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Boonie Tails

By Grace Keilbach

A different kind of rainy season

Hello again, and welcome back to Boonie Tails!

What was intended to be a one-week break from writing somehow turned into a month that absolutely flew by. So much has happened since we last popped up in your inbox, and we can’t wait to share it all with you, piece by piece, every Monday.

We want to start off with a bit of breaking news. This rainy season on Saipan, it’s raining more than just dogs…

The cat distribution system strikes again

Running a dog-focused rescue, everyone always assumes that we must hate cats. It’s true that Aria and I spent years of our childhood living in absolute fear of an orange cat who would chase us around the house, hissing while we ran away screaming, but we have always loved felines!

The main reason we focus on dogs is simply a matter of capacity; we just don’t have the space or the hours in the day to give both species the level of care they deserve. Still, we have always supported local cat rescue efforts, even caring for dozens of cats at Boonie Headquarters throughout the years. In fact, this past year, Aria brought a cat home just about every single time she volunteered at Wayne’s Cat Rescue. (She is now up to three and has decided to keep her volunteering to a minimum so she doesn’t acquire any more. Sorry Wayne!)

The truth is, we are suckers for all animals, and the universal cat distribution system has officially figured that out.

Careful what you wish for

This past February, Aria and I stumbled upon an extremely sick street cat whom we named Toulouse Tangerine. Sadly, he passed away shortly after we took him in. Even though our time with him was brief, our hearts were completely broken. We both found ourselves wanting to help more cats in his honor and to try and fill the orange cat shaped holes in our hearts he had left behind.

I eventually returned to D.C. and started fostering cats officially for the first time, while Aria continued to volunteer with Wayne. But what was intended to be a small side project has spiraled out of control into something much bigger: Boonie Babies has accidentally entered its cat rescue era. Between my five foster kittens (and their mom) and Aria’s multiple litters back home (I think she’s currently at ten kittens plus a mom or two) it is truly, literally raining cats and dogs.

While we fully intend to keep our primary focus, time, and resources dedicated to our beloved Boonie dogs, this unexpected feline chapter has brought an overwhelming amount of joy (and, let’s be honest, a lot of poop) into our lives.

A legacy of love (and kittens)

Working in rescue on a remote island with no access to veterinary care, we are no strangers to animals passing away in our care. It is always heartbreaking but some tend to hit harder than others. Despite knowing he wasn’t going to make it from the beginning and knowing him less than a week, Toulouse was one of those special ones who truly had an impact on us. It would appear we had a big impact on him too, because it's as if he went ahead, looked back at all the other stray Boonie cats he left behind, and whispered, "Go find the Boonie Babies girls. They’ve got canned tuna."

We couldn't save Toulouse, but through the rescue work he inspired, his legacy is saving dozens more.

Hot Girls Rescue Cats

Being that we are officially in our cat rescue era, we of course had to have a shirt for the occasion. The ‘Hot Girls Rescue Cats’ comfort T is now available, click HERE to shop the look!

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Boonie of the Week

He was having none of that. When it was time to say goodbye to his brothers, sisters and wonderful foster parents, the last thing I was told was he was the shyest and most laid back of the entire litter.  They said it will take him some time to feel comfortable and come out his shell so I would need to give him the time he needs to feel safe and comfortable.

The baby let out 2 meows in the car and slept the entire 45 minutes home.  When we walked into our home L’il Man, his new big brother, was very curious and wanted to see what I brought home for him.  As soon as I put Doozi in the playpen he immediately went into the litter, not to do his business, but to hide. He slept in the litter box that first night. L’il Man being playful and still curious was scratching on the sides of the playpen. The baby didn’t like this and let out a very loud hiss and growl which was not expected.  L’il Man and I both jumped a little.

Fast forward 48 hours, this little ball of buff fluff somehow managed to escape the playpen even though the door and top zippers were safely closed shut.  He is fearless and now rules the roost. Him and L’il Man chase after each other for hours and sound like a heard of wild horses. He jumps around like a grasshopper while he talks and purrs non-stop. In one week, he’s managed to give L’il Man the playmate I wanted him to have and has caused my heart to explode with so much happiness and filled the hole in my heart that needed to be healed.  The family is complete.

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