IN MEMORY OF OUR BELOVED COVER GIRL
It all started when Sheila Smith saw the photo of an emaciated cat on the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary website, part of a massive rescue in the desert near Pahrump, Nevada. Wanting to help, she offered a contribution – sure that the poor kitty in the picture would not have been one of the survivors. When it turned out that she survived, and had not only a host of medical issues but was also feline leukemia positive, some force in the universe created a magical, serendipitous moment.
I remember the first time I saw Cover Girl up close and personal in September 2007. Piloted by Juliette and accompanied by Elisa from Best Friends, the plane had just landed at the Georgetown, Texas airport from Pahrump, Nevada. In the back were eight tightly packed carriers and as we pulled them out one by one, I finally saw the scraggly little white and black cat whose picture had drawn me to this rescue situation in the first place.
We locked eyes for just a moment before she tucked her face away from me. In that instant, I saw the misery of her entire life.
Over the next few weeks, we battled ringworm, skin cancer, gastrointestinal issues, dental problems, and upper respiratory problems.
Her past history of abuse made it difficult for her to trust me. I had not yet earned it.
However, as the weeks turned into months and her health began to improve, so did her emotional well being. Her fur softened, skin lesions disappeared and she took on a plumpness that was quite becoming and which she wore proudly. When she looked at me, the wariness began to slip and she became less guarded.
Months turned into more months. Plump, healthy and playful was becoming a way of life for Cover Girl. She ventured out more and more often and in the final few months of her life she was always out and visible. She did not run away when she was approached and allowed me to pet and stroke her. She sought out Frogger and the other cats for playtime and tossed up toy mice into the air just because she could. She still loved most of all to have a cool, wet cloth cleaning her face and ears. She pushed her face into my hands, now wanting more. She was enjoying her life.
In the final weeks Cover Girl was a cat who had come full circle. She had suffered terribly before being rescued and then lived the next year of her life as a pampered and beloved companion who spent most of her days in the middle of our bed! She enjoyed the petting and strokes of not just her immediate family but also the ShadowCats volunteers who came on a regular basis. She also knew she had an extended national family that loved her dearly as this was part of our everyday conversations.
I would ask her, “Do you know who loves you baby girl? She would look at me with clear, soft eyes. “The whole world,” I would tell her.
Cover Girl was healthy and happy until she crossed. She became acutely ill over a 48 hour period with leukemia related problems and passed quickly and peacefully in my arms. Her life here was one of discovery, acceptance, trust and love. She has now been given back to the Angels.
Cover Girl’s mission in both life and death was to draw attention and notice to animal abuse and hoarding. If her life story prevents one animal from the clutches of abuse, then her legacy of hope will prevail.
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Sheila and her husband, Dr. Roy, and Shadow Cats were uniquely qualified, and most of all willing, to care for these cats. It was miraculous that they were alive at all, and became even more so that they would go from the Nevada desert into Cookie’s Place at the sanctuary, where they would live out their lives with the best of care and become internationally famous on the KittyCam. And the sanctuary suddenly had a new focus on saving feline leukemia cats, who are usually at the bottom of the priority list when most shelters and rescue groups have to decide who they can help.
Cover Girl left us and crossed the Rainbow Bridge in August of 2008, but her legacy lives on. If you ever wonder whether Shadow Cats really makes a difference in the world, just look at these two pictures. Cover Girl is a spectacular example, but one of many. Most of the sanctuary residents would only have had a “before” picture if not for Sheila, Dr. Roy, and all the dedicated staff, volunteers and donors who make it possible for them to live the lives they deserve. Isn’t it truly a privilege to be a part of that?
In Memory of Lives Saved and Lives Lost
Shadow Cats and the Great Kitty Rescue
Song for Cover Girl