Melissa and Her Furry Family
Melissa and her husband Tony had both grown up with pets and knew they wanted a cat. Her husband brought home a cat that had the same birthday as Melissa. Pickles was a great cat–the best pet they’ve ever had. However, she was very active and they thought she might like a friend so for her birthday, Tony got another cat for Melissa and aptly named him Dill. Pickles, being a year older adopted Dill who was just two months old as her kitten. Dill is now a full grown big fluffy white Himalayan.
A year later, Kiddy entered the picture when a friend needed them to look after her for awhile. Tony was excited about having a dog, while Melissa was actually scared of dogs having never had one before and didn’t really want to be around Kiddy. They separated the cats and the dog because Melissa was afraid the dog might hurt the cats. After a couple of weeks, she came home and they had their paws touching between the baby gate wanting to play with each other. She realized they would be fine together and took down the gate and they have played together ever since. Kiddy wrestles with Dill like a small dog but at the same time Kiddy will hold Dill in her arms and cuddle–she almost treats Dill like he’s her puppy.
Pickles passed away from a rare form of lukemia just a year after Dill arrived. After her death, Dill got sick. He spent hours sleeping and would eat the dogs food knowing it would make him sick. He was depressed and the stress was causing his organs to twist and he was throwing up blood and they had to put him on medication. The vet thought he might do better if he had a companion cat again and told them to find a cat as close to Pickles as possible. So began the search for a match. Most shelters don’t really know their animals and when Melissa inquired about cats that might be a good match, they just suggested reading the cats’ bios. Then Melissa found Tales to Tell–a free roam Animal Shelter. She had just over 100 cats, and knew all of their names and everything about each of them. She listened to the story about Dill and matched them with Zoey who had been in the shelter since she was six months old and she was then three and a half. “She is the dominant female cat your boy is looking for.” They brought Zoey home and instantly Dill and Zoey became best friends. Within a month, all of Dill’s tests came back normal–he gained weight, was no longer sleeping all day and did not need anymore medication. It’s shocking to see how grief affected a cat this way. It gives you an indication of how stress might affect humans as well. They’ve now had Zoey for four years and the three of them are the best of friends.
Kiddy had such high anxiety with her previous owner that she was eating furniture and rugs and couldn’t be left alone. She had no anxiety at their home so the owner decided it was best for the dog if they could keep her. Kiddy has now been with them for six years. Being a rescue dog, they aren’t sure of the breed but she has some Husky and some German shepherd they believe. It took Melissa awhile to get comfortable with Kiddy. She watched her play with the little kittens and it changed her opinion because Kiddy was so gentle with them. When her husband broke his leg a couple of years ago, she had to walk Kiddy and over the course of the walks they became super close and now she follows Melissa all over the house. Kiddy has managed to distill any myths Melissa ever had about dogs as she’s the sweetest she’s ever known. The one thing Melissa has learned about dogs is,
“Give dogs a chance. They have no agendas. They just love you and want to hang out. The affection Kiddy gives me is so amazing and pure.”
My favourite thing about Kiddy is that she is 12 but still acts like a puppy–doing tricks, running and jumping at the park and people are shocked when they find out she’s not a puppy because she still has so much energy. She knows lots of tricks but her favourite is jumping over her dad’s back.
I love Zoey’s quirkiness–she likes to find things to entertain herself with–like jumping in and out of clothing boxes. Dill is constantly tired and sleeps most of the day getting up for about an hour to run all over the house and then crash again.
Kiddy, Dill and Zoey have all warmed their way into Melissa’s heart and become a huge part of the family.
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