Jack and Echo's Stories
- Camille
- Feb 4
- 8 min read
Hi there, I'm fairly new at blogging, but I want to tell you a little story about two of our rescue kitties .........
First, let me introduce myself, I'm Camille and my husband, Brian, and I have a small 5 acre homestead and rescue in McMinn county, Tennessee. We've been residing here in Southeast Tennessee just below the Appalachian Mountains for about 5 years. Before moving here, we lived in Greeley, Colorado, where I owned a small business specializing in estate cleanouts, foreclosure clean-ups, and hoarder houses. Before Greeley we were located in the Denver Metro area where I was an Animal Control Officer and Supervisor for many years. I retired from Animal Control and started another company that did foreclosure and hoarding clean outs as well as estate clean outs. On a lot of these properties people left animals behind. Some were left to die without food and water and we were lucky to get there before that happened, but other times the owner may have passed away, or was physically unable to care for their pet anymore. The lucky ones had a friend or family member who would care for their pets, but so many did not. So, it made sense for me to offer trapping and placing abandoned animals in a safe place as part of our cleanout.
After I retired from the clean out business, we decided to move to Tennessee following a visit to my sister. I was captivated by the area, and as soon as I returned home, I told my husband that I truly wanted to live there. He was already aware that I wasn't satisfied with Greeley because I love gardening, and each year it became drier and more arid, which wasn't ideal for gardening. Tennessee was so lush and green, and I knew I could have a wonderful herb garden and much more. My sister, Lenore, was more than happy to start searching for homes. She found one, scheduled a viewing, and took videos to send me. Without actually seeing the property ourselves, we decided to buy it.
Half of the property consists of green grass and landscaping, while the other half is covered with trees. There's plenty of space for the goats, alpaca, and chickens, as well as for the dogs and cats we planned on bringing. To transport all the animals here, we rented a large trailer.
We used the trailer for the farm animals, while the cars carried the dogs, cats, and a very noisy Amazon Parrot named "Gabriel"! (Now, that's another story for another day).
It's usually very peaceful and quiet out here, except for the sounds of birds, bullfrogs, and crickets. Our animals can occasionally be noisy, particularly a donkey named "Duke." When he brays, you'll definitely hear it!
Our First Tennessee Rescue, Jack
It took some time to get everyone settled here. We had to determine how to care for and house each group of animals by constructing fences and shelters. Shortly after arriving, during one of our supply trips, we encountered an elderly woman with a trunk full of very young, unhealthy-looking kittens of various colors. She mentioned that the mother was feral and she had just captured the kittens. I doubted these kittens were truly feral, as I've cared for feral kittens before and they are not easy to handle. However, there was a
small yellow kitten struggling to breathe, with its eyes and nose crusted shut, so I decided to take it and immediately called the vet. They couldn't see us until the next morning, so I brought the little yellow kitten home. Once there, I cleaned its face and eyes to remove the dried mucus, gently wiped its ears, and placed it on a heating pad. It drank a little water but didn't touch the food.
The next morning, we immediately took him to the vet. He was very ill, suffering from an upper respiratory infection, an ear infection, and ear mites. He also had a severe case of worms. We received several medications to take home for his care. Over the next few days, he remained quite subdued, staying close to the heating pad, and I had to clean his face multiple times a day. He ate a little and began drinking right away.
After a few days, his appetite improved, and he started playing a bit, making me confident he was on the mend. However, during his follow-up visit the next week, he still had some congestion, requiring another round of new medications. The second round worked! He finally behaved like a normal, mischievous kitten who enjoyed love bites. He was able to meet the other cats, which was a bit tense for a day or two, but then he fit right in and still sleeps with the oldest one, Pumpkin.
He was now undoubtedly part of the family and spoiled just like the others. About a year later, he began coughing up mucus and experiencing episodes where breathing was difficult. We took him to the vet, who diagnosed him with asthma. The only affordable treatment involves steroids, which are effective but not ideal for long-term use. He mostly has episodes in the fall, so we make an annual visit to the vet for treatment. He leads a very happy life, and we've managed for five years now with him growing into a large, long-haired furball who needs special care once a year.
