Good Charlotte

She came to  an emaciated stray, seriously ill with five kittens in tow that she was desperately trying to keep alive.

A raging upper respiratory infection left the tiny black and white cat with clogged breathing passages and her face covered with mucous. She struggled daily to care for her kittens, although at three and a half pounds she wasn’t much bigger than a kitten herself.

As soon as she got to LifeLine she received a name, Charlotte, and care for herself and her weakened offspring. It took a month for Mickie Blair, a field coordinator and cat care specialist at the non-profit, to get her up to a full four pounds of weight.

With treatment and time Charlotte's respiratory infection eventually cleared up. She even gained more weight. 

She survived.   

Her kittens did not, despite the best efforts of LifeLine’s veterinarian, staff and Charlotte herself, who struggled daily to save them. One by one, over a period of weeks, they perished. Cat and kittens without homes are tragically vulnerable to many dangers, starvation and illness.

That was a few years ago and Charlotte, the tiny cat with the large will to live, is healthy now. She serenely greets staff each day from the bustling, small office where she spends most of her time. She basks in the sunlight that filters in and looks out the window at the people and pets who come to the busy low-cost spay and neuter clinic that LifeLine operates.

She enjoys meeting people who come to volunteer, foster or adopt dogs or cats. Yet every day people leave to go home and Charlotte stays, waiting for her chance to have a home to go to. 

Charlotte is a one of several adoptable cats in the office at LifeLine and a favorite of the staff because of her loving nature and the fact that unlike many felines she doesn’t amuse herself by laying across the computer keyboard when people are trying to work. 

She does enjoy attention however, and will quietly come up and wait for you to notice her. When you pet her, she sometimes reaches out with a petite paw – for she’s still a small cat - and pets you back.

“She’s so laid back,” says Blair, “She gets along great with other cats, with dogs, and she’s awesome with kids.” 

This pint-sized "Tuxedo cat" (a nickname given to black cats with white markings that make them appear dressed up) is sweet, calm and affectionate.

She’s about 5-years-old now, spayed and has had all  her shots.

If what is missing in your life is the companionship of a good cat, you may need to look no further.

To learn more about Charlotte or any of the adoptable cats at LifeLine, please contact mblair@atlantapets.org