Sarge, a 2-year-old brown tabby, was found recently by an exterminator in a crawl space of a foreclosed home. He is partially blind and deaf. A good Samaritan took him from the exterminator and rushed him to the veterinarian who then called a local cat rescue group, Helping Homeless Felines. "He was almost dead" said Val Garcia, president of the local rescue group. "I saw the vet records and can confirm the seriousness of his condition. I ended up fostering Sarge initially to help him heal."
Once Sarge was featured on Val's rescue website, another individual whose entire family - in Fairfax Station - is involved in helping homeless animals, desperately wanted a chance to foster Sarge before he was permanently adopted.Sarge was initially terribly shy but the love between Sarge and his new family is magical and he will not be leaving his foster home, he has been officially adopted by his foster family. Sarge, now Nicholas, not only has his new people, a family of four, but two dogs and three cats to help him get around his new home.
In just a few short months, Nick's new family reports, "he is amazingly friendly and outgoing! It is so unbelievable, considering how shy and traumatized he was. He is the first to greet visitors and he runs up to everyone to be petted. He absolutely loves to be held and sticks his little pink tongue out when he's purring and blissful and wags his stubby little tail when he is stalking. He completely adores the kids, and gets along well with the cats and dogs." This abandoned nearly dead cat is now home.
Helping Homeless Felines is affiliated with Pets Bring Joy, a foster-based adoption group in Fairfax. You may contact the writer, Juli Verrier, a volunteer with Helping Homeless Felines, at 703-408-8558, for additional information.