Latte's story

Earlier we shared with you the adventure of how Charlie came to be a part of our lives (and along the way helped serve as inspiration for founding AAI). Today's story is about Charlie's adoptive kitty brother, Latte.

Latte was born in the summer of 2011 in Joplin, Missouri, while his pregnant mama was at a local shelter. Unfortunately, that was the time when Joplin was hit by a tornado and suffered significant flood damage. Many rescue groups found themselves in a panic and needing to relocate animals. This is how little Latte and his family came up to Washington state. (Western Washington rescuers enjoy fairly high rates of adoption and solid funding so some groups are able to pull animals in danger from other parts of the state and the country and find them homes locally. It is a true blessing that such options exist and so many lives can be saved via inter-state coordination of rescue efforts).

By December 2011, Charlie had been in the US for 3 months, adjusting beautifully to life as an indoor kitty. My Mom who adopted Charlie, had learned what it's like to raise a cat with no eyes and was ready to find him a friend. Naturally, we turned to the local group with which I was volunteering at the time, Motley Zoo Animal Rescue, and decided on adorable little Latte.

Charlie is spunky and opinionated. Latte, on the other hand, is a mellow, shy, wonderfully gentle young man. He has a loud purr and an incredibly caring way in which he looks out for his brother. Latte has a flair for decorating and has been known to drag objects around the house to what he believes to be their proper location. If there is something Latte dislikes (such as the kitchen sponge) he actually buries it in the litter box!

When Latte first came to us, we noticed he was breathing as if he had a stuffy nose. No, the little boy didn't have a simple cold .Many tests and specialists later, we now know the details of his chronic respiratory illness. Latte requires medication at times but is otherwise not experiencing any discomfort. Living with a furbaby with such a condition also means making environmental changes such as not lighting candles, not having fragrant or pollen-heavy plants around him, being extra careful about dust in the home, and choosing a natural, low-dust litter. Latte may have a few special needs but the love he has given everyone who knows him is so profound and touching that any accommodations are truly a pleasure to make for our sweet boy.