2025, A Year in Review
Happy New Year! ...and a Brief Look Back at 2025
As the year draws to a close, it’s natural for an organization to reflect on its activities for the year, to quantify results, to recall the hard lessons learned, and to celebrate the small victories won along the way. And while there are many mighty organizations within our community who are doing truly heroic work helping large numbers of cats per year, our mission is focused on the individual feline. In particular, we’re focused on providing a space for The One who doesn’t fit into the current rescue infrastructure in Indianapolis. At Hotel Bravo we advocate for The Brave; The One. If you continue reading, we’ll show you exactly who we mean as we highlight this year’s very special batch of Braves.
Of course, none of this would be possible without the incredible support from compassionate community members just like you! We’ve been blessed with support from many individuals within our community, and even some from our greater regional community! We also want to thank our community partners! We love you all! Words fall short of conveying the depth of our gratitude, but know that we are eternally grateful to you for supporting and believing in our mission and The Brave. We salute you! > ‘ . ’ <
“…none of this would be possible without the incredible support from compassionate community members just like you!”
Mr. Grant, Junior Vice-President of Operations
A Cat Named Kernel and His Pal, Fast Eddie
Late in 2024, our friends at ARPO reached out to us about a young fella who was in need of some extra special help with socialization. Kernel’s story is a miracle in many ways. ARPO and their volunteers undoubtedly saved his life. He was found as a kitten in the middle of the street in the pouring rain by a compassionate human being. And from that moment on, they were his guardian angels. But the early trauma (whatever it was that damaged his eye and the subsequent infection) and the intense medication regimen had an intense impact on Kernel. He was fearful of human contact and would often hide if a human was in the room. And that’s where Hotel Bravo comes into the equation. We were able to offer Kernel a slower process, a custom environment, and a behavioral program tailor-made to his specific individual needs. In Kernel’s case, that ended up being a unique experience.
It didn’t take long to figure out that Mr. Kernel wasn’t your ordinary behavioral case (as if there is such a thing). He was acutely fearful of human contact, but at the same time, he clearly wanted interaction but was otherwise too scared to handle it. His fear response seemed to have a mind of its own when he was in unsure circumstances. The slightest sounds or movement, anywhere in the room, would trigger an immediate flight response (even if he consciously didn’t seem scared). We began to notice that he was more active in the late evenings, and he even reacted differently to stimuli than he did during the daytime. He mostly liked to snooze privately during the day, but at night, he liked to explore and was clearly more sure of himself. We started getting some good interactions with him late at night around the ‘Midnight Zoomie’ timeframe. So, we focused on working with him at the times when he was most receptive, and we’d make progress each night. But that progress wouldn’t always translate into the following day. Each morning, we’d start over from scratch. It was like the repeating loop of Groundhog Day where he’d forget all that he learned the day prior. We were making some progress, but it was slow. One of our rules of the road here at Hotel Bravo is that we go at the pace of the One. So, we gave him his time and his space, offering him patience, love, and understanding. He made a ‘nest’ of sorts from one of our cat condos. It was his integration space when he first arrived, and he’s completely claimed it as his own. It’s become his bohemian bachelor pad, even though we took the doors off. It’s his safe place where he goes when he needs to reset, and when he’s feeling confident again, he quietly ventures back out.
His companionship with one of our other residents, who also had suffered an eye injury, has made all the difference in the world. Mr. Eddie, or as we call him - Fast Eddie, is another young fella who arrived earlier this year. He’d been part of a managed cat colony, and his caretaker noticed that his eye was badly injured. Apparently, he was getting bullied by the other unaltered males in the area which likely resulted in the damage to his eye. Our partners at Indy Neighborhood Cats got Eddie in for a medical evaluation (and neuter) where it was decided that his eye needed to be removed. He completed his initial healing in the good hands of one INC’s fosters, and given Eddie’s social and friendly disposition, he came to Hotel Bravo to finish his healing and socialization rather than going back out on the streets.
“In the land of the blind, the one-eyed are king.”
Immediately Eddie and Kernel hit it off. It was as if Eddie had arrived to show Kernel how to be a kitten; something they had both missed out on when they were younger. It was shenanigans right and left. It was so wonderful to see Kernel playing and having fun. And at the same time that Eddie was helping Kernel cope with his fear response, I could see Kernel being the big brother; showing Eddie the ropes, and in fact, helping Eddie to learn to trust humans. The behavioral changes that we saw in both of them was quite rapid, more so than we humans could have effected alone.
Now, anytime that we interact with Kernel, Eddie will come running to his pal in support. He never fails to show, even if he was elsewhere napping. His presence seems to give Kernel a certain sense of confidence and helps him resist the impulse to run away. Recently, we’ve been thrilled to hear Kernel attempting to ‘speak’ more often. This usually only happens after the nightly zoomie sessions with Eddie, which is when Kernel’s his most confident self for the day. This is the magical time when he’s also ready to try for some pets and scratches. There’s one special place where he and Eddie like to play, and this is where he always initiates this level of contact. It’s become our nightly ritual, and when he’s ready, he signals by facing away from ‘the human’ in the pre-designated location and letting out some barely audible squeaks and mews over his shoulder. He’s rarely able to handle petting face to face, so he just looks the other way and enjoys the lovin’. That’s when the rumbling purrs begin, and sometimes even some belly exposure. Of course, that’s also all happening while Eddie is directly adjacent, supervising, and receiving his pets and scratches at the same time.
