By Sharon Wylie, Crash’s Landing
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet—or few—from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
Courageous Karlie’s story is nothing short of amazing—and quite unique in the fact that she came back to us in October of 2018 after having been lost for over 3 years!
Our gorgeous girl (born in January of 2012) initially came to us in early 2015 and had only spent 2 months at Crash’s before a wonderful gal adopted her and another of our kitties. Sadly, only a few months after her arrival into her new home she somehow got outside, and no matter how hard her new mom looked for her for months on end, Karlie was simply nowhere to be found.
Many of our volunteers offered their support in staking out the neighborhood, but as time wore on, our hopes were dashed and the thought of her returning to a home she was just getting comfortable in seemed improbable. To top things off, her owners ended up moving within the year, so even if our buxom beauty had tried to return to the house she darted from, there would have been no familiar faces waiting for her there. It was a heartbreaking situation.
Fast forward to a chilly autumn day when Dr. Jen received a call from the Kent County Animal Shelter stating that a kitty with a microchip registered to us had been brought in; when she was told WHO it was, she could hardly believe it as so much time had passed! Dr. Jen was extremely surprised when she went to retrieve Karlie that she was still pleasantly plump, leading the good doctor to believe that someone had been caring for this kitty—and quite well at that.
Given Karlie’s shy nature, we suspect that she may have been leery of strangers, but a food bowl—now that was an entirely different story! Regardless of where she was for the past three years, she was found just a few short blocks away from her home, which in itself is quite astounding; wherever she hunkered down proved to be a safe hiding spot as signs posted in the neighborhood and door-to-door canvasing were unrewarded efforts.
Once back in our care, Karlie turned out to be pretty darn healthy, although she needed a fractured tooth pulled and unfortunately turned up positive for FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus), meaning that somewhere along the line she was bitten by an infected cat harboring the virus. Since this sweet girl hasn’t a mean bone in her bodacious body, there is minimal risk of her transmitting it to another cat as she prefers to spend most of her time now posing for photo ops and lounging in laps; she is definitely making up for lost time!
It took Karlie a bit to acclimate and come out of her shell at our sanctuary (who can blame her for that?), but once she began to trust us, she became the biggest snuggle-bug! In fact, she adores her cat-checker so very much she begs to be carried around for hours while Amelie works—or tries to with a 13# cat in her arms. She has found comfort not only in the embrace of her caretakers but also in the company of her fellow felines, so we’d love to find her a fur-ever home with another kitty to cuddle up to.
Karlie is the epitome of a lazy, lovable lap cat but given her history, we need to be sure we place her in an environment that is not too hectic and will allow her to adjust at her own pace. If you have a heart that is open wide and arms that are longing to hold a creature that will treasure you for the rest of her days, Karlie is THE cat for you! And we have it on good authority that Karlie’s wandering days are over—she promises to stay put!
More about Karlie:
- Extra large
- Torbie, White
- Adult
- Female
- House-trained
- Vaccinations up to date
- FIV+
- Spayed
- Declawed
- Good in a home with other cats
Want to adopt Karlie? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
Interested in volunteering at one of the cat shelters? Email volunteer@crashslanding.org.
Can’t adopt, but still want to help? Find out how you can sponsor a cat!
Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary have a common mission: To take at-risk stray cats off the streets of the Greater Grand Rapids area, provide them with veterinary care and house them in free-roaming, no-kill facilities until dedicated, loving, permanent homes can be found.
