reached through to pet her. I could hear her purring and then every so often a couple meows and chirps,” Lisa told Love Meow.
“I was not expecting a snowstorm, black ice, and spun-out vehicles all around us…but Julie and I were determined to get her to her new home.”
After a long ride through rain and snow, Julie safely arrived and surprised everyone with her fortitude. “She walked out of that carrier with an attitude of ‘I’m here now. Please serve me,'” Joy added.
Julie and Lisa
Seeing her healthy and with such an upbeat spirit was a relief. “So many cats that come from situations similar to hers are broken in body and spirit. Not our Julie. She was ready to take on a new life.”
The night before Julie’s arrival, Amelia put her phone away on a shelf above her before going to sleep. It fell onto her head. She picked it up, noticed a notification of Joy’s post looking for a foster, and decided to take a peek at it.
When Julie met Amelia for the first time, she walked up to her new mom and instantly felt safe with her. “It was love at first sight.”
Julie, now JulieJewel, was greeted with open arms at her new home. After a few days of excellent care, good food, and abundant love, she got a clean bill of health.
Lisa offered to sponsor her lifetime medical care. “We just wanted to give Julie the best rest of her life.”
JulieJewel quickly asserted herself as the kitchen cat in the house. “Any time I settle in for food prep or a chore here, she gleefully hops up on the counter, curls up, and goes to sleep,” Amelia shared.
JulieJewel cuddled with her human dad
JulieJewel is confident and sprightly and walks around with her head and tail held high. She’s met other cats in the house, but nothing trumps snuggling with her people, being pampered and adored.
Her back story is a testament to her sheer will to live. She’s turned a new page where she’s surrounded by people who give her unconditional love.
“She’d like to write her new chapters on fresh paper. She was loved so deeply that it surrounded her, protected her, and rallied good people to help her into the arms of comfort and safety. How lucky we are to be part of her journey.”
JulieJewel the kitchen cat
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