Violet was not an ordinary Siamese rescue cat. Violet arrived at the shelter with a pretty pink collar and a note attached to it. Reminiscent of babies dropped off on the steps of numerous orphanages and places of worship, Violet was distinguished by a note written by the person who loved her but was no longer able to care for her. The note was written by Lacey, who loved Violet dearly. It was a note written with purple and violet colored markers and filled with mis-spelled words. The note, written on a standard A4 sheet of paper, begged Violet’s new owner to “Please take good care of her.” Lacey also explained to Violet’s new, but unknown owner, that Lacey had named her cat.
Michaela Muzzy rescued Violet. She told The Dodo that Violet adores having a head scratch and is “very, very sweet”. It’s these distinctive traits that led Michaela to understand that Violet had a home of her own at one time. Michaela brought Violet to the Effingham County Animal Shelter in Illinois on Monday, November 18m 2019 hoping to help the gentle Siamese. When the shelter workers discovered that sweet Violet was missing her home and her child, it was heartbreaking for them. Animal officer Vanessa Skavlem summed it up when she mentioned that her thoughts went out to the child who loved Violet but knew she could keep her.
Shelter worker’s scanned Violet for an identification microchip, but the results of the scan were negative. It was impossible to find Violet’s owners. But social media was the next best bet, so a photo of Violet was posted on social media along with the handwritten note. Local community members continued to watch for someone who could claim Violet and bring her home. Cindy Murray was one who read the news on Facebook. She told The Dodo that she knew the note was the work of a child. She understood that a hurting child had to let go of the cat she loved. Lucky for Violet, the main goal of the Effingham County Animal Shelter & Control is to adopt out as many pets as possible and reunite any lost animals with their owners.
The adoptions at the shelter are on a first, come; first served basis and all adoptions include microchips in the price. Another interesting service which the shelter offers is animal well-checks. If a situation arises where an animal is suffering abuse or neglect, if the County Sheriff’s Department deems it an emergency, the shelter staff will perform well checks to be certain an animal is okay. The majority of Facebook posts indicate that the shelter is a place where the staff members truly care about the pets that are surrendered there, lost, or stray. The staff and new pet owners post regular photos of the pets who either have been recently accepted or have found new homes. It’s the dedicated action of Michaela Muzzy, who posted the Facebook photo of Violet which led to connecting the pretty Siamese with her new home.
Murray decided to meet Violet at the shelter on a day off of work. She ran it by her husband first. She sent a screen shot of the Facebook post to her husband who was at work. She told him that she wanted to “got get this cat”. She added, “I love it – talk me out or it.” His response was, “If you want it, go get it.”
Murray brought Violet home the same day she met her. She knew that the Siamese was feeling nervous. This part of Violet’s story has prompted Internet posts about how to care for nervous abandoned cats. Often, they are discarded because they are no longer wanted by their former owners. Cats who have been in a home can become very frightened and disoriented when removed from their customary environments. This is especially true of Siamese. They are a breed which vocalizes often and loudly. They aren’t as independent as people think. In fact, they tend to be affectionate and need to be held, loved to be cuddled, and insist on being with their humans. They need plenty of attention and they are very intelligent. For all these reasons, it was a stroke of genius on the part of Murray to notice that Violet seemed nervous. Taking Violet home where she could be adored was just what she needed.
As soon as Violet was home with Murray, the little cat began to purr. Helping Violet to be in a place where she could become calm was key to her rescue. Though Siamese are an old and elegant breed, they will feel stressed when things are not normal. Siamese enjoy attention, but the destructive act of being abandoned was not what Violet could understand. She was having plenty of attention once she reached the shelter, but all of it was frenetic and not what she was used to experiencing.
Once Murray had Violet settled in her new home, Murray moved forward to consider how she could possibly connect with Lacey. It was still painful to Murray that Lacey would not know that Violet was now okay and in good hands. Murray was anxious to find a way to connect with Violet’s loving owner, but there was just no clear path to achieving that. The only wish Murray still had was if she could let Lacy know that Violet was in a good home and was going to be okay. Murray would promise Lacey that Violet was adopted into a wonderful life full of all the good things Murray could give her.
While Cindy Murray adopted Violet with tears in her eyes, the truth is that her hope of reaching Lacey via social media someday may very well come true. Violet’s story has been printed over and over again on social media and numerous online newspapers. The story has spread across the United States and the U.K. Murray is considering creating a video to post online which she hopes may reach Lacey. Everyone around the world who has read Violet’s story is hoping that one day, Lacey will see the message and know Violet is loved.
