Our Amazing Pets

The prognosis was not good. The doctor gave her about a year to live and to top it off about a month ago she lost her “young” cat to kidney disease. She couldn’t get around very well and had to rely on others to help her with everyday things so her cat was one of the main things that brought happiness to her days. To say that she was depressed was an understatement. The windows stayed shut, the blinds closed and she really did not want to talk to the staff that came and checked on her. It had been a rough month and a half to say the least.

Bubba cat started out with a really nice family, they picked him because of his playful attitude and his cute red and white coloration. He couldn’t understand why the family had taken away his claws since he had been trying really hard to not scratch them or the furniture. His feet bothered him every once in a while but he pushed past that discomfort to be a playful friend to his humans. Then one day he was put into his carrier and taken to a house with lots of animals and was left there. Once again he didn’t understand why and for a little while he was scared and wanted to hide, but then little by little he started to play with some of the other cats. The humans seemed nice but wouldn’t allow him to go outside with the other cats, so sometimes he got a little lonely inside. What Bubba really needed was a friend, someone he could call his own.

Bubba eventually found his way into the lap of the lady, her vet that had helped her with her previous cat really thought that she needed a new kitten so when one became available they called her and after thinking about it she said yes. From the moment little Bubba has been in her home he has brightened her day. Can Bubba heal her, no probably not but pets have a special ability to cause joy to come back into the lives of those they are around. This lady still has about a year to live but in that year she will find her smile again, she will find her laughter and she will definitely heal.

Animals have this special way about them, they can sense a bad day and cuddle with their owner more. Most have this innate way of always wanting to play which gets their owner off the couch. Stories have even been told of animals that will jump in the way of danger to save their owners. I often wonder what we did to deserve their love.

Two months ago an owner made up a poster about her cat that hadn’t come home after escaping the house. They offered a big reward to anyone who found their cat. Two months went by, they did not give up hope, then about a week and a half ago their cat returned but not in the best of shape so they brought her to the vet clinic. This cat had to stay at the hospital with IV fluids for three days, every night when her mom got off of work she came to visit her cat. The love was palpable. The cat would fall asleep in her owner’s lap and when it was time for the owner to leave the cat would get upset about being put back in the cage. We got a message today that the cat is doing a lot better and the owner’s couldn’t be happier to get her cat back.

Since I work in a vet hospital I get to hear so many wonderful stories of how pets have helped their owners. It may not be a scientific fact but I really feel that animals have super powers. It is amazing what animals can do, from detecting low blood sugars, to noticing when a person is needing a kiss.

Last little story, about 8 years ago I was working at a different vet hospital. During the morning exams a little boy came in with a smaller cat and asked if we could help him. He said he had just stopped a bunch of boys from kicking and harming this cat but he wasn’t able to keep it so he asked that we look after it. We did an exam on the cat an ran a test to let us know if she had feline leukemia or feline AIDS. Unfortunately she had leukemia but was acting healthy and playful so we kept her and waited to see if her owner would show up. A couple of weeks went by and we still had her so the doctor decided it was time to spay her and send her to the shelter. During those couple of weeks I took care of her (fed her, cleaned her litter pan..etc) Each time she saw me she came to the front of the cage and waited. I did not want a cat, my husband did not want a cat. A few days after she was spayed we took home our cat. I had agreed to “foster” her until my co-worker was ready to take her for herself, it has been 8 years and counting and we still have our Lilly cat. She has been so good for us, she helps our middle child open up to us more, she keeps my husband warm at night by laying on his side, she saves us from all the many moths and spiders that come in the house and she makes us smile daily.

I am an advocate of people having pets, if they will love them and be responsible for them from the time they adopt them till the time they go to heaven. Animals in their innocence bring joy and happiness. They range from wild and crazy to the ultimate couch potatoes. I have seen the biggest of burly men go to pieces when they see their little cock-a-poo. I have seen the tiniest of ladies be completely consumed by their pitty’s kisses. Animals protect, animals love, and animals have a way of caring that surpasses that of humans. What are some of your favorite stories? Do you have an animal that has saved your life in some way? What are some activities you like doing with your pet? I would love to hear your stories. Until next time:

If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.

―James Herriot

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