The Tale of Four Turkish Tabbies

About 1-1/2 years ago, I joined a Facebook group called the Underground Railroad Rescue Kitty Network.  The URRKN is a non-profit organization that was founded in Arizona with the idea to help cats get safe transportation from one point to another.  A majority of these cats were in shelters, but were "vetted" and in foster care before they get their ticket to "ride the rails" to their forever home, no matter how far that is from their original location.

When a "ticket to ride" is issued, coordinators post when the event will go live and members of the group request to be tagged for the event.  Once the event goes live, members go to signupgenius with the code they've been given and volunteer to be a "conductor" on a leg of the cat(s) journey.  Legs generally are between 50 and 100 miles, and I've actually followed a couple of cats that were transported from one coast to the other.

I observed the group for quite a while, but had never taken the giant leap to pitch in.  Honestly, my biggest fear was whether I would be able to do it without getting overly attached.  Don't get me wrong, I've done a relatively good job of only keeping the ones that needed me the most, with the exception of Jasper, but I was still a bit leery.  In early July, I decided I was ready to apply to be a conductor.  I downloaded all of the paperwork, filled it out, sent it in, and on July 2nd, I got the happy email that I was now an URRKN approved conductor.

My first opportunity was for a cat named Titi that was traveling from Sunrise, Florida to Belvidere, Illinois on July 20th and 21st.  I didn't move fast enough so I ended up as a backup conductor.  The transport was canceled when her forever home was upended by a sudden death in the family.  She eventually, thank goodness, went to a different owner and didn't run through our area.

My second opportunity was for a beautiful blonde Turkish girl named Tabitha.  By Turkish, I mean by way of Avsallar, Turkey.  Tabitha was adopted by someone who followed a rescue group in Turkey by the name of Adoption Time and fell in love with her.  When her event went live, I, once again, moved too slow and ended up as first backup driver for her final leg from Beloit to Madison, Wisconsin on September 22nd.  Via signupgenius, I offered to swap with the primary driver.

Yours truly and the Fab Four

As the event drew closer, more cats were added.  Three additional Turkish lasses would be traveling on the love train with Tabitha; Nina, Olivia, and Daisy.  Tabitha's final destination was Madison, while the other three girls were traveling on to their forever home in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

On September 17th, I got the email I'd been hoping for - the primary driver had agreed to swap with me and I would finally get to be a conductor for URRKN!!  The best part is I would get to be the last connection to one of these cats' forever person and home.  It was a very emotional moment for me.  Yes, I cried.

top to bottom, left to right
Tabitha, Olivia, Nina, and Daisy

I spent the day before coordinating with the conductors before and after me, as well as Tabitha's new mom's aunt to work out meeting places.  The leg before me went right through Rockford before going to Beloit, so I offered to meet the Elgin to Beloit driver in Rockford and she agreed.

On September 21st, the day came . . . . and I was a nervous wreck.  I made sure we had water and food, and Paul took care of getting Millie's (our Escape) seats in position.  He had one back seat down and the other up so I could sit in back with our passengers.  We had been informed that all four cats were in separate carriers so there was plenty of room.

Nina

I had received a phone call from the coordinator letting me know that the start of the trip would be an hour late as one of the girls had a rough morning.  They were staying with Katherine, a lady that had graciously volunteered her residence as a Bed & Breakfast for a couple of days and, when it was time for them to get loaded up for their final journey, one of the girls had bitten Katherine.  As Nina was the last one to get loaded into her carrier, she was already upset by the meows of the other three and did not want to go in.  An hour, and five bites of her B & B owner later, the girls were on the road.

Daisy

Three conductors later, I got a message that time had been made up and the girls would be on schedule to land in Rockford around 4:30.  We met Trish, the Elgin conductor, at The Clock Tower Inn.  She, and her boyfriend helped us load the ladies into Millie.  They had all been covered with towels as they seemed to travel better that way.  As we pulled back the towels, I was greeted by the meows of four beautiful felines.  I discovered that Meow is truly a universal language!!

We hugged and said goodbye to Trish and her boyfriend and, after getting acquainted with the little ladies and offering some water inside the safety of Millie, we got on our way.  We did not travel with the carriers as you see them pictured.   Nina and Daisy rode furthest back with the doors to their carriers facing towards where I was sitting, and Olivia and Tabitha sat to my left.

The Weinermobile!!

The girls were quite well behaved with the occasional burst of meows but nothing as horrible as my brood on car trips.  I spent most of my time with my hand in Olivia's soft carrier petting her as she was the only one without a good view.  I unzipped it just enough for my hand to fit as URRKN does not allow carriers to be open when the vehicle is moving.

