Megusta
What did you write for Santa Claus on Christmas when you were a kid? Might be a car toy, a dollhouse, or a stack of pancakes in every morning, but in the local shelter in New York, Eddie’s representative – Jennifer Blakeslee – wished his feral friend Archie who had been in the shelter for 13 years had a forever home like others. Did Eddie the cat’s wish come true? Scroll down to read this touching story.
(h/t: treehugger)
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13 years ago, there was a feral kitten came to the shelter at Mid Hudson Animal Aid, a no-kill shelter in Beacon, New York and the staff named him Archie. Archie was cherished by loving friends around him and kind-hearted people in the shelter, he loved to socialize with his fellows and Archie was considered to get along with other cats so well. Day by day, Archie had to watch his feline friends leave the shelter to have another permanent homes with their humans. Archie was a grown-up tomcat after 13 years but sadly no one wanted to adopt him.
“I had no idea.” – Jennifer Blakeslee had a strong opinion after seeing Archie posted on Instagram of the shelter.
“See, he’s very feral. He does fine with other cats, but is terrified of people, which vastly reduces the likelihood of his getting adopted.”
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Since she had already adopted Archie’s closest friend in the shelter time Eddie – a Siamese cat who was deaf, toothless, and half-blind and it left Archie nothing but distressful, Jennifer made her mind to help him find his own home by writing a letter and send to ‘Santa’.
“I posted a photo of [Archie] and Eddie cuddling at the shelter to Instagram with a “Dear Santa” letter, and it went viral.”- she confessed.
“Dear Santa, ” the letter read. “I’d like you to meet Archie. He was my best friend when i was at the shelter that saved my life… He’s been at the shelter for THIRTEEN YEARS, ever since he was a kitten. That’s a human’s entire time in school, plus kindergarten. He’s very shy, but he’s also very sweet and gets along with other cats. And he really, really, really, really wants to find his forever home. And that’s what I want for Christmas, Santa.”
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This lovely letter was heard by a lot of share buttons on social media and thousands people who loved Archie, even with a woman who had owned 13 rescued cats Jennifer Baird in Chicago. She was wishing someone who was near the local shelter would help Archie due to the fact that they were in a different state.
“I understood that Archie socialized the majority of kitties at the shelter but was never chosen for a home. It broke my heart.”- she said.
“I saw that he was in New York and waited a day or so for someone to speak up as I live in Chicago.”
A couple days had passed but not a single person could literally give Archie a hand. Baird had been still following Archie until she spoke up:
“That’s when I responded to Jennifer and said I’ll take him. I’m in Chicago. I need help in getting him here to me.”
Baird was a loving person who took care of 13 abandoned cats at home which was too overwhelming to handle, but she still adopted Archie for her 14th rescued child. She appeared not surprised when Archie was a feral cat.
“I have had feral cats and have a great understanding of their needs and embrace that.” she said.
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The next issue didn’t stop Archie from seeing Baird as the transport cost was donated by a lot of people on the Internet. Jennifer Blakeslee set up a YouCaring campaign with a goal of raising $750, and she shared it on Instagram with the hashtag #OperationBringArchieHome.
“It got shared like mad, and we met our goal in less than an hour,” said Jennifer Blakeslee.
“In fact, people kept donating, and as a result, we’ll be able to donate $250 to the shelter.”
Archie was ready to take a road trip to Chicago on April 3 since it was the best way for him to get to New York and meet his new mom. Some volunteers were there to keep track Archie the tabby kitty and he was healthy reported by the vet. Meanwhile, Blakeslee was going on updating his journey everyday to people who adored this cat.
“During the weekend of the transport, I posted updates and photos throughout the day, and we had fans and followers all around the world rooting for this one little old tomcat.” Blakeslee said. “It was glorious.”
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After all of 13 years being in the shelter, Archie was finally in a new home with a caring mom and his 13 siblings. Baird said she was happy to see how Archie was gradually adjusting with the fam.
“I see that he wants to be friends with his new sisters and brother so badly, and I know this will happen over time. Everyone is getting adjusted, and right now we have time on our side.” – she said.
Archie the tom kitty now had a really good relationship with Baird and he enjoyed his new cat bed, he was well fed too!
The Christmas wish of Eddie and Blakeslee came true, Archie had a lovely home with a bunch of other brothers and received a lot of Baird’s love. Baird shared that she was still shocked by the encouragements of people on social media but a person that she wanted to be thankful the most was Blakeslee.
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“My biggest thank you is to Jennifer. She stood up and told Archie’s story. She’s the hero. Without her, Archie’s life may as well have ended in the shelter where it began.”
Jennifer Blakeslee wanted to inspire everyone who loved cats that no matter the breed was, how big or small they were, or wherever they were in, especially the ones that were underrated, they all needed our affection and attention.
“The effort involved in caring for them becomes completely worth it when they start to trust you and start treating your home like it’s their home.”
