Spring Down Feline Friends

We have had a few very interesting visitors spend some time with us here at Spring Down.

We had expected to adopt an adult cat, but it turned out that this cat was just an 11 month old kitten herself, who had a 1 -2 week old kitten with her. The mother kitten was very skittish, and she ended up bolting and running away... leaving us with a very, very young kitten who required around the clock care.


Tuffy as a kitten, photos by Kore Chan

Tuffy in 2012

Robin Elsineitti was the primary care giver for this kitten, bottle feeding him every two hours during the night for several weeks. But all of the Spring Down staff and several of the clients pitched in also to take care of the kitten (who Carol named "Tuffy" because he had survived against great odds) during the day time hours.

Tuffy thrived because of the wonderful care and love that he got from everyone at Spring Down, and he is now a four month old kitten who is very healthy and strong. Just recently, one of Spring Down's most wonderful clients, Kris Clark Hahn, adopted Tuffy and Wally, a kitten who we adopted to keep Tuffy company.

Tuffy and Wally are doing very well at Kris's house, and they are getting the best possible care there and having a wonderful life. At Spring Down, of course the cats and kittens are outdoor cats who live outside most of the time and are at risk for all of the dangers that go with that. Now, both Tuffy and Wally will live safe and sound with Kris in her house. Kris will keep us posted about how they are doing, for sure. The most recent report is that they are doing extremely well, and they are both very, very happy in their new house with their new friends.

Around the same time that Spring Down acquired these two kittens, one of the Spring Down staff found yet another kitten at a nearby riding facility. The kitten seemed to need a good home. Spring Down also took this kitten in. Caroline Warde, one of Spring Down's wonderful instructors, has taken this kitten in to raise it and take care of it.


Caroline Warde's kitten Geisha

Geisha in 2012

Here are some very cute and candid pictures of this adorable kitten! Most of the pictures of these beautiful felines were taken by Kore Chan, a young man who rides with Carol Goodstein, and he is a very helpful and valuable member of the Spring Down community. Stay tuned for more stories and photos of our new feline friends!

UPDATE from Kris Hahn, October 2010:

Tuffy and Wally are both doing very well. Tuffy has several names now, including Cassidy, Hopalong, Hoppy, Monkey, Minkus, and daily variations and inventions. He is getting more gorgeous by the day. His coat is silky soft, and the warm grey color is developing into a marbled tabby pattern instead of just the straight gun-metal grey of his kittenhood. He is very quiet, almost never meows, and his purring still is mostly marked just by soft vibration rather than audible sound. He still likes to sniff ears and play with hair.



Kris Hahn's kittens Wally (all black) and Tuffy (grey and white)

Wally, on the other hand, can be heard purring from two rooms away. If he can’t find his buddy or one of his people, he meows plaintively, sounding like a lost child. He starts up purring as soon as he sees you. His long tail whips into the air like a black antenna looking for incoming radio signals. He stomps into the room and falls heavily over onto the floor, stretching out his long spine and spreading out his four legs.

They are the best of friends, as you can see . . .