On my way home from a late-night meeting, I stopped in at a convenience store for a fizzy soft drink. There was a cat outside of the store that started meowing to me the moment I opened my car door. She was friendly, obviously had a horrible skin condition going on, as evidenced by the many bald spots in her fur. And … she was VERY PREGNANT.

The store attendant told me that several hours before I got there, some people drove up to a parking space and dumped the cat, then drove off. Another store customer and I discussed the situation, and it was finally decided that I would take the cat home for the night and try to decide what to do for her. (My husband wished that the decision would have fallen to the other customer.  )

After bringing her home, Jasmine was confined to a kennel, due to the obvious skin condition, and whatever underlying factors that she may have had. We did not want to infect our current household with her issues. She did not mind the kennel, was appreciative of the food and fresh water, and soon settled down into a sense of security.

The following week we took her for veterinary services. She was given a topical treatment that covered he skin condition, fleas, and internal parasites. Two days later she gave birth to four kittens.

Jasmine’s delivery of her kittens was a bit traumatic. The birthing caused her a great deal of pain. I have witnessed many cats giving birth to kittens and have never see a cat cry out in the way that Jasmine did. After giving birth, however, she was fine and was a wonderful mom to her babies.

Jasmine’s hair eventually grew back in and she was one of the most beautiful cats that we have had the privilege of caring for.

We found homes for all of Jasmine’s babies, and eventually found a new home for her as well (after we got her rabies shot and spayed). I was later told by her new mommy, that she was reacting to a new cat that had been introduced to the household, and she decided that she did not want to live there anymore. She moved a few doors down to live at a house that was willing to provide her with food, but did not have other cat personalities to compete with.

Cats are sometimes very funny and you just never know how they are going to react. Jasmine obviously needed to be in an environment with no competition so decided to go elsewhere. Perhaps this independent spirit is what prompted the original owners to dump her at a convenience store.

We can only do what we can do. In the end, the cats must decide whether to accept our help or not. Sometimes it is heart-wrenching if they don’t accept our efforts, but at least we know that we have tried to make their lives better.

Jasmine