Limited visitation for cats. See Details HERE
When we send animals home, we never really expect to see them again except in photos of their happy families. That was not the case for feline siblings Rome and Mary Sanderson. Rome and Mary Sanderson were adopted together from EHS last November by a couple and, after an unexpected turn of events, were abandoned by their new owners in their former apartment.
In April, we received a courtesy call from animal services after Mary Sanderson was surrendered to them, asking if we wanted her back. We took her back in of course, but we wondered where her brother could be.
After some investigation, we discovered that when animal services had gone into the apartment to retrieve Mary and Rome, they only found Mary. So, they left a note for the building manager to contact them if Rome showed up. Once we learned of this, we received permission from the superintendent to search the premises. While there, Rome was located on the apartment balcony, locked outside. We don’t know how long he was out there without food, but it could have been as long as 10 days. He was likely surviving on rain water. But his scary adventure didn’t stop there; while being rescued, he wiggled free from volunteers and leapt off the third floor balcony, landing on the grass below and running off.
Naturally, a search began. Volunteers banded together to battle the heavy rain, search the area, speak with neighbours, and set and monitor traps. Thankfully, we found Rome a few days later, with no significant injuries or long-term effects of his travels. After a vet visit, they determined he had lost about two pounds. His blood work was consistent with having gone without food for a prolonged period, but he was otherwise healthy.
Rome has since reunited with his sister Mary and went to a new home with her on May 14th. We wish them the best with their new family and hope they never experience another adventure like this again. We want to give a special thanks to our volunteers and supporters for helping with the search.