PITTSFIELD – Luck and time are running out for Lily and Otto, two well-behaved house cats in good health who have had some tough breaks this summer.
Their human “mom,” the late Eleanor Leahey, died earlier this month.
She had adopted them nine years ago, when they were each about a year old, from the Berkshire Humane Society after her other cat, “Spooky,” died.
He had been a stray who came to her house one day close to Halloween and stayed around for nine years.
She adopted Otto after Spooky’s death, said Joan Howard, Mrs. Leahey’s sister, and then, six months later, she adopted Lily.
The “brother and sister” cats have kept each other company and have gotten along well throughout the years.
Their “mom” took excellent care of them and loved them with all of her heart.
Owner Became Ill
Last fall, Mrs. Leahey’s health started to deteriorate. Mrs. Howard said home care was arranged for her sister 24 hours a day. In April of this year, however, things got even more difficult.
Mrs Howard’s own daughter died and the cats’ owner experienced congestive heart failure and was put on oxygen. The day came when she had to be placed in a local nursing home.
“It’s been a tough year,” Mrs. Howard said. “We’ve been trying to do the best we can.”
Once she was admitted to the nursing home, Mrs. Leahey stopped asking about Lily and Otto’s welfare. It was probably just too painful for her.
She knew her sisters, Mrs. Howard and Gloria Robinson, hired someone to come in and feed her beloved cats.
Even with the twice-a-day visits from the helper, the cats got lonely, Mrs. Howard said. They missed their owner and often could be seen looking out of the window of the house, waiting for her return.
Otto is a big boy, weighing about 12 pounds. He’s a long-haired gray cat who is friendly and quiet.
Part of his face and chest are white, making him look like he has a little beard.
He has pretty eyes that look up longingly at a visitor.
“He likes attention,” Mrs. Howard said. “He’s really no problem.”
Indeed, Otto made eye contact with a visitor and swirled numerous times around her ankles, vying for attention and a scratch behind the ears.
Then he hopped up on a favorite chair and stretched out one paw in front of him. He appeared to want to be part of the action, knowing a stranger had come to visit.
Lily, on the other hand, who is smaller than her brother and weighs about nine or ten pounds, was a bit more skittish and hid for awhile. Also gray with a little bit of white, she eventually came out to see what was going on but was more guarded than her “bro.”
The two sisters have asked everyone they know if they’d like to adopt Otto and Lily as a two-some but there have been no takers.
“We’ve tried everywhere,” Mrs. Howard said. “We just can’t find anybody who wants cats.”
Lily and Otto would need a home without children, dogs or other cats and they would have to be able to remain indoor house cats. They’d never survive outside, she said.
They also cannot share a home with dogs.
“The poor things would die,” Mrs. Howard said. “They’d be scared to death.”
The best home of all would be with an older couple or single person who could give them attention and lots of love but not have to worry about the antics of kittens.
Sadly, no one in the family is able to adopt Lily and Otto. Mrs. Howard already has two cats of her own and members of Mrs. Robinson’s family have severe allergies to cats.
The sisters do not want to bring the two older cats to shelters because the chances of their being adopted would be slim to none.
We know they’d be put down eventually,” Mrs. Howard said. Neither sister likes that possibility.
The two older cats have no major medical problems and have been well attended for years by their owner.
The house that has been home for Lily and Otto for the past nine years is now in disarray. Boxes of their owner’s possessions are piling up and eventually the house will be put up for sale.
For now, the cats and the two human sisters, wait and hope someone will come forward and want to give a Lily and Otto a new home together.
“We just keep hoping,” Mrs. Howard said. “That’s all we can do right now.”
Mrs. Howard can be reached by calling (413) 499-4587.