It was June and I was spending my holidays in Istria. Tiger-Lilly – not even a year old at the time – hung around my house every single day. She allowed me to stroke her a little by then, but other than that, she was anything but a domesticated house cat.
That she might have kittens? That idea would never have crossed my mind.
I just wanted to take precautions
In the week before my return trip to Switzerland, I decided to get Tiger-Lilly spayed. After all, I didn't want to come back in September only to find that one Tiger-Lilly had turned into a whole little Tiger-Lilly family.
No sooner said than done. I caught Tiger-Lilly, took her to the vet, had her spayed, and released her back into her familiar surroundings the next day.
And then she returned.
Not alone.
Suddenly, a tiny black-and-white bundle appeared behind her.
I nearly had a heart attack.
My freshly spayed Tiger-Lilly was already a mother.
And suddenly, there was Leo
The little guy was certainly no more than four weeks old. He could already eat independently – but that was far from guaranteeing his survival.
He was simply too small for that.
The life of a stray cat has very little to do with the romantic pictures you sometimes have in mind while on holiday. Where many cats fight for food, there is often nothing left for the smallest ones. They are too slow and cannot hold their own against the bigger ones yet. And unneutered male cats can also pose a serious danger to a tiny tomcat.
That is the reality.
If something happens somewhere that I don't know about, I have to live with it. As hard as that is for me at times.
But when I know about it, I simply can't look away.
And I knew that I would be driving back to Switzerland just a few days later.
So the little black-and-white bundle needed a name – and I needed a plan.
I named him Leo the Fighter.
Sometimes life doesn't stick to principles
Actually, that is not the goal of help4cats. I don't want to gather up cats from Istria and bring them to Switzerland.
I want to help them there: through spaying and neutering, food and, if necessary, medical care. So that they can live in their familiar surroundings – and so that, in the long term, there are fewer stray cats.
But sometimes, life doesn't stick to principles.
With Leo, there was simply no other solution for me in that moment.
So little Leo set off on his journey to Switzerland without further ado.
From a little fighter to a super cat
Today, Leo lives in a wonderful home.
The tiny little fella who back then sat almost invisibly among the dry grass has turned into an absolute super cat.
And if you think that Leo's story ends here…
… you don't know Leo yet. 😊
There is still plenty left to tell about him.