BIBI IS LEAVING TOMORROW FOR BRAZIL

Abandoned in an empty apartment without food and water, Bibi has found a new Mom who is taking her across continents.

Anybody affirming that all human beings are equal or similar is delusional. This may be true on the physical level as we all belong to the same animal species, the so called “homo sapiens”, but certainly we are not all equal  on the spiritual and moral level. While some humans are callous, insensitive and capable of the most abominable acts of cruelty, others are caring, altruistic and compassionate.  If Bibi could talk, she would definitely agree with my statement as in her life she has experienced both the cruelty of some humans and the caring compassion and love of others.

On a January evening in 2009, we got one of the many daily “cat calls”, that is one of the many calls asking us to take in some strays or some cats someone wants to give up. The caller was frantically asking us to take under our care an apparently young, but very overweight, all white cat that had been left behind in an empty apartment by some tenants moving out.  The caller did not have any idea on how long the poor  cat had been there without food and water. The tenants had apparently moved out days before and the superintendent had found the cat that evening  when entering the apartment to prepare it  for the following  day  scheduled showing  to new prospective tenants. The cat was found curled up inside an open closet and she was barely moving. 

It is heart wrenching to think about the anguish, terror, hunger, thirst and desperation that the poor cat must have experienced. She was curled up, like embracing herself, waiting to die, we were told. We had to take that cat under our care, there was no doubt about that, but where to put her?

The cat had to be seen by a vet, but it was after hours and since she had eaten the food offered to her, it is was clearly not an emergency.  Cats in liver failure refuse to eat any food. That was a good news. The caller agreed to take the cat in her house and to keep her in a quiet room, but only for a few days.

The following day, after having been seen by a vet and undergoing some diagnostics  that revealed  just slightly higher than normal liver values, the cat was transferred to the  most reliable foster home we had at that time: to Beverley Smith’s. Bev accommodated the cat, now called Bibi, in a heated second floor porch where she could enjoy a great view of Bev’s  large and tranquil treed front yard. Bibi settled in very comfortably in Bev’s  home, she became a very affectionate and playful cat. Unfortunately , she never grew accustomed to share her space with other cats and  she had to be kept separate from them at all times.  Bev tried to spend  as much time as possible in Bibi’s room  and she often commented how sad she felt to have to leave Bibi alone. Bibi would run to Bev for affection as soon as Bev entered her room and used to sit on the other side of the door waiting for Bev’s next visit.

ORA’s volunteers took Bibi to several adoption events, but nobody was interested in her and, on her part, Bibi never showed any interest for any prospective adopter. She was happy where she was and Bev would have kept her indeterminately.   Unfortunately in June 2011, Bev suddenly died.  For the first week after Bev’s death, I boarded Bibi at the vet as I could not think of any foster home where Bibi could have a room for herself. Then I remembered having recently received an interesting fostering application from a young woman, living in Mississauga, who had been extensively involved in cat rescue in her native Brazil. She was now living in a condo with her husband, completely pet-free. That seemed as the ideal situation. Bibi would have had the run of the entire condo on her own with no other cats or dogs in sight. Fernanda, the fostering applicant, accepted without hesitation to foster Bibi and her knowledge of cats has proven very valuable in controlling Bibi’s weght.

Bibi has become  Fernanda’s  baby. She is extremely bonded to her new Mom and so happy to be Fernanda’s  only cat, or at least Fernanda’s only Canadian cat.  As life is always full of twists and turns for some people, so is for some cats. For Bibi there are more changes on sight. Fernanda is returning to live in Brazil and of course she is bringing  Bibi with her.

Tomorrow, Sunday, October 6th is a big day for Bibi. She will board the plane who will take her on a ten hours flight to Brazil.  Fernanda has taken all possible measures  to make the flight easy on Bibi. Bibi’s special carrier was bought much in advance and Bibi has grown accustomed to refuge in it like in her little den. Also Bibi will not travel in the cargo section, but on the cabin, close to her Mom.

Back in Brazil, Fernanda will take over again her volunteer rescue work, that has been continued in the meantime  by Fernanda’s mother and by her associates. There is an endless number of cats and dogs who need help there, but she is planning to live with one only cat, her all snow white Canadian Bibi.

We at ORA wish a wonderful trip and a wonderful life in Brazil to Fernanda and to our Bibi.