Our little stowaway - Xiao Mao ( Little Cat ), the cat from China.

 

Pet Haven is locally focused. We do not import pets from faraway states, let alone as far as China. But when we got the call to help a lost immigrant, we knew we had to provide her a safe place to land, rest, and heal.

 

 

This small, petite girl found herself alone on a journey over 6,000 miles, 3 weeks of travel in a shipping container across the ocean, then on a train to a business in Oakdale, Minnesota. This courageous cat survived a long journey!

How on earth did she survive? 

 

We believe she drank the condensation that pooled in the container, possibly along with a rodent or two. Cats are often used as rodent control in shipping ports. We think she may have followed a mouse or two into the container, or it was a quiet place to sleep under the pallets. We cannot be sure but we do know when the shipping container was opened, she was seen hiding under the pallets.

 

Companion Animal Control was called. Oakdale is their jurisdiction. They jumped into action and brought live traps to catch her. Smelling the fresh food, this starving girl surrendered to the trap pretty quickly. She was brought to Northwoods Humane Society, where they hoped she could recover and be adopted. But this poor sweetheart was so thin, dehydrated, and scared that she was not a good candidate for a traditional shelter. She was deteriorating, and the staff could not handle her at all. Not even for an exam.

 

That's when our Executive Director received a call....would we accept "Stowaway" into our Wallflowers Program? She immediately said yes, even though we are locally focused, we could not turn our backs on a scared young girl from a foreign country.

 

 

We wanted to give her a new name, something that was familiar to her. Words she might know. We named her Xiao Mao - Little Cat in Chinese

Pet Haven's Wallflower Program gives shy, undersocialized cats and dogs a chance to bloom.

 

We have a well-designed program of compassionate trust-building and socialization. We provide them with a supportive environment and the time and love they need to find their best selves and live a well-loved, enriched life.

 

Xiao Mao's room was set up with cat trees that have a big window view to the world outside, a safe crate she can retreat to if she needs, Feliway calming pheromones, and lots and lots of ChuRu for building trust - the best way is through the belly!

 

 

This little girl is making progress every day. She is still very thin, and we have her on a "slow refeeding program" so as not to stress her internal organs. Once she is strong enough, she will undergo a sedated exam where we can draw blood to check her health and determine any other needs, along with vaccinating her. We know she will take a while to build trust - and understand our language!- but we are so happy to have her here at Pet Haven of Minnesota!

 

Xaio Mao has started placing her mouse in her water bowl for us to find.....she is starting to play!

 

We are incredibly proud of our wallflowers program because it gives pets who would not usually have a chance a place to Bloom!

 

Since the start of the Wallflowers program in 2022, 18 dogs have entered and graduated from the program, and over 112 cats who would not have had a chance. Please click HERE to consider a gift to help others bloom, and we always need Churu and Feliway!