Beating the Odds

Some things are just meant to be and according to the Bohannons, one of those things was Milano coming into their home.

Life isn't easy for orphaned kittens -- veterinarians report mortality rates of anywhere from 15 to 40 percent for kittens up to 12 weeks.

Milano, now known as Miley, was found abandoned between Udall and Oxford on Cowley 3 and brought to the Cowley County Humane Society (CCHS). She was only 2 weeks old.

Unlike some shelters that euthanize kittens younger than a certain age, CCHS does everything it can to keep kittens alive, even using foster homes to help to provide extended care to the fragile kittens.

After two days, Miley was placed in the caring foster home of Diana Russell, who took care of Miley while she waited for her "furever" home.

Meanwhile, Ryan Bohannon was looking for the perfect kitten for his fiancée, Ashli.

"My fiancée told me that she wanted a female, black and white shorthair cat for her birthday," Bohannon said.

"I made several posts looking for this specific kind of cat, and CCHS sent me a message and a picture of Milano, who is now named Miley, and I instantly knew Ashli would fall in love with her.

"When I got to meet Miley for the first time and see her personality, she was definitely the cat Ashli has been wanting!"

Bohannon said he had a wonderful experience with CCHS and Russell made the process go smoothly.

"It was a really awesome experience, and thanks to Diana Russell for meeting us so we both could meet Miley and making sure she was healthy enough to come home to us," Bohannon said.

"And for making sure all the shots were taken care of. She was awesome to deal with and made the experience great!"

Since finding her "furever" home, Miley has changed their lives.

"She has brought great joy to both of us. She's very loving, but very playful," Bohannon said. "She greets us at the door when we come home and has to follow us to bed, and snuggles in bed and seems to follow us wherever we go around the house."

"She is our parrot cat. Since the day we got her, she absolutely loves to sit and lay on our shoulders even when we are walking through the house. She will even climb our legs to get on our shoulders," Bohannon said.

"When we go shower, she has to be in the bathroom and right by the shower curtain so she can peek her head around to see us, like we might have disappeared or something. If she can't get in the bathroom while we are in there, she does this, like, death cry meow until she's let in."

Miley is making the most of her time with her family, running around the house playing and teasing the Bohannons' three Chihuahuas.

"Her favorite to tease is Evie," Bohannon said.

When asked if he would recommend CCHS to others, Bohannon answered: "MOST DEFINITELY!"