Missy - In Memory of Our Beloved Sponsor Shelter Cat ~ Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.

Missy was one of the residents at PetRescue.com, Inc. Her story is one of amazing courage and survival - travelling thousands and thousands of miles from her native country of Singapore to the United States of America. How she defied the odds of survival in Singapore, an island of paradise but one of total hell for cats, makes Missy even more special than just a little "stray."

In March 1997, American Jana Faucher of Action Cat discovered a hedge not far from her residence in Singapore which seventeen starving little cats and kittens called home. Though she was in a foreign country, her compassionate heart and mind told her she had to help these cats. Jana courageously spoke for the cats, against the Singaporean government who demanded that no one feed the cats and dogs without severe repercussions - heavy fining and possible prison sentencing. Their policy was to starve them so they "will cease to breed."

Jana tamed these little cats, feeding and caring for them every day. With each day, she feared more and more for their safety, knowing they were beginning to trust humans - this being fatal if she couldn't get them adopted. No one came forward, not one single Singaporean. Before Jana's eyes, the months slipped by without any help from the citizens of Singapore. She helplessly watched as her little hedge cats disappeared to unknown horrible fates until there remained only four. Missy was the oldest of the four - mother to KitKat and Tigger; next in age was Julius.

A tiny group of Americans formed to help Jana promote world-wide awareness of the deplorable lives all stray animals in Singapore are forced to endure, a daily struggle to find food and shelter. Through the web sites of this tiny group, more and more sites linked to further express outrage and disgust against the wealthy country, a country with no compassion, no love, no regard to part of their population: the stray cats and dogs. Over 400,000 cats alone are on their streets, a country not much larger than Chicago.

All four cats were airlifted to the United States where the three younger cats were adopted immediately by loving families.

Due to Missy's age and a few health problems, her destination was to PetRescue.com, Inc., her new home. Here Missy was loved and cared for with the other charming residents of this wonderful organization. Please read more about Missy at PetRescue.com, Inc.

Update October 18, 2003: Missy had been with us six years; she was roughly 11 or 12 years old, but that tough little heart of hers that had carried her through so many travails in her life finally gave out. She left us the same way she lived - purring quietly and without fuss - as usual, not wanting to cause us any bother.

It's always hard to lose any of these little guys but some are definitely tougher than others. Missy was so easy to love. It gave us so much pleasure to see just how contented she was here. She was so happy. She loved us and she loved the companionship of the other cats. There wasn't a single animal - cat, dog, raccoon or possum - that she didn't get along with. Life was good for her and that gave us so much joy. I can't tell you just how much we miss this tiniest and sweetest of creatures. How can something that small leave such a gigantic hole in your heart!

Our hearts are shattered, Little Girl. The Daileys, Craig, your little Tigger, and I miss you, dear Missy, and will miss the many, many updates and beautiful pictures sent to us throughout the year from our sponsorship. We'll see you at the Bridge. We know that you are dancing free from diseases with our Rainbow Bridge Kids. We'll be home soon, Sweet One. All our love, Susie

Missy is also on the AngelKitties site. She's the third kitty on the page.

Sponsor a needy pet such as Missy today. For only $25 a year, you too can sponsor a needy cat or dog. It is such a joy to open a sponsorship packet from PetRescue.com, Inc. Each sponsor is sent a color photo of the selected pet in a nice photo holder with a history sheet of the pet, a personal letter from the President, and a copy of the latest "PetRescue.com, Inc. News Update." The issue carries vital health information tidbits and a statistical "Food for Thought," the latest news of the organization's activities.

Your sponsorship to PetRescue.com, Inc. is tax deductible:

PetRescue.com, Inc. is a Florida non-profit 501(c)3 corporation

IRS tax-exempt status (FEI Number 59-3182542)

Any donations are fully tax-deductible in the United States

All proceeds go to help the animals. There are no employees, only volunteers; there are no administration fees and no professional fund-raisers to pay

Little Missy
A Childrens' Story by Jana Faucher
Copyright © Janalee Faucher, reprinted with permission.
This is a true story about a little girl named Missy, who once lived in Singapore.

Missy had no dad, and her mum was very poor. They had nothing, not food and not even a place to live. When Missy was very small, her mum was caught stealing food, and she was taken away to jail. Missy was left all alone, scared and hungry. She hoped and prayed that a kind stranger would help her, but people walked right past her. They were too busy laughing and playing and eating to notice little Missy at all.

Missy was so hungry that she bravely went into a shop that sold bread and biscuits. Missy looked at the shopkeeper with big hungry eyes, and prayed that she would be kind. The shopkeeper said, "Oh you poor little girl!" and she took Missy to her flat above her shop. "You may live with me and I will be your new mum," the shopkeeper said.

In the shop, Missy had food every day and a soft place to sleep. Everyone who knew Missy praised her. "Missy is such a good girl," they said. "She is so loving to her mum, and so friendly and kind." Missy began to forget about the days when she had been so hungry and scared.

And then one day Missy's new mum put all her belongings into a removal van . . . all her belongings except for Missy. The van drove off and Missy waited and waited. Surely her mum wouldn't forget her? Surely her mum loved her and would not leave her all alone? Mums do not leave their children, do they? But her mum had done exactly that. Missy's mum never came back.

A construction crew tore down the shops, and Missy had no home at all now. She slept on the muddy ground. Ants crawled on her, and bugs bit her soft skin.

Every day, she searched for something to eat. Some days she could only find a mouthful of rice or a bite of chicken. Somedays there was no food at all, and her tummy hurt so much that she cried. Sometimes when she begged for food, people were cruel to her. They hit her with sticks, and threw rocks at her. One man kicked her very hard, and broke her bones. She could not go to a doctor, because she had no money, so she lay very still for many days while it mended, hungry and hurt and crying with pain.

Years went by, and every day was the same as the one before it. Missy thought it would always be this way, and she was almost right. But one night a woman who was visiting in Singapore saw Missy begging for food and she was filled with sadness for this poor little girl. She asked everyone she knew, "Can you please, please help Missy?" And one person said, "Send her to me and I will give her a home forever and ever." So the woman put Missy on a plane to America.

Today, Missy lives in a home with a loving mum. There is money for a doctor when she is sick, and there is food every day. There are toys and playmates and a soft bed to sleep on, and there is love and kindness always. Missy's mum promises her every day, "I will never leave you." Missy believes her. She knows that she is safe at last. She knows that this mum truly loves her.

Missy is a cat, a little cat who grew up in Singapore. Missy is no different from the cats that you see every day in Singapore, the sad little cats who live in constant hunger and fear, the cats who search every day for food and kindness and maybe, maybe, a loving mum or dad.

Missy is a real cat, and this is her true story. I know because I am the person who sent her home.

The End
Copyright © 1997 Janalee Faucher. All rights reserved.