It was on Valentine’s Day when a woman living in Quebec, Canada found an orange tabby in the snow, freezing and meowing for help.
The woman saw the cat pawing on her door wanting to come in. Being a foster volunteer with kitten rescue, Un Chat à la Fois, she took a photo and sent it to the organization’s founder, Marie Simard.
It was an adult cat and even though she worked with kittens, she couldn’t leave the tabby alone.
“As soon as I saw the picture it broke my heart, and I told her to take him to our partner clinic so he could be evaluated. His face said everything that needed to be said. He stayed in front of her door for a while, and as soon as I told her to get him, he didn’t try to get away,” Simard said.
The woman brought the cat as soon as Simard gave the go-ahead. The tabby was gentle and cooperative as they did the check-up, X-rays, and blood test.
The cat was full of bite wounds and was suffering from frostbite. Then it also had rotten teeth, diabetes, worms, skin allergies, and plenty of fleas and ticks. It wasn’t neutered either.
Simard knew the cat wouldn’t have been able to fight the cold.
The cat was more than grateful for the help.
“He was very nice to the employees at the clinic,” Simard recalled. “He would take his paw out of the cage at the vet so the people would pet him.”
The staff thought the cat was abandoned by irresponsible owners since it was friendly towards humans. They looked around but there was no report of a missing cat.
Simard named the tabby, Aslan, after the lion in “The Chronicles of Narnia” series.
Aslan’s health improved significantly after a few days. He moved to a foster home where the once freezing cat soon became friends with all the other cats.
And every day, Aslan showed his foster mom just how happy he was to be with her.
“He’s a very affectionate cat,” Simard said. “He likes to sleep close to his foster mom.”
When Aslan’s time for adoption applications came, both his foster mom and the rescue cat, Chloe, didn’t want him to go.
“He would just sleep next to her, groom her and she would groom him,” Simard said. “It made sense to have them stay together — two rescue cats who had a tough life.”
Aslan has diabetes so he needs a special diet, which he means he’s always tempted by other dishes. He’s attempted to steal his mom’s food. It’s all good though, sometimes he gets a treat.
The once disheveled cat now prefers to stay indoors, sleeping on pillows and cuddling with other cats. He’s had enough of the rough outdoors.
We all know what could have happened to Aslan had he not been rescued. It’s kind souls like the woman who rescued him that give these furry friends of ours another day to cuddle.
So the next time you see a stray, open your doors! It might be your next new friend!
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