10/19/2024
Two Peas in a Pod: Absalom & Emerson
Emerson was born in March 2023, one of five kittens in his litter but the only one with long hair and an even longer, gorgeous tail. He was the last of his family to be adopted but his time in rescue was nothing short of enjoyable as his foster loved and doted on this tabby boy with the sweetest personality. He enjoyed the simple, indoor life and could often be found sleeping high up on his cat tree, cuddling with the resident cats or sunning himself in the windows. He could be a little wary of strangers at first but would warm up in just a few minutes. When alone with his foster family, he could be his outgoing and friendly self.
In July 2023 little Absalom a.k.a. ‘Salami and Cheese’ was found in a car engine on the military base. He didn’t come easily but thankfully his finder, and the maintenance person were able to catch the frightened little guy who was estimated to be only 8-10 weeks old. He was spicy at first but after a few months, his foster mom was able to gain his trust and fell in love with him as he allowed his true personality to come out. He was reserved around strangers but absolutely loved curling up in his foster mom’s lap, even if it meant squeezing in between the other cats and dogs that had already taken their places in this most coveted spot. It was amazing to see how much he absolutely craved love after his rough start in life.
After a few months it became obvious how much Absalom leaned on other cats, especially Emerson. Considering how well they got along and their closeness in age, it was decided to adopt them out together. After many adoption events, they were finally adopted in February of this year.
They were adopted to what we believed was a good and loving home. However, on October 14th we learned that was not the case when we received a call from Mat-su Animal Shelter stating they had our Absalom’s body. He had been hit by a car about 2 miles from his adopted home. We were told that when animal control contacted his adopted family, they came across cold and uninterested in the fact that he had passed away. The family then told us that they “didn’t want to live inside.” Mind you, they had always been indoor cats and had never tried to go outside while in foster care.
Despite having both the rescue and the foster as a resource with any questions or concerns as they made the boys comfortable in their new home, they never reached out. They simply let the boys roam around outside. They claimed to have seen Emerson about a week prior to Absalom’s passing, stating that because he looked to be in good shape, they assumed someone else was taking care of THEIR cat. It truly saddens us to know that these adopters never took ownership or responsibility for Emerson and Absalom.
We are still looking for Emerson, but no sightings have been reported. Several traps have been set and we are crossing our fingers that we can catch him. We also want to extend a huge thanks to the group “Helping Escaped and Lost Pets” who are letting us borrow game cameras to monitor the sites, making the entire process easier and more humane as the temperatures continue to drop at night.
If you or anyone you know has seen or caught a brown tabby around Lake Lucille in Wasilla, please contact AK Cat & Dog on Facebook. If someone is taking care of him and wants to keep him, please contact us so you can formally adopt him from us. We want nothing more than to find Emerson before it snows. Even if it’s just his body, it would give us closure to what was supposed to be a happy ending for the boys.
We are also accepting donations to help purchase cameras and a few more lives traps as we hope to broaden our search for him.