Eddie has grown up so much since he arrived! He’s learned that indoor life is much different than life on the streets. Instead of competing for resources, he’s learned to help his fellow felines. He’s very involved in the crew dynamic, and is sometimes maybe a little too involved according to our senior residents. =) He’s happily taken the reins as official greeter. He’s also our most boisterous resident who loves to loudly herald the arrival of wet food. He waits by the door, and as soon as he sees us coming, he starts making the announcement at the top of his lungs. And it shouldn’t be surprising that his call is rather unusual. It’s high-pitched and sounds sorta like when you let the air out of a balloon slowly. But it’s very loud! It’s amazing!
A Final Salute to Our Buddy Mr. Decker
He may have looked tough and crusty on the outside, but on the inside, he was the sweetest old man who just wanted to relax and chill in peace. It took many months of socializing with Mr. Decker, so that we could get to a point where we wouldn’t get a fast and furious swat to our hands and our egos. He was seriously fast, even as an older fella. And he had some serious power behind his strikes. None of our other residents ever questioned any of his orders. He was the peacemaker here at Hotel Bravo. If any of the other residents got into a disagreement, Mr. Decker would quickly descend upon the situation and force an immediate (and lasting) resolution without throwing a single paw. The crew learned not to damage Decker’s calm. =)
Mr. Decker was FIV+, but he lived a full life for a community cat. His last years were lived out in the peace of Hotel Bravo, where he learned about compassion and caring while teaching us countless lessons of his own. He was chatty, and loved the ‘back and forth’ of a good conversation. He also completely and absolutely loved being held. His favorite was being held in my arms, with his paws perched over my shoulder so he could watch my ‘six’. . . while chatting.
Mr. Decker was the inaugural recipient of the Best Hug Award! <3
One of my fondest memories of Mr. Decker was seeing him dance for the first time. It was late at night, nobody was watching….or so he thought. It was apparent that the zoomies had taken hold, and rather than playing with a toy mouse, he was busting out his best dance moves; going from one side of the room to the other. He had the absolute best move: the sideways, tippy-toe shuffle. It was like the ground had suddenly become to hot to stand on; like a cat on a hot tin roof! Seeing that crusty old man get loose, feeling free….it set my heart soaring. It still does.
. . . until we meet again.
Rosalita is Ready for Her New Family!
Rosalita is one of our adoptable residents, and she’s the most mellow, well-adjusted brown tabby lady ever. She’s super sweet, gentle, and has been a joy to have with us here at Hotel Bravo. Even our other feline residents agree! Rosalita has a very non-threatening nature, though she’s confident enough to stand her ground. She doesn’t bully anyone, but she doesn’t allow herself to be bullied. Rosalita enjoys watching the birds and squirrels from the windows, loves munching on catnip, and she gets super excited when it’s dinner time. In fact, when it’s time for wet food, she employs her secret weapon: the cutest, little kitten squeak you’ve ever heard come from a full-sized cat. <3
Backstory: Rosalita has spent a fair amount of her life outdoors at no fault of her own. For whatever reason, when her humans moved, they decided not to take Rosalita with them. She was left to fend for herself, hiding in the bushes in her backyard. A compassionate neighbor had been feeding her during her exile, but with no shelter and the house being put up on the market, it was no longer safe for Rosalita to remain on her old property. We were also getting ready for the first zero degree cold snap of the year, so Hotel Bravo decided to intervene and offer her sanctuary.
Are You Her New Family?
If so, please rush down to 9 Lives Cat Cafe and scoop this sweet baby girl up! Through our partnership with Indy Neighborhood Cats and 9 Lives Cat Cafe/ Indy Adopts, Rosalita has been offered a spot on their adoption floor in order to maximize her chance at finding her furever famliy!
Schedule your meet and greet today!
A Message from the Hotel Bravo Crew
Mr. Grant was kind enough to remind us that we should show you some photos of the rest of the Hotel Bravo crew. There’s so much that we could say about each one of these remarkably unique individuals, and it’s our pleasure, and truly our honor, to be able to share some of their stories with you. They wouldn’t be living this kind of life without support from compassionate individuals like yourself. In a world where multitudes are in need, it may seem a daunting and overwhelming task to create positive change. But don’t forget to look into the heart of the lone individual, The One. Your recognition of their existence, your willingness to help, these are a beacon of light to those in need. The smallest acts of kindness often have the most resounding effects. So, let your light shine, and may your new year be blessed with joy and good tidings for you and your family!
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About the Author...
Andrew Tribby
