In this series, volunteers share their thoughts on what the Great Kitty Rescue meant to them.
Shari Timberlake gives her insights...
Q. WHAT WILL YOU NEVER FORGET?
While there are many things that I will never forget about my time in Pahrump, what sticks with me the most is the amazing “WOW” feeling that I always had every time a frightened or hostile kitty responded in a positive manner to the attention that I was giving to them. 
There is really no feeling like those small victories… often they happened after you had been sitting in some uncomfortable position for an hour and could no longer feel your legs while you reached into some back corner to stroke a cat that initially just wanted you to go away. Just as you would be thinking that you weren’t getting through to them, they would start to purr or look at you and rub their head against your hand…that never failed to thrill me! Interestingly, I don’t think that I was alone in being moved by these successes since one of the favorite topics of conversation among the staff and volunteers was which cats had made progress that day.
Q. WHICH CATS STICK OUT IN YOUR MIND AND WHY?
Again, there are so many… I adored sweet Kojack who was an FIV tabby with a runny nose, a tipped ear and wearing a Christmas collar in January who lived in our trailer with us. His favorite thing to do was crawl onto bed between my sister and I at night and solicit pets and kisses while he purred his head off. What a fabulous kitty! Then there was sweet (but itchy) Gemini with his e-collar that looked like a life preserver who had the most sunny disposition and loved everyone.
There was Hope and Jasper who lived in the Laundry room and insisted on being adored when you came in to get your coffee every morning. If you didn’t provide the proper amount of attention, Hope would force the issue by climbing you like a tree and making you hold her until she was satisfied. How could your day ever start badly after that kind of a greeting? There was Baxter, the cat who was so obsessed with toys, and playing, that he would party like a rock star all night, and trash his building beyond recognition. 
Paprika who wanted us all to know how tough she was and Ralph, who loved to lull you into complacency by looking totally relaxed until you were petting another cat in his vicinity when he would jump up, flash a lightning, razor sharp paw and thwack you on the hand without warning. He was so naughty… I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my own three Pahrump boys, Harley, Rollie and Ninja who are the sweetest, most loving cats you would ever meet who remind me daily how blessed I am to have them in my life. These are just a few of the amazing cats that I met in Pahrump…
Q. WHICH VOLUNTEERS STICK OUT IN YOUR MIND AND WHY
Gilla Gidlow was one of the many volunteers who stick out in my memory… She is an amazing, caring individual who had a no-nonsense approach to working with the shy and traumatized cats that were in our care. She was fearless with even the most “reluctant” of kitties and always had a smile on her face and never seemed to notice the many scratches on her hands and arms. Her dedication and love of animals was evident in all that she did and I saw the cats respond to her because I believe they all knew it too… There were many other volunteers who also gave tirelessly of themselves as we all worked to let these kitties know that they had nothing to fear from humans anymore.
Q. WHAT DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW THEN?
1. I know now that no matter what, you never, ever give up or quit trying to make a difference to an abused animal or stop trying to educate others about the plight of abused animals everywhere. I watched every person, both BF staff and volunteers, work daily to make a difference to these cats, one kitty at a time. The task itself was a daunting one yet nobody ever seemed to really question whether or not we were doing the right thing or if all the effort and expense was worth it. I take that attitude with me every time I’m involved in a rescue situation and have learned a lot about myself and what I am capable of when faced with a difficult task. 
Q. WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS OF THE GREAT KITTY RESCUE?
The most important lesson I have learned is that you absolutely, positively can not assess a cat’s personality or disposition at a glance…period.
Sadly, I believe that the world is often quick to label a cat as “feral” when certain behaviors are exhibited that are in reality a result of stress or trauma due to circumstance. The best analogy I can use is when Fluffy goes to the vet and the pet parent is surprised by their normally loving, tolerant kitty turning into a ferocious lion as soon as they walk through the clinic door. Who hasn’t experienced that situation?
Multiply that stress by one thousand and you have the 800 cats of Pahrump who experienced an unimaginable amount of abuse and trauma in that “sanctuary” gone horribly wrong.
I believe countless numbers of fabulous cats are killed in our shelters daily due to “behavior issues” that are nothing more than fear based reactions to their situation.
By taking the time to work with the Pahrump cats in a calm, patient manner we learned that the majority of them were probably nothing more than discarded house cats that, given the proper encouragement, were highly adoptable pets. How quickly they “came around” varied greatly which is part of the difficulty of these situations.
How long should it realistically take? That’s a question that is hard to answer considering I’m still seeing progress with my own Pahrump boys as they re-discover the joys of being a beloved pet. I am a firm believer that everyone involved in helping felines can learn from The Great Kitty Rescue and should take the time to review the documentation put together by Sherry Woodard and Terri Gonzales regarding socializing shy or fearful cats. We can use what we have learned to make a difference too many homeless cats that may otherwise not have a chance to find their forever home.
Thank you to Barbara Williamson for organizing this wonderful retrospective.
Images by Best Friends photographer