Real Life Rescue

by Christine Krauss

The Adventures of Teddy series are non-fiction stories for children about my real life rescue cat who lost his ears to frostbite while being homeless in freezing winter weather conditions in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. Teddy has had an incredible journey to find his way to our family and into our hearts. I was introduced to Heart and Soul Dog and Cat Rescue, shortly after we lost our beloved family pet in November 2020. My children were devastated. I began to notice on social media that some friends had been fostering animals and I asked them how I could get involved. I learned that fostering is such a great way to help and support a local shelter from overcrowding while having the unique opportunity to see if that animal is a match to your family dynamic. If you feel a connection to a specific pet, then you get first rights at adoption!

Later that same month, it was announced that the Covid pandemic would prevent us from gathering with family over Christmas. I really wanted our home to feel full and happy during this time, so I volunteered to foster an entire litter of kittens and surprised my children! The kittens were rambunctious and joyful. We got to name all of them, write their personality bios and take cute photos for the rescue website. Needless to

say, the kittens all got adopted to their forever homes shortly into the new year.

It wasn’t long before I found myself scrolling through the foster pages looking to help out with another animal intake. The Heart and Soul Dog and Cat Rescue organization out of Abbotsford BC, runs solely on the hard work and dedication of volunteers who drive to remote regions of Canada to rescue homeless, abused and neglected pets.

They also coordinate with other rescue organizations like K9 Advocates, Keen Cat Care and S.A.F.E. (saving animals from euthanasia). When these operations are overcrowded with animals, Heart and Soul relies on foster volunteers to get those animals onto transport. If no one volunteers to foster, that animal loses their spot and potentially their last chance at a new life.

I saw this rough looking mangy tuxedo cat with no ears and thought his story was so unique and sad. If any cat deserved a second chance, it was this guy. I continued to check on the status of this cat for days leading up to the transport deadline. Animal after animal had volunteers, but not Teddy. I wondered if it was because without ears, he looked like a mean cat. I judged him too. He looked scrappy and angry and I wondered how he would acclimate to an indoor setting, or how he would get along with children. I suppose many of us would look upset in a mugshot photo, had we experienced the trauma this cat endured. I reluctantly turned to my kids for their assessment on whether we should give him a chance in our home, as I was still uncertain about whether he’d be a fit. They only saw only an adorable cat who needed love, so I said yes to appease them, but for a temporary foster only.

We drove as a family to Abbotsford and eagerly awaited Teddy’s arrival on the loaded up transport truck full of a hundred scared, hungry and filthy animals. They’d all been cooped up in cages for the many long hours it takes the volunteer drivers to road trip across 2-4 provinces. Only stopping to give the dogs a quick walk, or to assist a pregnant mamma in labour delivering litters of puppies or kittens onboard.

We were provided with all the supplies needed to take care of our foster pet. Then we were given our caged animal a n d decided to let him out to stretch his legs before driving another hour to home. Teddy leaped out of the cage and nuzzled into my neck, licking and loving on me. Then he spotted the kids in the backseat and hopped onto each of their laps for a quick snuggle, and all my fears about potential behaviour issues were completely alleviated.

Over the next few weeks, we learned so many funny quirks about him. Such as his love of pasta. I mean, really? He legitimately sat at the dinner table, inserting himself right between the children and politely waited for a morsel to inevitably drop. Or perhaps he actually thought he’d be offered a plate if he blended in at the table as one of the children. When I the kids abandoned their bowls, we witnessed Teddy swiftly move in and aggressively gulp up the leftover saucy noodles. I’ve had many cats in my life, but never seen one eat pasta!

It was in this moment that I

exclaimed in disbelief, look at this cat! Teddy Loves Spaghetti!! We all laughed and said how it totally sounded like a great children’s book title and I envisioned exactly how that would look. From there, we just knew Teddy’s stories had to be shared.

All of the books in the Teddy series will highlight educational points about pet care, support inclusivity and celebrate being different together. Teddy Loses His Ears is the introduction book to the series and touches on self esteem, disability awareness and shares with readers what happened to poor Teddy. Through social media, I was able to connect with volunteers that handled Teddy and ultimately found the hero who saved his life, and piece together his history.

Teddy’s tragic experience provided the inspiration and opportunity to share his stories, raise awareness to under funded rescue organizations and hopefully educate children about preventable injuries. Teddy’s differences are what set him apart from other cats in a unique way that children find relatable, as the protagonist is a loveable character that children seem to emotionally connect with. Just as our family did.

Each illustrations in the Teddy series are hand painted by a talented, young local artist named Ciera Van Nes whom I met organically through my local Facebook Marketplace. Cierra instantly understood exactly how to paint every Teddy scene. We collaborated on many details to make the story even more interactive and fun for our readers, like including Teddy’s favourite toy hidden on every page for children to seek and find!

The much anticipated book 2 in the series is set to release this month!! Teddy Loves Spaghetti uses humour to teach kids about nutrition, alternatives to food based rewards, pet care and diabetes awareness. I’ve received so many private messages, videos and requests from Teddy fans over this past year who expressed that they are impatiently waiting to get their hands on more books in the series!

Coming soon, a revealing and unexpected vet visit! Stay tuned for more about that!

Please check out my author website for colouring pages and to get exclusive looks at the real Teddy at home! www. christinemilkovickrauss.com or on Facebook @The Adventures of Teddy.

ABOUT CHRISTINE

Everybody has a story. More importantly; every person is deserving of friendship, kindness and acceptance. Teddy Loses His Ears is a non-fiction story about my real life rescue cat who lost his ears to frostbite while being homeless in negative 50 degree temperatures in central Canada.

All of the books in the Teddy series will highlight educational points about pet care, support inclusivity and celebrate being different together. Teddy Loses His Ears is the introduction book to the series and touches on self esteem and disability awareness. Each illustration in the story is hand painted and even has a Teddy's favourite toy hidden on every page for children to find! This story was created to raise awareness for rescue organizations and promote, adopt vs shop, to find your purr-fect family pet.

In addition to being a pet lover and cat mom, I am also a mom of two primary school aged children.