Adoption twice as nice at the humane society

The Hawaiian Humane Society has been inundated by so many cats, it is now offering an "adopt two for the price of one" special. Take advantage of the offer, folks!

Back in February, after our first cat, Jenny, mysteriously disappeared, we had six new cats living in our patio: three tiny kittens, one mother cat and two male teenage cats. They had come out of nowhere. Feeling sorry for them, we began feeding them twice a day, and they became a regular part of our daily routine.

One Sunday in May, I took one of the male teenage cats, which we'd named Kitty, to the Hawaiian Humane Society to be adopted. He was cute, grey with a white face and chest, and the sweetest of the bunch. On the way, Kitty whined pitifully and my husband, David, kept asking, "Are you sure you want to give away our favorite cat?"

"We have to do something," I replied. "There are just too many cats going to the bathroom outside our windows, and the stench is unbearable. Kitty has the best chance of being adopted, because he is sweet and gentle, unlike the other cats."

When we got to the humane society, we placed our cage on the counter, filled out a form and read a bulletin that stated the cat would be examined and evaluated. If it was deemed unsuitable for adoption, it would be euthanized by lethal injection. We gulped.

"Could you apprise us of Kitty's fate?" we asked the clerk. She told us it would cost us $75, so we reluctantly agreed to relinquish all rights to ownership and information.

We headed home with heavy hearts.

On Wednesday, my daughter, Lisa, told her then-boyfriend, Allan, to check on the cat, but when he got to the cat house, he couldn't find him there. Only three days had elapsed since giving him up. We were very sad, because we thought Kitty might have been euthanized.

The next day, Lisa and Allan anxiously returned to the humane society. She called me on her cell phone. "He's here! Do you want him back?"

"Are you sure it's Kitty?" I asked, not believing the good news.

She looked for the sore on his left flank. "Yes, it's him!"

I was overjoyed and told her to adopt him, immediately.

We got a lucky break. Adoption would have cost $55, but because we were the original owners, we were allowed to "buy back" the cat for $12.50 ($7.50 for boarding and $5 for the microchip). This price also covered neutering, vaccination for distemper, deworming, and mite and flea treatments. What a buy! A veterinarian in private practice would have charged $230. Lisa told me Kitty would be my Mother's Day present.

The society had renamed him "Jake," and on the intake sheet they gave us, they wrote: "Jake is a friendly teenager that would do well in almost any type of family. He is a little scared in strange situations but adjusts well, and he is full of personality. Jake is a part of the Society's Behavior Program, and we are helping him learn to accept new things more readily."

Lisa said Kitty had looked frightened in the cat house, observing with big, round eyes the other cats and humans. I was delighted to see him again, and the first thing David did when he got home from work was to pick him up and hug him.

As for the stench, David placed pavers in the garden to prevent the cats from relieving themselves there. It's working, and the cats have been using the litter box instead. Scoop Away Multiple Cat Litter masks bad odors. We also are in the process of neutering the other cats.

If you want to adopt a cat, check out the Hawaiian Humane Society's two-for-one offer.

---