I want to start off this biography by stating that this little lady’s name could not be more fitting, as she is totally a-DORA-ble!  I didnt’ have the honor of naming her, but once I laid eyes on this pretty and petite 5 year old (born in the spring of 2017), it struck me how perfect it was!  And come to find out, her name would take on a double meaning, but I will get to that in a bit….  Darling Dora ended up in the care of Kelly C. back in the summer of 2021;  Kelly is NO stranger to the strays and serving their needs;  she is sort of a one-woman rescue warrior in the Monroe area.  If memory serves me correctly, Dora had a litter that accompanied her, and as well all know, kittens are much easier to adopt out than adult kitties– especially ones that have FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency virus).    Also, the bitty buff and white kitty was painfully shy, which made Kelly hang on to her for so long, looking for exactly the right fit for her.  We had worked together in the past, through our intake program at Big Sid’s, so she and I made plans to eventually get Dora into our program.  Life got in the way , of course, so it ended up being months until they finally made the trek over to Grand Rapids, on March 29th, 2022.  
Upon our initial meeting, I was struck how cute she appeared with her tiny tongue blep and HUGE eyes.  But as I got up close and personal, I discovered that this wasn’t a quirk of hers, but rather that her tongue was protruding and she was suffering from HORRIBLE halitosis brought on by chronic, painful stomatitis (inflammation of the oral cavity).  This condition is all too common in cats with this virus, and although it had been noted upon exam when she was spayed in late October, her condition wasnt properly discussed with her rescuer;  she had no idea what was going on inside of her poor mouth.  So, right off the bat I had to take Dora to surgery to extract all of her remaining teeth, including her canines.  She awoke with a newfound sense of comfort and calm, and although I am certain it felt very strange to her, she was much better off with that source of irritation and infection removed;  yes, she was basically allergic to her own teeth.  This is where the second meaning behind her name stems from:  the fact that now Dora would be exploring life without her choppers!
Two months after her arrival (late May) Dora is still a little shy and not real crazy about being picked up.\xa0 She prefers to be up high in a cubby near her other timid friends;  they may have actually formed a club where likeminded individuals can converge and cuddle:)\xa0 \xa0She is still in the process of taking everything in and is a little bit overwhelmed when there are too many things going on around her.\xa0 However, she is very sweet and cannot resist a belly rub and some back scratching.\xa0 She definitely will need to be in a quieter home, preferably with no small kids or dogs, and most definitely requests a feline companion to chum around and hunker down with.  Since she can’t bite (not that she would) there is NO risk of viral transmission, making her the ideal candidate for a roommate to another mellow cat.  Of course,  our lovely little girl deserves to end her travels in a home of her own!