August's Story
Story updated March 2010
Photographer Butch McCartney snapped this fabulous photo of August for his sponsors. A caricature of August, based on this photo and drawn by the late Ismael Roldan of the Wall Street Journal, graced the cover of our 2009 holiday mailing.
August was found by a kind person named Laura on a rainy day in August. He had apparently been abandoned. Besides being completely deaf, August is a neutered, de-clawed house cat who never could have survived life on the streets without a family to take care of him.
Laura was referred to Home to Life® by an animal shelter in the Twin Cities during her desperate email search of shelters to find him a home. She took him into her home during her search, naming him for the month he happened upon her, determined to give this wonderful cat a second chance.
August is a loveable pure white cat with bold golden eyes. He is very smart and affectionate, accepting all those who wish to meet and cuddle him.
Laura tried to keep him herself but could not make a comfortable fit for him among her four female cats and their personalities in her two-bedroom apartment. Laura let August stay until she could be sure he would find a good home where his owners would never abandon him again.
She thought she had found a great home for him one day, after posting an advertisement in the paper. Unfortunately, some of August's more frisky habits and curiosities could not be accepted by his new owner and she sent a confused and overwhelmed August back to Laura.
Laura did not want to give up on August as his previous two owners had,
and was determined to find a permanent and stable home where he could be
loved for his individuality and zest, but she was running out of options
and space. This is when Laura found Home For Life®.
We welcomed August in December (but kept his name August). Since coming
to the sanctuary, he has finally found a place where playfulness and curiosity
are encouraged and embraced.
In fact, although August lives in our feline leukemia building, he spends a good deal of his time on the DOG side of the building. When it suits him, August thinks he is a dog — he sleeps on the couches with the dogs, eats their food, and uses the dog door to access the dog run. But when he feels the need to tour the rest of the sanctuary, August quickly morphs into a cat.
Most of our dogs have the decency NOT to try scaling the fence to get out, but to August, the dogs' fence is simply an invitation to the world beyond it. At least once or twice a day, he gleefully scales the dogs' fence to go exploring. He especially enjoys the perennial garden, with its many flowering plants that attract bumblebees and butterflies for him to chase.
When August escapes, a chorus of indignant dogs, usually led by Spirit the Doberman, alerts the staff to the trouble afoot. They have a special hysterical barking tone reserved for "August has escaped" incidents.
By the time the dogs reach a pinnacle of hysteria, August can be found rolling around on the gravel road in front of the townhouses, enjoying the sun and getting his pristine white coat full of dust. Quite possibly he does this just to drive the dogs nuts.
At this point, a staff member retrieves the intrepid August and brings him inside. His attention can be easily redirected with some food — he works up an appetite causing such an uproar!
August never goes far on his expeditions — he simply wants to extend his domain a bit further. Come winter, August will suspend his explorations in favor of cuddling with the dogs and dreaming of chasing bugs and butterflies.
It has been a privilege to welcome such a smart and determined kitty to Home For Life®, and we are honored to finally be the home where August can spend all of his months throughout the years.