Then came Echo!
We had been living in Tennessee for about a year, and the business in Colorado was thriving when my son, Chris, called. He was working on an estate cleanout where the previous resident had been feeding feral cats. The company that hired us tasked him with trapping the cats and taking them to a spay and clinic specializing in feral cats. Over the course of a week or so, he managed to catch several cats. However, he discovered a litter of six newborn black kittens in a shed, which he suspected had been abandoned. He placed food in the shed and waited to see if the mother would return, but we assumed the increased activity on the property had likely scared her away. By the end of the day, he called me in Tennessee to ask for advice. I made several phone calls but couldn't find anyone available to care for kittens that needed bottle feeding for a few weeks. Chris managed to keep them for a couple of nights while I sought help. He even took them to work to ensure they were fed. In the evenings, his children, Camille and Ciaran, helped with the kittens and quickly fell in love with them. However, Chris's family wasn't in a position to adopt more pets. Remarkably, the kids could distinguish each kitten and decided to name them. Their favorite was the one they called Dozer Kittie.
While Chris had them, I contacted numerous places to find someone willing to foster them, but everywhere I reached out to was full. Eventually, I called my younger son, Clinton, and his wife, Alicia. They were able to take the kittens for a couple of days and were fairly certain they had a neighbor who could care for them until they were weaned. Fortunately, their friend Michelle was able to take them. We wanted to avoid taking them to a shelter since black cats are often the last to be adopted.
Once they were weaned, another neighbor, Helena, took them in while we all worked on finding them homes. Before they were fully weaned, forever homes were found for three of them, leaving three still in need of homes.
Around the time they were being weaned, I took a trip to Colorado with my sister, Lenore. Normally, I fly, but this time we turned it into a sister's road trip, stopping whenever we saw something interesting. When we're together, things like a big ball of string, an antique store, or a field of sunflowers can make us pause for a while, so it was a leisurely journey. While visiting my sons and their families in Colorado, we decided to check on the kittens ready for adoption. My son Chris, along with my granddaughter and grandson, Camille and Ciaran, also wanted to see the kittens. We all drove up the mountain to meet Clinton and Alicia at Helena's house.
Helena had all the kittens in a large playpen but let them out to play when we arrived. Camille immediately spotted Dozer Kittie, saying it was because she had a few white hairs on her chest. The ladies who fostered them did an excellent job; the kittens were all very friendly, unafraid, and full of energy. Helena mentioned she had found homes with her friends for all but three kittens. Since Dozer Kittie hadn't been claimed yet, I decided to help by taking her back to Tennessee with us.
A few days later, when we were ready to leave, I picked up Dozer Kittie, got her settled in the car, and we headed home. She absolutely loved riding in the car, which was perfect. We didn't stop and linger as we usually do, but we did have to stay overnight in a hotel. We couldn't find a pet-friendly room in the town we were in, so I snuck her in under my coat. I know I broke the rules, but the next larger town was too far away, and we were exhausted. She was fine in the room with a little litter box that we'd been using in the car, and there was no sign she had ever been there when we left.
It took two days to get home, and she did great! However, calling her Dozer Kittie didn't suit her and was quite a mouthful, so I renamed her "Echo" because every time I meowed at her, she meowed back.
Echo has been with us for approximately three and a half years. She's a very calm and easygoing cat that we all adore. She enjoys sitting on my keyboard while I'm trying to write, like right now, or when I'm engaged in my arts and crafts. If I'm painting and have a jar of water with paintbrushes, she often knocks the entire jar over and walks in it. She'll do the same with paint if she can—there have been several instances where I've entered the craft room and found little kitty footprints on the table or floor.
P.S. - Helena adopted the other two and they built a Catio at the back of their home!
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