The Journey of Smurf & Wanda
Smurf and Wanda didn’t know the friendship and love that awaited them while they were alone in their darkest hours. As young kittens, when they should have been cuddled, they were fighting for their lives. When they should have been comforted, they were suffering. But thanks to the efforts of the Nine Lives Foundation, its volunteers, donors and community partnerships
, these two kittens today are healthy, happy and know what it feels like to be in a loving, caring environment. Smurf
Smurf was only eight weeks old when Nine Lives Foundation got the call from a nearby shelter. Someone had dropped-off a kitten in need of rescue, or he would be euthanized. When Nine Lives staff first opened the box Smurf was inside of, they saw a kitten – less than two pounds – still wet from the purple dye it had been covered in and suffering from multiple, deep wounds. Nine Lives suspected foul play. It was possible Smurf was used as a “live chew toy” for a dog. The staff at Nine Lives got to work immediately. They treated Smurf’s urgent needs: attending to the wounds, bathing him and making him comfortable enough so he could sleep through the night. But Smurf’s medical needs went beyond that. After assessing the depth of the wounds, some of which impacted the kitten’s muscle tissue, the first few days were focused on getting Smurf stable so he could undergo a crucial operation. Wanda
The day after Smurf was taken to Nine Lives, the foundation received another call. A kitten found crying next to a dumpster, cold and hungry, was picked up by a local resident, and needed someone to rescue her. The foundation opened its arms to Wanda, a little kitten with a respiratory and eye infection that was so developed, it caused her to go blind. Luckily, Wanda’s condition was treatable, and after she became healthy, she could go on to live a normal life. BFFs
At the end of Wanda’s first day at Nine Lives – and Smurf’s second day – the cages were completely full, and Wanda didn’t have a place to sleep. That’s when staff members got an idea. Both Wanda and Smurf, being such young kittens and having gone through such traumatic events, needed a little comfort. The staff decided to house the two kittens together for the night. What came next pleasantly surprised everyone: Smurf and Wanda – strangers to one another – immediately snuggled in together inside their cage. Smurf and Wanda found solace and security in one another’s company, and as the days went on, they bonded even more. After the two kittens were medically treated and ready to leave the facility, they were put into the Nine Lives foster program, and sent to a loving foster home together, to help them rehabilitate even further. As the days went on, Smurf’s purple coat began to grow out into a beautiful gray – leaving behind the tragic events of the past and basking in his cozy new environment. And amazingly, Wanda, though technically blind, played with her cat toys as if she had no disability at all. We like to think she is seeing with her heart. Together, the two kittens grew stronger and healthier every day. And even though they had been through so much, their personalities continued to blossom, as did their trust for humans. Smurf and Wanda Are Just One Story
Smurf and Wanda came from different circumstances, but both are a product of the same cause. Cat overpopulation from not spaying or neutering, a general lack of knowledge on how to care for cats, and strict regulations at animal shelters that dictate which cats are adoptable all contribute to circumstances like Smurf’s and Wanda’s. When cats end up in shelters and are deemed “unadoptable,” with no other choices, they are euthanized. Nine Lives Foundation works to address the core cause of this problem. Our mission is to reduce the number of cats that end up in shelters each year, and give all cats without other options a second chance at life and a loving home.
