Readers may remember Dot and her remarkable story, which got more remarkable still last month when she was adopted from Tabby’s Place Sanctuary in Ringoes, NJ.
Dot was born with spina bifida in a garage in Virginia. A group of local animal lovers banded together to help her and foster her and all were charmed by the sweet and spunky little kitten with the winning personality who didn’t think of herself as being special needs, despite mobility and bowel control issues.
Dot had the great good fortune to be accepted for residency at Tabby’s Place and traveled to New Jersey in January, 2012 to begin her new life. Dot had special quarters, giving her a place of honor where she could move around at will and establish herself as a special in-house ambassador for the sanctuary.
She got wheels and gained more mobility.
Many expected Dot to live out he life as a valued and beloved sanctuary resident, but her life took an unexpected turn when she was adopted into a very special family in June of this year. Dot’s new family includes two other special needs kitties who were also adopted from Tabby’s Place.
Tabby’s Place staff and supporters are happy for Dot, yet had a hard time seeing her go. Dot had endeared herself to everyone and had become a fixture at Tabby’s Place. She is reportedly doing well in her new home, and by being adopted she has made a statement of sorts on the value and worthiness of special needs pets.
To revisit earlier stories and video on Dot at our site, click HERE.
Below are two posts from Tabby’s Place telling about Dot’s adoption from the perspective of those who know her best and who love her.
Dot dot dash
by Angela Townsend, Tabby’s Place Development Director
Be it known, good people/cats/beings of the interwebs: it happened.
Hold onto your hats and wives and children. Rumors of Dot’s adoption have not been exaggerated.
After just a year and five months in the parallel universe known as the Dot Matrix, Tabby’s Place has had our most victorious tiny tabby wrenched from our lives.
By “wrenched,” of course, I mean “adopted into the best of all possible worlds.” Still, even when the brain comprehends “Good thing! Happy thing! Thing heap strong!”, the heart may whine, “Meehhhhh! Wrenched! Do not want!”
If ever there was a “good goodbye,” this was it. I can now confirm everything you’ve heard:
- Yes, Dot was adopted.
- No, she was not adopted by Spiderman.
- Yes, this is the same Dot who, 18 months ago, was proclaimed by doctors to have deformities that were “incompatible with life.”
- Yes, Dot is still alive.
- Yes, she was adopted by the otherworldly-wonderful family who adopted Tashi and Gabriella.
- Yes, Tashi/Gabby’s adoption was the event that enabled Tabby’s Place to take Dot in the first place.
- Yes, this may mean that the entire universe has folded in upon itself.
- No, this will not cause a power outage.
.
That said, I’d be dishonest if I didn’t admit that we felt a mighty whoosh of power sail out of Tabby’s Place at approximately 3:28 pm Eastern time on Saturday.
But the power of Dot, like the Tashi-power that preceded and now accompanies her, leaves everything it’s touched better and richer and a little crazier forever.
.
We’ve already received our first glee-soaked update from Famiglia Dottia. Dot/Tashi/Gabby’s mom writes:
“I just wanted to give all of you an update on Dot’s first day with us. She is settling in very nicely so far! She was quite tired last night after her busy day, so she enjoyed relaxing in her bed. She ate a good dinner, took her medicine, and really seemed to enjoy being spoiled by all of us! We just couldn’t put her down and all took turns holding her. I think she was really enjoying being our little princess!! 🙂 : )
“We made sure that Gabby and Tashi got lots of attention too, so no one felt left out! Of course our (other kitties) Sammy and Priscilla got lots of attention also.
“Dot had a good night’s sleep in her little bed in our bedroom. She ate a good breakfast and was so good this morning when I expressed her bladder and bowels. She was so still and cooperative that it made the whole process nice and easy! Our sons are having so much fun deciding which diaper she should wear next! (In the photo at left, you can see Dot playing with her new “brothers.”)
