“Honestly, I never considered myself a cat person – I did not understand cat people. Let’s just say Bumper changed everything,” –Ginger Nicolay-Davis, Bumper’s adopter.
Bumper got his name because that’s where he was rescued from at just one month old – the bumper of car. This tiny kitten had become separated from his family and was barely hanging on when he was discovered seeking shelter in a car bumper.
When Bumper arrived at our Reno shelter he weighed less than one pound, his body temperature was dangerously low and he was very sick. Our Foster team realized quickly that Bumper was going to require a foster volunteer who had the training and dedication needed to nurse poor, sweet Bumper back to health. Our Foster Coordinators knew that Amanda Adams and her family would be the perfect foster home for Bumper while she recovered.
“In order to make sure animals like Bumper get the care they need to make a full recovery, our team provides medicine, food, supplies and 24-hour support to our foster volunteers. It is no small feat, but it is rewarding to be a part of a happy ending like this one and to see how well an animal that you helped to save is doing in their new loving home,” –Lexy Rotter, Foster Coordinator, Nevada Humane Society.
Originally, when our foster coordinators sent her a message saying they had a super cute, semi-feral kitten that had been through an ordeal and needed fostering for a few weeks while he recovered, Amanda was prepared to deal with some hissing and scratching that normally comes with semi-feral kitties. “When I brought him home and opened the cat carrier for the first time, he let me reach in to pet him and began purring instantly! So I took him out of his carrier and put him on my husband’s lap (he is the kitten whisperer) and the rest is history –our whole family fell in love with Bumper and he began a speedy recovery almost immediately!” said Amanda, Bumper’s Foster Mom.
Amanda shares photos and stories of all of her foster pets on social media to help find them potential adopters, and Bumper’s amazing story got a lot of interest. “As soon as I posted the first photo of Bumper I had tons of interest from friends who wanted to adopt him,” Amanda said. “Even my daughter was interested in adopting him at first. But I’ve known Ginger for over 15 years, and I knew she would give him the best loving home.”
Amanda’s friend Ginger Nicolay-Davis, loves following her social media updates to see what shelter pets she is saving and to hear their stories of rescue and recovery. But she did not know she was in the market for a new Furry Soulmate until she heard about sweet Bumper.
“I saw her posting of Bumper on Facebook and I was in love! I don’t know what made me reach out to her to ask about him, but I did. She told me he was very small and a bit sick, but I just knew it was meant to be and I really wanted to help him,” Ginger said.
Ginger has been a dog person for over 20 years and when her two sons Luke (14) and Jake (11) told her they wanted a cat, she was reluctant at first. “Honestly, I never considered myself a cat person – I did not understand cat people. Let’s just say Bumper changed everything,” Ginger told us. Since joining the family, Bumper has melted everyone’s hearts and even made fast friends with the family’s Bernese Mountain dogs!
Bumper brought joy to both families during the pandemic, especially the Adams’ who cared for Bumper during the quarantine period. “Being able to foster Bumper, and the other animals we have fostered during the pandemic, has helped our family stay sane. My husband has been out of work since late February, and having animals around to care for gives him a job to do to stay busy. Our son is high risk from COVID, so he has been stuck at home this whole time, and the foster animals help bring a little joy into his world (especially the kittens),” Amanda said.
Pets like Bumper need your help. Please make a donation today to help us continue our life-saving work, giving pets like Bumper a second chance at a happy life.