The Dog Rescue... Katy Rose

Katy Rose is a black & white cat who was 'rescued' by Hershey.

Joker - kitty

 I know, you thought this was going to be a story about a rescued dog,

didn't you?

Nope, it's the story of a kitten rescued by a dog.

To say Hershey loves cats would be an understatement. The dog seeks them out. If he were female, I believe he would mother them.

Katy's mother was a feral black cat. Her father, well, it is believed he was a Siamese who escaped from a neighbor's house. Sadly, the Siamese male lost his battle with the 70 mph highway that runs in front of our property. We saw the feral mother for a couple of years, but then she vanished.

So, how did Hershey rescue this half feral kitten? It seems critters seem to find the underneath of our house the perfect nursery! Several cats have given birth under the house, as well as a skunk. Unfortunately, it is believed the skunk met the same fate as Katy's father. The baby skunks, at least one, did not fair well either, as it's tiny body was found at the edge of the house... maybe it wandered when mom didn't come back. It was buried in the Paws4Critters Cemetery guarded by St Francis.

Singin' in the Rain

On a happier note, Katy seems to have been the inquisitive kitten in her mother's litter. She wandered out from underneath the house and into the back yard. One night, while eating supper, Hershey repeatedly asked to go outside. He was told to 'go lay down', but he persisted. At this same time, we thought we saw someone walk across the deck. Not like a real person, but more like a shadow. When Hershey was finally let out, he searched the deck frantically. When we went to see what he was looking for, Hershey turned around with a little black & white kitten in his mouth. Being he has retriever in him, he carefully held the tiny kitten in his mouth.

To this day, it is believed the shadowy figure was one of two beings... St Francis of Assisi, who, of course, is the patron saint of critters, with a special delivery or, perhaps, God, delivering a blessing in a furry bundle!

We took Katy inside and cleaned the Hershey slobber from her. Her unmistakable 'Joker' smile led to the idea to call her Joker; however, saner minds prevailed. Instead, we went with the black & white theme.

With Cindy named for cinders and Ashley for ashes, we searched high and lo for a suitable name to go with the two fire-related names of Cindy & Ashely. We came across St Catherine of Siena, who is the patroness against fire. We didn't want to give her such an aristocratic name as Catherine because of her Joker smile and feral beginnings. It just didn't seem to fit. So, Catherine was shortened to Katy, which was spelled as such because of the close proximity to the Katy RR lines, by which we live. The Rose portion of her name was in honor of the rosary.

Katy doing her Kilroy impression!

Interestingly, for a cat with a totally religious name, I seriously believe she heard us laugh and toy with the name Joker. I also believe she is fully aware her name as it is spelled, Katy, is the name of a locomotive. If she could have a sinister laugh, she would laugh similarly to the Joker, as she barrels through the house like a freight train!

She still has a feral-ness about her. She refuses to allow anyone to touch her feet... cutting her nails will send you to the hospital, or at least to the bathroom for antiseptics and bandages! She has finally allowed us to at least pet her. We have been working hard on that; however, her vicious attacks are still unpredictable and unwarranted, at least in our eyes. She can be calm one minute and lash out in an instant. Still, she is a sweetheart and we love her!

She also has an oddity about her... she does not purr!

I have never heard of a domestic cat, regardless of her being half feral, not purring. I believe she was born without a 'purr box'. How is it that a cat does not or cannot purr. Never heard of such a thing.