Who Do? An ambassador cat from Nye hits home!
The Duke, now named HouDou, is an unusually compassionate kitty that found happiness in an extended family full of Furry Friends!
Linda Rader of
Furry Friends, a rescue dedicated to helping cats in need, had been following the Pahrump stories on the Nye County Cat Rescue community on the Best Friends Network since it began. She knew right away that she and her Furry colleagues would take some of the cats when the time came. When she saw the Duke, she exclaimed, “I’ll take him!”
This is a special match indeed! Furry Friends was founded in October 1999 and is one of the only no kill shelters in Vancouver, WA. They have placed an innumerable amount of cats since they began and they do it all. From helping the public get their cats spayed and neutered to pitching in for medical expenses, to providing kitties for pet therapy to senior citizens! And Linda is like the Mother Teresa among these saints.
After her husband passed in 2000, Linda was looking for something to fill the void in her heart. When she started volunteering with Furry Friends she found what she was looking for! An organization that takes a holistic approach to animal rescue, their motto is “Health and Safety of the Cat.” They consistently go the extra mile to ensure their rescued cats are getting the best care possible. They only use biodegradable kitty litter and feed top of the line premium pet food, in addition to using alternative medicine whenever possible. And Linda’s house is where many neonatal kittens have called their first home. Linda’s house is where no special needs kitty is turned away. Linda’s house is where HouDou is learning to let go of the past and embrace his new role as big brother!
At the end of October, HouDou and his two Nye siblings, now named Bryce and Zion, flew out of Las Vegas and had a connecting flight in Houston to get to Portland! Twelve hours in a travel crate and then straight to Linda’s place, HouDou stayed for the next three days getting acclimated to his new digs in her bedroom. Many animals would have found the journey traumatizing, but not HouDou!
“I really saw his personality relax. He slept in my arms and I cooed to him to let him know everything was okay,” explained Linda. This is helping exemplify why she is called the Cat Whisperer amongst her peers! “On the fourth day I opened the door and he came out of the room and he was immediately friendly towards his new extended family (which currently consists of 12 half, step, and foster kitty brethren).”
While he was pleasant enough, Linda said he really played by himself. He was so reserved, that Linda was taken by surprise how HouDou reacted when her latest foster kids came in. Toby and Trace soon became the object of HouDou’s gentle affections! He would lick them and love on them, like they were part of his own birth family!
Linda is thrilled that HouDou can act as babysitter and big brother to her cat brood because she’s busy! She’s not only in charge of getting the Furry Friends newsletters, invitations and e-vites out; she’s also working around the clock quilting, making tote bags and jackets in preparation for their big fundraiser.
Cat Paws On Your Heart Art Fair is coming up February 16th and there’s going to be some extraordinary art featured this year! HouDou is not only fitting in well as a mentor to kitty cats, but his artistic abilities are also being honed. This will be a premier opening for HouDou, Bryce and Zion, as their work will be featured in the exhibit and auction!
From a million to one odds HouDou has demonstrated that he’s one in a million! And Linda is too! She is so passionate in our interview for what she does, it’s obvious she loves it.
“Since belonging to Furry Friends, it’s like a whole new world opened up to me. The founder, Nancy McMartin is a remarkable woman. She has created this network of women who are bonded over helping these cats. But we also socialize together in creative ways. To help keep the vet bills down we started a vet tech night where two nights out of the month we go over every cat with 3 of our volunteers that are professional vet techs!,” she said excitedly. “In 2004 we visited Best Friends and it was such a religious experience! We’re all about the same age, many of us are retired and we share this love of animals and life. We are very serious about helping the cats but we also spend quality time going out to plays or dinner; eight of us are even going on a cruise to Alaska!”
She saves the best trip to tell me about for last! Furry Friends has a young girl volunteering with them, and guess where they’re going for her High School graduation present? Did you vote Best Friends? “Katie is an 18 yr old Goth girl. And she asked to go to Best Friends out of anywhere in the world! And she wants to be a veterinarian!,” Linda said proudly.
The Duke, now HouDou has gone from homeless pet to loved big brother with a woman that couldn’t love him more! Now that’s a heartwarming story that even the Grinch could feel.
Join Furry Friends at their FundraiserClick here to get the flyer!
Click here for more information on Furry Friends.
Help the Kitties of the Nye County Rescue!Click here for all the info you need to help make a difference!
by Denise LeBeau, Best Friends staffimages courtesy of Linda Rader