S P O T L INGOHNTP O ESCUES RN O FRI T
In each issue, we highlight one of the many rescue groups in Birmingham and Alabama. In this issue, let’s learn more about Oak Leaf Animal Rescue.
LEARN HOW ONE NEW BIRMINGHAM NONPROFIT IS FINDING FOREVER HOMES By Jeana Durst There’s a new animal rescue organization in town—they are serving a very specific need. Did you know that from March to September every year the kitten population booms? Oak Leaf Animal Rescue in Forestdale is nurturing these young ones (even bottle feeding them) and finding forever homes – not just for kittens, but cats and puppies too. Founders Kaitlin and Trenton Giles, who moved here from Chattanooga in 2014, had been fostering animals from The Humane Society for three and a half years before deciding to open their home up as an animal rescue. “We’ve always loved animals – my husband didn’t know that he loved cats until I brought home a bunch of cats, and he realized very quickly that he loved them,” Kaitlin says. In November of 2019, Oak Leaf Animal CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
UNI AND BUMBLE: AN ADOPTION STORY Uni, the kitten, came to Oak Leaf scared, beaten, and covered in fleas and ticks. He came from a farm where he was constantly being attacked by the other cats, and Giles could tell he wasn’t used to humans. For the first few days, he didn’t eat or go to the bathroom. “It was heartbreaking to see an animal so scared,” Kaitlin says. After five days, he finally gave the softest little purr. “This is how we knew he would be okay. After a few weeks, Uni was more comfortable with us, but still didn’t seem happy,” Kaitlin says. Then they got a 6-week-old kitten, Bumble, who had been found under a friend’s car. “Bumble immediately started purring as soon as he saw Uni. Uni didn’t flinch as Bumble sniffed and walked all over him,” Kaitlin says. “To say that Bumble helped Uni to open up would be an understatement. And Uni helped Bumble learn how to “cat” by teaching him that dry food is good and how to use a litter box,” she says. Their friendship was a sweet one. One day, a friend of the Gileses wanted to foster Uni. A few short weeks later, Uni was adopted and became OLAR’s first official adoption. After a bit, it was decided that Uni may need a buddy and they suggested Bumble. “Bumble is wild, especially compared to Uni’s very calm and relaxed demeanor, but the boys, and their dad, seem to be very happy,” Kaitlin says. It was a match well made—Uni and Bumble were exactly what each other, and their new dad, needed.
PHOTO COURTESY OF OAK LEAF ANIMAL RESCUE
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