Being a long-time animal lover, I knew that starting a job at an animal hospital would bring me a lot of wonderful opportunities to help animals in need. We see a lot of pets come through for different reasons, ranging from mild to severe. It can be difficult at times, but it the most rewarding feeling to be able to help creatures that cannot speak for themselves. I am a huge cat lover and had two cats already, one of which I recently saved from being sent to a shelter. It had never even crossed my mind that I would take on another one anytime soon. Luckily, for me, the universe knew better.
I remember it was just a regular Tuesday at work: seeing patients, doing surgeries. We had just begun cleaning up for the day when a woman came in holding a little, mewing bundle in her arms. She had found a 10-day-old kitten in her bushes who had been separated from his momma and siblings. He was the tiniest little thing, cold, covered in dirt, and very hungry. Now, normally we don’t take surrenders, especially since we don’t have someone on staff overnight to be dong midnight feedings for this little guy. We will only take an animal in if one of the staff is willing to adopt or foster. They asked me if I would be willing to foster him and, looking into that helpless little face, I knew I couldn’t send this baby away. He needed me and I felt like I had to help him.
I took him home that night, picked up everything I would need, and made a warm bed for him. He fell asleep on my chest after feeding time, and I knew right then that we would share a special bond. I realized that there was no way I could give him to anyone else; he belonged with me. It took a while for him to learn to latch properly, which made the feedings every 2 hours a bit of a challenge. He also gave me a scare a few weeks down the road when his abdomen appeared to be filled with fluid. The doctors I work with gave me the tentative diagnosis of FIP. I knew that was a death sentence, but I was determined to give him the best life I could as long as I could.
7 months later and he is a perfectly healthy, playful guy, with one of the biggest personalities I’ve ever seen. Playtime and cuddling are his favorite things when he’s not wrestling with his big sisters. He is FIP negative (thank goodness!!) and growing much too fast! No matter how big he gets, though, he will never admit that he is too big to sleep on my chest. That day was one of the luckiest days for the both of us. Given any other circumstances, I would not have the joy of him running to greet me every day after work, tail high in the air with excitement. I would never have known how it feels to be needed by something so small and helpless. We share a great deal of love between us, and I know that this kind of bond will last us for the rest of our lives. He definitely wasn’t the easiest animal to take on, but he will always be worth it to me! -Gir’s Mom