Community partnership saved Piper’s life

Part 1: Abandoned and alone

We don’t know where little Piper came from. Most of my cat colonies are near apartment complexes. I often hear about cats and kittens tossed outside to fend for themselves when their owners moved. So Piper’s journey may have started there.

But we do know that she spent at least a few desperate weeks searching for food and warmth with an urban cat colony surviving by hiding from predators and humans, dodging cars, and staying warm in underground sewers.

She was lucky to have found Geoff’s feeding spot.

Around Thanksgiving, he noticed a few kittens, so we agreed they should be our top trapping priority.

That first week in December was brutally cold – overnight wind chills in Iowa hit -6 degrees. So I wanted to catch the little ones who were unlikely to have enough winter fur or body mass to survive. Early evening on Sunday, December 1, I set my traps and spent hours watching and waiting for kittens to show up. And finally… success!

Part 2: Learning to trust

I rarely hold TNR cats more than 48 hours. But because it was so cold, I gave the 2 trapped kittens a few extra days of warmth in a large basement kennel. The spicy tabby “Cayenne” stayed hidden in the trap and never let me get close – typical feral cat behavior.

But Piper was curious. And really hungry.

I was surprised to see her watching me already the next day. She was quiet and nervous, but willing to be seen.

Their TNR surgeries were scheduled for Tuesday. Everything went smoothly.

It may have been the anesthesia wearing off, but Piper was so mellow afterward… she leaned into touches from my metal long-arm scratcher. So I reached in to the kennel cautiously… and magic happened!

Piper immediately melted. She loved head scratches, cheek strokes, chin rubs. She couldn’t get enough full body pets, even along her tail. By Wednesday, she was rolling over for belly and armpit scritches. With Thursday and Friday came head bonks and naps in my arms.

I finally released feral kitten Cayenne back to his colony home on Friday when temps warmed up. But I moved Piper to a bathroom to see how she’d do with more space.

Part 3: A big break

Piper continued to blossom. Instead of hiding, she greeted me asking for attention. She loved pets from my son and husband too. And instead of gorging on food like it was her last meal, she started leaving some in her dish – an amazing sign of trust.

I asked Megan if ARL would consider adopting out Piper. This is a HUGE ask… ARL is the largest animal organization in Iowa and handles municipal cases throughout the Des Moines metro. They are almost always at capacity. The last thing they need with limited resources is a community cat.

But after meeting with Piper and doing a thorough behavior assessment, they said YES! Megan agreed that her sweet, friendly personality made her a perfect adoption candidate. Which meant she got the full medical exam – feline leukemia testing, dewormer, flea treatment, (in addition to her previously-provided TNR vaccinations).

It also meant that Piper was officially our foster kitten!

Ten days after trapping her, Piper moved into a large kennel in my home office. She could observe the comings-and-goings of the household and see our 3 cats. Since her background was unknown, it was critical to prevent any direct interaction between cats. And we washed our hands after touching Piper (dozens of times a day).

That caution paid off when I started to see her decline.

She stopped eating and lost weight quickly. She vomited piles of the largest worms I’d ever seen – probably 2″ long! ARL’s foster specialist Tristan coordinated more dewormer medication.

I was terrified. Piper got so skinny. Throughout, she wanted nothing more than love and attention. On December 17, I dropped her off with the ARL veterinary team. I left the office in tears, certain I would not see her again.

Part 4: Holiday hope

The ARL medical team provided round-the-clock supportive care through the last two weeks of December, including over Christmas. Piper remained a trooper throughout and won over staff hearts with her affectionate nature.

On New Year’s Eve, I learned Piper was cleared to return to foster! I’ll pick her up tomorrow. And this time, no more cages! She’ll get to acclimate to a temporary home slowly, starting with one room and eventually getting to interact with our household cats.

I can’t wait to help her become used to living in a home with people and pets… so she’ll soon be ready for a forever home!

Piper is one lucky cat. So many people in our community got involved to give her a chance at the life she deserves.