Olivia

The trip to Madison felt like it took about 15 minutes.  I was so busy talking to the ladies, and petting Olivia, that the time flew.  At one point, we even had a Weinermobile escort!!  That one got quite a laugh when I posted to the URRKN Facebook page that the girls had been properly welcomed to America by the Weinermobile.

Tabitha

We pulled into the designated meeting area and met up with Kaye and her niece Else, Tabitha's new mom, as well as Sharon, who was the conductor for Nina, Olivia, and Daisy on the next leg of their journey.  Many pictures were taken, hugs were exchanged, and kitties were loaded into other vehicles . . . . . and I did it without one single tear, but my heart sure was full of happy.

The conductor before me had wondered why people would adopt cats from Turkey.  I told her several people had asked me the same thing when I told them about this opportunity and what I told them - it's not my place to ask why, it's my place to help them on their journey to their new home, and that's all I care about.  A glorious journey it was, indeed.

The Front Stoop Gang

For those that follow my Facebook postings, you already know a little bit about the front stoop gang.  For those who don't, here's a bit of history.

We started by feeding a beautiful calico stray girl we eventually named Delilah.  Delilah was a shy little feral girl who was moderately pregnant when we first saw her and, eventually, had her litter somewhere and we don't know if any survived.  She showed back up for a few weeks after she was obviously no longer pregnant and now has disappeared completely.  We checked Animal Services for a couple of weeks, but were only able to see the cats that were up for adoption on the days that we stopped in.  We're hopeful that our interaction with her (always verbal, never physical) gave her the opportunity for a forever home.  Regardless, Delilah touched our hearts.

The second of the front stoop gang is Henry.  Henry is a small, beautiful, long haired black male that once graced our stoop in the company of Delilah.  Paul and I are relatively certain that Henry is the brother of our own Lucy Talulah Lulabelle (we call her Lu) as he is small of stature and has the same beautiful orb eyes of Lou.

On the weekends when we sleep in late, Henry burrows down in my front flowerbed beneath the ever spreading yarrow, the potentilla, and the sundry bird seed "weeds" that I don't pull so he has shelter, and waits for us to fill the endless plate of dry kibble on my front stoop.  Henry always greets me with a soft mew but has yet to let me touch him.  I've stuck my finger out in attempt but he simply stares up at me.  Never with fear, but never with complete trust.  Someday.

The third of the front stoop gang is Edward.  Edward is a long haired, tiger striped, grey boy that is absolutely feral.  If we are looking out the front window and he sees us, Edward is gone.  I take great solace that this boy knows where to get a meal and a drink of Rockford's best.

The fourth of the gang has been lovingly named Mikey.  Mikey is a polydactyl (yes, he has opposable thumbs, as did Delilah!!) that has been spotted several times over the past couple of months.  Obviously a feral boy (or girl), Mikey is a long haired white with black spots kitty of about 5 months of age.  As you can see, he/she is beautiful.  Tonight, Paul saw Mikey and Mikey saw Paul - and did not take off.  I'm hoping that's a sign of progress.

At seven cats strong, I have no room for any of the front stoop gang, but that doesn't keep me from the hope that, some day, I will capture at least one of them and find them a loving home.  In the interim, I'm happy to provide them with a meal, water, and shelter, if they want it.

The background

I've been a cat fan for years.  Growing up, there were always at least two cats in the house at any given point, as well as several dogs.  I always gravitated towards the cats.

I got my first "very own" cat when I was 17 and lived behind my parents in their "mother-in-law" house.  I purchased Elmer from A1 Pet Shop in Rockford for the sum of $5.00.  The kittens and puppies at A1 generally came from local people who didn't know where to take accidental litters and the only other option was "the pound."

Over the years, my living quarters have always housed at least one cat and generally two to three.  Before owning my own home, apartment choices were always limited to those that welcomed cats.  That generally meant higher deposits and a $10 monthly "per cat" surcharge at one complex, but to me it was always worth it.

As the years have progressed, cats have come and gone in my life and Elmer became the only cat I purchased from a pet store.  The brood that currently occupies the humble abode are all rescues in one way, shape, or form.  From Noah and Molly, who were found underneath a boat cover at the boat dealership next to our family business at 5 weeks of age, to Lucy Talulah Lulabelle (we call her Lou), the 7 month old neighborhood stray that finally picked the right flowerbed to hang in, they all have amazing stories.

At the urging of a coworker, I've decided to record their stories as well as my stories about what an awesome place they make my little corner of the world.

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