Friday, April 23, 2010

If Only There Were More of Us Part II

 It was uplifting yet heartbreaking at the same time working with puppies and dogs of all sizes that were rescued from puppy mills, dog fighting or abuse.  I was walking a large dog rescued from living on the streets, who arrived at the shelter starving, weighing less than eighty pounds.  She is now a healthy weight, but it was so upsetting because as I was walking her, she would stop and wash her tail.  I had found out later on that because she was starving, she succumbed to eating the top of her own tail.  I was beyond upset from the news.  I am happy to inform you that she has been adopted and is doing very well adapting to her new owners.  When I took care of her, I played fetch and other games with her in the training pen and loved giving her kisses on the top of her head :-).

 Recently, I was working with two cats that my family and I named Sunny and Baron-Puma.  Baron-Puma is a Russian Blue cat, and certainly one of the sweetest and most affectionate cats I have ever met.  He was declawed and assumed to be abandoned by his owner, for he did not behave like a stray, yet he was comfortable being indoors and loved the outdoors.  He would crawl right up next to your face and sit there facing you and start purring.  He is such a blessing.  He is now being taken care of by another.  I have a great deal of experience working with Russian Blue cats.  I consider them to be the most docile cats I have ever worked with.  One Russian Blue cat named Van  I work with has feline aids, who was dropped off, along with his bother named Halen, by an anonymous individual.  It is important to know that feline aids is not life threatening; however, these cats should be adopted into a home with no other cats, because they can become infected.  Feline aids is often transmittable through biting or clawing another cat.  It is NOT transferable to humans.  Also wash your hands thoroughly before and after working with any cat with feline aids.   
Sunny is a half Rag Doll half Siamese cat.  Though he is very shy (I could not even pet him without him slowly backing away) I fed him warmed up soft food and hard food.  He too was abandoned by his owner who moved out of state. 

It is always best to adopt from a shelter.  Without a doubt you will find an animal that will become a perfect addition to your family.  If you adopt from a breeder, you are supporting the unnecessary breeding of animals.  Animals are often abused and suffer from the breeding.  Please support your local animal shelter and adopt from them!

9 comments:

  1. I totally support adopting animals. We adopted our dog about 3 years ago and he has been such a good boy. We planned to get him a company from the shelter soon!

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  2. Awwww great post. I like cats. I would adopt one too if my mom would let me. I plan to have a cat the moment i get my own apartment

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  3. I agree so much, animal shelter darlings are the only way to go...xoxo

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  4. Most of the cats I've had in my live have been strays. Not the shelter sort of strays, but ones that people had basically abandoned. My current cat was a kitten when I got her. A co-worker just happened to find a pregnant stray about the time my husband and I were looking for a cat (thankfully she got her fixed right after she had babies).

    All the best cats are strays. Some of them are insane, and will knock down everything you have on your tables and shelves. Others will sit in the middle of the street to sun themselves. All of them deserve a home and lots of love.

    I'm happy to say that my Husband's old cat (which is now technically now my mother-in- law's cat) is now around 14 years old and still kicking. They found dear little Pender and her brother Geno at Pender Harbour in BC near the dumpster. My husband just happened heard a noise, much to my father-in-law's chagrin. So my husband's family took care of Pender while another had Geno. Unfortunately Geno passed away a little while ago, but Pender is still kicking.

    Just the other day I heard noises upstairs from a crazed cat. She had eaten all of her food and was running around like a kitten. I took one look at her and she dashed up the stairs! She's not always so spry, but every now and again she surprises us.

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  5. Thank you everyone! Dani, what a great story. About thirty years ago, my grandparents in Long Island found a stray mother cat with three cats and slowly brought them into their home. Kitty, the mother cat, lived for more than twenty-two years, and her kittens lived long lives as well. In total, six to seven stray cats have shown up at her doorstep in fifteen years and she has taken care of them. They are absolute dolls.
    Best,
    Vanessa

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  6. I agree with you, I love animals and have 2 dogs and a cat and wouldn't part with them for anything, it breaks my heart when you hear horror stories of what has happened to an animal.

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  7. Gary came from a shelter... how could I not just fall in love with him.. thanks for the follow x

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  8. What wonderful work you do!!!!! I can't agree with you more in regards to adopting from a shelter....those animals are in such need of good homes & there is sure to be an animal to suit anyone :)

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