Oreo, The NiSHA Cat

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Anyone who visited NiSHA, the island animal shelter over the past almost 14 years, would inevitably be greeted by a handsome, glossy black-coated, portly, (in his later years) self-assured cat..... our beloved Oreo. If you were lucky he would come right up to greet you but more often than not, he would expect you to come to him...which everyone did as Oreo was irresistible to humans and animals alike. We had to say a sad farewell to Oreo last year but he outlived his expected lifetime by many years and had a magical life at the shelter.

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When Oreo was a kitten he was adopted along with his sister by an island family. Unfortunately he came down with a kidney disease which was deemed to be fatal and returned to the shelter. We at the shelter were determined to make what days he had left to live, happy ones.... He loved being outside and going hunting so we let him have free rein of the shelter grounds (the only animal at the shelter ever to have these privileges) He seemed to know that his home was with us and he always returned. We started him on some medication and by some sort of miracle he kept living and living and living, right up to just beyond his 14th birthday. And what a life he had! Catered to and loved by all the staff, volunteers, and visitors and beloved by his fellow shelter animals who came and went as well....

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Towards the end of Oreo’s life,             , a rather persnickety Calico came to the shelter and promptly fell deeply in love with Oreo...and who could blame her? Oreo obviously had strong feelings for her too as they spent hours together snuggling and grooming each other..... It was a lovely way for Oreo to spend his last few years with us....

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And so Oreo’s adoption story was that he ended up being adopted by an entire shelter and loved by an entire island...... Not a bad life for a little kitten who came to us with only days to live!

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