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The short and difficult life of Tripod inspired the creation of the organization Un chat dans ma cour.

To let you know the history of this beautiful cat, there is nothing better than a letter written by the president, while she discovered the wonderful world of animal welfare enthusiasts...

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It's not just an alley cat.

You will see that I am not much of a writer and have no intention to dazzle you with the words ... I only want to share with you who love cats, a slice of feline life ☺

I must admit, the adventure of this wandering little cat touches me so much that it has changed my daily life and has become for me the symbol of a community that makes this world a better place. Thanks to her, I have discovered people with a heart as big as the earth, far from power games and political allegiances, ready to rally to save a little being filled with an incredible will to live...

It all started with this wandering cat, the left front leg visibly messed up, dragging on my patio in search of food, on Sunday September 21st. I assure you that it was really pitiful to see!

Not knowing what to do and where to go for help, I approached her with, in one hand a can of tuna and with the other my smart phone to film the scene. I broadcasted the video on my Facebook page and, long live social media, in less than 24 hours, it was shared more than a hundred times, attracting the sympathy of many people, flooding me with emails from all the “Shares” of people familiar with animal rescues.

It is after following multiple bits of advice and catching all the neighborhood’s cats (which I released of course) that I finally captured this poor cat, brought her to Montreal, where a veterinarian was waiting for us, accompanied by a passionate woman devoted to the cause of the cats in distress: Mrs. Cat-chat.

Several surprises awaited us...

First, this wandering cat, who was not just a cat, but a sweet and lovable pussycat - a real pearl! Second, she had just had kittens. Finally, her terrible leg wound seemed to be an old handicap; she had four ticks; a thousand fleas and an enormous wound in her mouth.

She was treated as well as possible, dewormed, cleared of her four ticks, treated against parasites, and then we took the heart-rending decision to bring her back to her starting point, at the risk of losing her bearings, so that she could take care of her kittens and so that, for my part, I could organize to trace all her little family.

Me, who thought on that Monday night that this alley cat would have found a haven of peace and me the tranquility of my Facebook account, I was very mistaken!

If the cat had no kittens, I would not have brought her back after a first visit to the vet, I would not have written a letter to my neighbors, I would not have distributed a hundred of Wanted notices, I would not have known anything about her life in the neighborhood, nor created a Facebook page in her honor; She would already be in a shelter and perhaps no one would have noticed her disappearance.

But I wrote letters, I created a Facebook page, I walked through the streets and chatted with neighbors that I did not even know after more than 10 years in the neighborhood.

I understood that this cat was a real fighter, a regular in the neighborhood ... She had been there for about 2-3 years (maybe even more). I learned that many people were feeding her, that some had tried to catch her in vain, that everyone really pitied her and that she had already had several litters. Besides, I saw a few mini tripods on all fours wandering the streets I crisscrossed and I learned that her handicap was dating forever and that she seemed to have adapted to it.

But what I discovered above all, is an incredible army of people with a big heart. An army much more interesting and captivating than all those who make the headlines, composed of cat lovers, donors, people devoted to the animal cause and neighbors having already done more than their share to help. Wow!

Thanks to all these people, we now have the unheard-of chance to have the little pussy cat cared for, whom I affectionately named Tripod, to sterilize her and find her a haven of peace (more and more I consider becoming her Adoptive family so that she can continue to live in her familiar surroundings). We can also vaccinate, operate and adopt her kittens, yet we must find her litter. This is our challenge: to bring back Tripod and her kittens before the cold is too biting.

For a week, the neighbors who received my letters are getting news on Facebook - it is a whole district that communicates together and mobilizes to find the family of Tripod, the fighter. So if you are traveling in a strange place where all the people have their head in the groves, under the balconies or under the garden sheds, well, there is no doubt, you are near me!

In a world where everything is going badly, I wanted to share this story with you, hoping it will do you the good it does me.

Of course, even though Tripod now comes regularly to lunch at home, our research is continuing so that this story ends well.

Geneviève, 2014

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Following the story (2016)

All the kittens of Tripod were found and adopted; she had five.

Unfortunately, after living for nearly six months at Genevieve's, the beautiful Tripod had to be euthanized because she was suffering from a serious, incurable illness and she was very sick.

It is therefore in her memory and because her history has opened our eyes to a real problem that some neighbors have come together to found the organization: Un chat dans ma cour!

In memory of the beautiful Tripod xxx

To read her whole story: https://www.facebook.com/chattripodcat/