Today #Cute4Kind would like to introduce you to Foggy and Sunshine. They live in Columbus, Ohio and were adopted as kittens Christmas Eve Eve in 2014.
I decided that since my husband has Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s issues, I needed to have something happy in my life that would make me smile and I thought getting a couple of kittens would be a great way to give me something else to worry about, while getting some love back as well. I went with my son and drove to several shelters in the Columbus area, and there were no kittens to be had. We then found a shelter in an area of town that isn’t the best, but the shelter was great. The kittens were part of a litter of four brothers and sisters. They were in a shelter that wasn’t in the best part of town, it wasn’t the best facility, but they had great people working there who really loved and cared for the animals. Foggy and Sunshine and their two siblings were abandoned kittens that were brought into the shelter. They were all energetic kittens, and Sunshine was the only Calico cat in the litter. The other two were both tiger cats. The shelter said all 4 cats were healthy, but that they had some loose bowel movements that likely would go away soon as they were only 6 weeks old.
I fell in love immediately with the calico cat, and since the other two boys were tiger cats, I decided to choose the grey and white cat, Foggy. Well, that wasn’t their names at the shelter, but those are the names I picked. Poor little Sunshine has a broken tail. It was broken probably soon after she was born and it healed incorrectly and formed a permanent joint. Her tail makes a permanent 90 degree angle but it doesn’t bother her at all, and it wags just as good as any cat, just crooked.
Foggy was a happy cat and he meowed and meowed and wanted to come home right away. When my son got him out of the cage, he curled up by his neck and removed his glasses and started to chew on them! I wanted to adopt all four of them, but I knew that with my husband, it would be too much for me. My son lives out of state, so he was just home for Christmas helping me pick out kittens and then buy all the toys, litter, food, and things they will need. We had to wait a day to adopt them because the shelter wanted to do a “background” check so they can make sure the kittens will have a good home. I definitely wanted two kittens so they would have someone to play with (and fight)!
My husband wasn’t really thrilled about adopting cats and when we got home, he was lukewarm at best, but seemed to tolerate the cats. His doctor did say that Parkinson’s patients tend to respond well to pets, so I was hoping that would be the case.
A couple days after they got home, Sunshine got very sick and wasn’t eating well and her bathroom habits were not good. I took her to the vet and we discovered she had a very serious intestinal bacterium that if not treated immediately would probably kill her. After many trips to the vet and a lot of medicine, she finally got better after a few months. Unfortunately in the process, Foggy got sick too. The vet said they likely had it all along and it wasn’t something they were going to grow out of.
As a result of going to a very good vet, and after having a full checkup, it was discovered that Foggy has cataracts and if it got worse, he would either need surgery on both eyes, or he would go totally blind. I had to take him to the vet every two months to see how his eyes are doing. They are doing well, and now the animal ophthalmologist (who knew they existed) said he can just come back once per year as it looks like they may not get worse, and thus not need treatment.
Now they are both almost 1 year old. They are healthy and happy cats. It is amazing how fast they grow! Can you see the difference from kitten to well, older kitten? Foggy may need a diet soon!
Sunshine likes to sleep right beside me at night. She will curl up beside her and nuzzle her head under her mommy’s shoulder. She sleeps very well, mommy, not as much! Foggy likes to sleep at the end of the bed most nights. Do you notice the small patch of white hair on Foggy’s backside? He kind of has a bowtie under his chin too!
Foggy and Sunshine love to play with their mousey toys, and anything with feathers. Foggy loves to explore anyplace he can hide. Of course like most cats, while they love their toys, the box is way more fun! They make sure they get their 15 hours of beauty sleep per day. As you can see, Sunshine likes to sneak up on her brother and get his tail when he’s not looking!
After almost a year with the cats, I just love them, and so does my husband. He is so protective of them, and anytime someone comes in or out of the house he makes everyone double check that the cats didn’t go out. They love to look outside, but they have never tried to go outside. They have brought so much joy to the both of us, and I really enjoy taking care of them and they give me a break from always worrying about my husband. Now they give me something more to do and worry about, and a bit more purpose. We just couldn’t be happier that we adopted the kittens. I would highly recommend to anyone that has a loved one with a medical issue that having a loving pet around really makes a big difference in one’s outlook and happiness. – Foggy & Sunshine’s Mom
