"Havana's" Story

A number of you have asked me to tell Havana's story on the blog so that you can share it with others. Here it is:
I was fortunate to travel to Cuba during Spring Break with my husband. We went to a tourist part of Cuba, a place called Varadero, where there is a beautiful beach with warm tropical waters. We loved Varadero, although we were saddened at the poverty there, and everywhere else that we traveled in Cuba. My heart went out to the dogs and cats that roam the streets - many of them do not belong to anyone, and they have a tough time scrounging food and water for themselves. Every single animal we met had a lovely nature - they just need some tender, loving care.
Part way through our stay, we arranged to travel to the capital city of Cuba, Havana. We had met a wonderful Cuban and he took us in his 1955 Buick! Havana is about two hours away from Varadero, and we stopped at a lookout at the entrance to this very large (two million people) city. As I came back to the car from doing some exploring, I spied a little kitten, curled up in a small spot of shade cast by a taxi beside the curb of the road. I reached down to pick the kitten up and immediately realized it was in very sad shape - one eye was swollen and "glued" shut, the other eye was gummy, and the poor little thing's nose and mouth were all cracked and bleeding. It was skin and bones - starved and dehydrated. What to do? The only thing I could - after letting him have a little bit of water from my cupped hand, I placed our little Havana gingerly in my day bag, and very carefully carried him around Havana for the rest of the day. When we were in the car, he slept on my lap. Sometimes he tried to get out of my bag, I think to be carried by me - he seemed to like that.
When we got back to our hotel that night, we gave Havana more water, a little bit of milk, and a little bit of food - he ate voraciously!! He then curled up with me for the night, and we looked after him for the rest of our stay. The picture on the blog was taken just before we had to leave Varadero, and he looked so much better, although he was still skin and bones - so fragile.
It broke my heart to leave Havana - although I had tried to find someone who could adopt him and I checked about flying him home with me, I was unsuccessful. I found another guest though, a kind woman named Betty, who offered to continue caring for Havana for the next week, and then she would try and find another guest to do the same - our best hope was to help Havana get stronger and old enough to fend for himself and become a "resort" cat - tourists would feed him and life might not be too bad.
But when I got home, I couldn't stop thinking about Havana. I tried again to make arrangements to fly him home, and once again they didn't work out. I found out that Havana got sick the night we left, and Betty no longer had him, although she was keeping an eye on him and staff were taking care of him. After a week I knew that Betty would have left, and I felt more anxious than ever for this vulnerable little ball of fluff. And then....Miss Bell mentioned to me that she thought there was an organization in Cuba that helps the homeless animals (thankfully, although there is great poverty in Cuba, there is almost no homelessness for people). As a result, I found a wonderful blog for the Association of Animal Protection in Cuba (I've posted it under links - click on it, you'll love the stories!). Because I was desperate for my little "Gatito" (kitten in Spanish), I emailed them asking if they could help me somehow. I was thrilled when I immediately got a reply - a woman named Ingrid said she would go to the hotel in Varadero the very next day and try to find Havana - I sent her the picture you see on this blog.
And then I waited.
It was a long night for me. I didn't know if Havana would still be there, whether he would be ok, would something bad have befallen him? But around 11 the next morning (and Megan, Beth, and a few others of you can tell this part of the story, you were there!) I received an email with the subject line "from Ingrid, Done!!! The rescue has been a success....". I literally jumped and shouted with joy!
Ingrid and her husband Dr. Slavik have been amazing. Ingrid sent me pictures, and has kept in close touch with me. The plan is for Havana to get a little older and a little stronger, and then they will fly Havana home to me.
But yesterday I got some difficult news. Ingrid tells me that Havana has a fever, pneumonia, anemia, and lots of parasites in his stomach. He isn't eating and is very, very delicate. We are hoping for a miracle, because this is a lot for such a tiny little thing to have to battle. So send lots of good vibes to our Havana, Ingrid, and Dr. Slavik - and to all of the other animals that need help and all the wonderful people that are helping them. I am so heartened that there are people like Ingrid and Dr. Slavik, and the others on their team, in this world. Imagine them taking such great care of a tiny little creature - he fit into my hand - for someone so far away in a different country, that they don't even know. I believe I will stay connected to them for a very long time. I think, trying to help the work that they do might be my passion.
Let's keep our fingers crossed for Havana. Ingrid said I saved him the first time, and now they are trying to save him. I know they'll do everything they can, and I'm hopeful.
Here is a quote from APAC's blog that I love....
In this world full of disasters, misery and uncertainty, saving one little cat is not only about the animal’s second chance. It is also about ours...