Lexi

(c) 1996-2008, PetRescue.Com

      Lexi was rescued in 1992. She was approximately 3 weeks old when we trapped her with her siblings and her mother. All four of the babies were very sick with a particularly virulent form of upper respiratory disease. The most important thing to do in this situation is to keep the cat eating. When cats cannot smell their food, they will not eat and that is usually what weakens and ultimately kills them. It was extremely difficult to treat Lexi because she was so wild. She fought us tooth and nail when we had to handle her. However, we knew that to give up would mean that we would lose her and we were not willing to do that. After a few days, and a lot of "war wounds", we could see that we had finally turned the corner and the babies, although still weak and sick, were on the road to recovery. As we had rescued Lexi at Christmas time, being able to pull both her and all her siblings through turned out to be the greatest gift of all!
      Although Lexi has mellowed somewhat over the years, she still remains very shy and only permits the occasional contact. She was thus deemed to be non-adoptable, and it was decided that she would stay here with us where she feels safe and very much loved. When we make a decision about the feasibility of adoption with feral cats, we have to take into account not only the desires of the future owner but also the amount of fear and stress this would put upon the cat. With feral cats, we have found that the enormous amount of stress brought on by adoption to a strange environment, (after having already been displaced from their original home to the sanctuary), can trigger serious illness and sometimes even death. Therefore, the well being of the cat plays an large part in our decision as to whether we should try to place them or not. Many times feral cats are happier remaining at the sanctuary with their "colony" as most often, they prefer the company of other cats to humans.
      Lexi chatters to us constantly while she is waiting to be fed. When she is relaxed there are also times that she will allow us to pet her. However she is always very watchful and we have to be careful not to make any sudden moves. If we do, she reacts like a coiled spring and takes off instantly! Although she prefers not to be touched, she is most certainly not afraid of us. Each time she looks at us with that stunning face and those gorgeous trusting eyes, our hearts just melt and we appreciate anew how rewarding it is to do what we do!

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