Arwen
Coming In From the Cold
One evening after a big snowstorm in January 2008, Ken De Koven pulled into his driveway and noticed his wife on her hands and knees, peering under the porch. "It turns out she was investigating a mewing sound," Ken tells us. Shining a flashlight under the house, the couple saw a shivering cat, her fur coated in ice. "My wife reached her arms out, and the cat came willingly," Ken remembers.
The couple brought the cat inside and began drying her off. "We noticed she was not only freezing," explains Ken, "but her left ear had been bitten or chewed off, and was still bloody." They immediately drove to the local animal hospital. "We signed a Good Samaritan form, which allowed the hospital to treat her before turning her over to the local shelter," says Ken. "We left knowing she was safe and in excellent hands."
However, before the couple had even pulled out of the parking lot, Ken's wife turned to him and said she wanted to keep the cat. "That totally shocked me!" exclaims Ken. "We were both dog people and had never even had a cat."
After verifying with his doctor that living with a cat wouldn't be a problem for Ken, who has asthma, the couple called the veterinary hospital to inquire about the kitty's condition. The vet explained that the ear injury looked worse than it actually was, and that the cat was being treated with antibiotics. "While all the tests showed she was in excellent health, the vet said she was severely underweight," says Ken. "She was only four pounds!"
And so the family brought home their new cat, whom they named Arwen, to meet the resident cairn terrier and golden retriever. "Arwen was soon on her way to a full recovery," says Ken, "and has not only taken over the house, but our hearts. It is clear to us that we were meant to hear her cries for help, because she knew she had found her home—with us!"