LOCUST DALE, Va. (WUSA) - A sleek Siamese cat named Ozzie is busy celebrating the 'good life' during this new year, secure in his forever home with a Washington, D.C., woman named Amy who could hardly wait to hold him.
Ozzie's good fortune is symbolic for the Siamese Cat Rescue Center: in December, the group, along with its four sister organizations, marked a major milestone: the 20,000 rescue of a Siamese cat.
Yes, that's 20,000 Siamese cats, rescued after facing uncertain futures after former owners no longer could, or would, care for them. 20,000 Siamese cats, all hoping to find the same situation as four-year-old Ozzie, in loving homes where their beauty and intelligence are prized along with their affectionate natures.
The groups, located in Virginia, Texas, Colorado, Northern and Southern California, are all separately incorporated nonprofits, with individual procedures and boards of directors, but they all share the same passion and and same dedication to their mission. They serve most of the continental United States, and their heroic efforts have resulted in the rescue of a combined total of 20,000 cats.
Their work rescuing homeless and abandoned Siamese and Siamese-mix cats, rehabilitating them if necessary, and placing them in carefully screened permanent homes, means a world of difference to every cat, and cat parent, that they encounter. The cats are examined by vets, spayed or neutered if necessary, vaccinated, given any needed dental or medical care, and when the right home is found, they're ready to go.
Funded by adoption fees, donations, fund-raising activities and grants, the groups share a website, www.siameserescue.org, where you can find more info on the Siamese cat of YOUR dreams.
For Ozzie, with his distinctively long whiskers and seal-point coat, life took a turn when his original owner, who bought him from a breeder, could no longer care for him, her son took him to Forsyth County Animal Control in North Carolina.
The staff there reached out to Siamese Rescue, which functions as a community-care partner, and Ozzie was at first fostered, and then, when a new home was found in D.C., he was transported by the group's unique networking system, the "Meezer Express." This network of loyal drivers coordinates the travel required and together they take the cats wherever they need to go, a service included with the adoption fee of $125.
Ozzie's in his new home, but plenty of other Siamese, and Siamese-mix, cats are waiting for theirs. Siamese can live longer than many breeds, so a 10 pr 12-year old Siamese has years of lively play and affection to give. Their vocal personalities and deep bonds with their humans make them fun, companionable pets. If you're interested in learning about adopting, or opportunities to volunteer, please visit the website www.siameserescue.org. And a huge paws up congrats to those who help the Ozzies of the world reach their purrfect dreams come true.