I love animals. I have adopted animals from shelters, making a point to always adopt senior animals. Everyone wants that cute little kitten or puppy, but most of the time when the animal has grown, some people would discard them like paper towels.
When adopting an animal, you, as the owner, have the responsibility to take care of them. It is a lifetime commitment. If you are not ready to take care of them, PLEASE DO NOT GET ONE. It also includes financial commitment. A lot of people do not realize that animals can get sick including cancer. The cost to help them can be expensive.
I am going to share a story with you about two of my animals. I will write about them in-depth in future blogs.
My Malou:
Let’s start with the piece de resistance. Max aka Malou was adopted after my two babies, Mummy Bull & Little Zeb passed away from mammary cancer. I wasn’t quite ready to get another cat, but my sight was set on getting a Persian. I went online to Pet Finder, I found at that time several adult cats that could be adopted. One caught my eye. The picture of him wasn’t great but the Universe told me to get in touch with that shelter. So, I did, we meet the following week at a pet store. The foster mom brought him. I remember the store was crowded. She removed him from the carrier and gave him to me. He was in my arms for over 20 minutes, he didn’t move. In my book he passed the test. I told the foster mom, I am adopting him. I did not have a carrier with me since I wasn’t sure I would adopt him. We got one from the store. As I was moving him to go into the carrier, Max turned around, looked me in the eyes, put his front paws on my chest and talked to me. It felt like he didn’t want me to let him go. I looked at him and told him “we are going home”. The first week I had him he had an ear infection with an open ear drum. Six months later I found out he had a heart condition. I got him treated and we were able to reverse his cardiomyopathy with the help of a great vet. He had one functioning kidney, his body was able to adapt and compensated for his health issues. He almost died three times. He had a behavioral issue, and at the end of his life he had high blood pressure. He passed away peacefully at home two years ago at the age of twenty, five months and ten days after Wailua. The average life of a Persian is 14 1/2 years. Max was dumped on the front steps of a Pet Hospital, the vet knew the Persian shelter and contacted them instead of sending him to animal control. We had no history on him but based on his behavior and who he was I believed the owner couldn’t handle him at all. He was a strong force of nature.