“Dot is truly such a special little angel, and we could not feel more blessed to have her in our lives! She just looks at us with those huge expressive eyes of hers and we all just melt!!!!
“I promise to be in touch again really soon with another update on our very special angel!”
That’s enough to get even the most maudlin heart lined up with a singing brain. (”The Singing Brains” would be an excellent name for a band. But I digress.)
So, even when our own emotions make us want to stand around Dot’s empty crate and sing “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables,” we know: this is a day, a story, and a life for happy songs. Happy hearts.
In a fiesta of irony, Jonathan sent me a wryly-worded email yesterday. If you heard a giant sucking sound emanating from central NJ, that was the noise from all of Dot’s sponsors having their sponsorships switched over to the General Special Needs Fund (which cares for everykitty from Cookie to Queen). Since an adopted Dot is no longer a sponsorable Dot, we also had to take down — or “disable” — her “sponsor-me” page on our website. This is the purview of a certain webmaster whose name may rhyme with Ronathan. When he’d done the deed, he emailed me to confirm: “Dot is officially ‘disabled.’”
Her webpage may be, but Dot? Dot herself, disabled?
So the doctors said. So the short-sighted saw. But Dot, we now know, is anything but disabled. With a forever family that includes Tashi and Gabriella, she is now righteously enabled to overcome.
And if that doesn’t rock your universe, it’s time to get your stars realigned.
Tabbys place correspondent Karina also wrote about Dot’s adoption, with a note for her sponsors and supporters posted on June 25:
Dear Dot Family: Dot has been adopted!!!!
As I write these words, she is in her new home with her wonderful new family. They came to Tabby’s Place and spent several hours with Dot, getting to know her and falling in love with her. By the time they left Tabby’s Place with Dot in her crate, they were totally in love (who wouldn’t be!).
Some of you may have known of Dot’s new family before today, because they have adopted from us before. Dot will be living with the famous Tashi, our former paraplegic, and Gabriella, who has severe cerebellar hyperplasia. Tashi and Gabby have been in their forever home for a year and a half now, and not a month has gone by without our having received an update from their family. So we know we’ll still get to hear all about Dot and her adventures. 🙂
We also know what a special and loving family this is, and we know Dot will have the best of everything: wonderful care and lots of love. What more could a Dot want?!
I was lucky to be here when her new family came for her, and I got to see Tashi and Gabby, which was wonderful! They both look soooooo amazing.
Still, it was bittersweet to see Dot leave. I know she will be very missed around Tabby’s Place. It was so strange coming to work today and not see her zipping around the lobby. I sure will miss that little face looking up at me.
Thank you all for making this possible for Dot. She has come such a long way since her arrival at Tabby’s Place, and it’s all of you who made that possible. We literally couldn’t do what we do without each and every one of you. Have a wonderful new home Dot. We love you!
##
We are grateful to Angela Townsend and Tabby’s Place, who have cheerfully give us permission to reprint their posts on Dot’s adoption. The two part of this article were originally published HERE and HERE at the Tabby’s Place website.
Tabby’s Place also maintains an active an engaging Facebook Page.
Tabby’s Place is a cage-free sanctuary that provides refuge to cats in hopeless situations. Their residents come primarily from public shelters where they had been scheduled for euthanasia.
This one-of-a-kind facility serves as:
An Adoption Center, finding loving homes for cats;
A Hospital, providing medical and surgical treatment for sick or injured residents;
A Hospice, providing palliative care and a warm, loving environment for chronically or terminally ill cats to live out their lives in comfort.
Tabby’s Place does not turn cats away due to age, medical need, or “lack of adoptability.” It is, therefore, a safe haven for several older, chronically ill, or handicapped cats. These cats have special needs such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or blindness. At Tabby’s Place, these cats are able to live full and happy lives with the medical care, love, and affection they deserve.
these adoptive parents are so wonderful. to have adopted so ,so many special needs kitties. the commitment is unbelievable. if there is a heaven they belong there