When we were first married, my husband and I adopted a cat... then a cat was forced on us and then we adopted a dog. We loved and cared for them all until, one by one, they crossed the rainbow bridge. Our first cat was the last one to cross at 21 years old. After that, we decided we just couldn’t handle the heartache that went with losing them, so we told our kids, “We won’t be getting any more pets.” (Of course, famous last words...)
My youngest son wanted a cat... and he knew he couldn’t get his dad to go along with it, so he knew just what to do... go to MOM!!! He knew just what buttons to push and he was cunning and patient. “Hey, Mom! Watch this cat video I found!!! Isn’t he so cute?” or “Mom, I read an article today that said kids with pets are more grounded and not so anxious and their SAT scores are higher!” So, with months of pro cat propaganda techniques he finally wore me down. I finally went to my husband and talked to him and he finally said we could find a rescue cat for my son.
We have a local SPCA rescue in our town and every weekday, they have their cats that are up for adoption in our local pet food and supply store. My son was over the moon. We walked in and they must have had at least a dozen kittens there. Cute little balls of fur with bright eyes... that all I could see was a whole lot of litter box training and lots of care because they were so young.
So, I was pleasantly surprised when my son went to look at a black and white tuxedo cat that was just a bit older and it was apparent that he had already grown out of the baby needy phase. He told me that he liked this one because he knew the other kittens would find a home fast because they were so cute and still babies, but this one was older and was a black cat, which he had read, was harder to adopt because most people wanted orange, or tabby cats. I was proud of my son. He had a heart for the underdog (or cat, in this case) and wanted to REALLY RESCUE a cat and give it a good home.
He sat there and played with him for awhile and the other cat played with him too. He liked both of them and you could tell they were brothers, but he had to choose one to take home... or so we thought.... When we went to tell them which one we chose, they came back and told us he was less than a year old and that because he was still considered a kitten, they would not separate him from his brother. So if we wanted, we could either look at an older single cat, or take both of them for the price of one adoption.
I called my husband and you could tell that there were major emotions and conflicts going on, but he never raised his voice and asked one question: “Is he sure he wants THIS cat? If so, get them both. It will be good for them to stay together.” I asked my son and he ADAMANTLY assured me that these were the cats for him. We left with TWO cats, two litter pans, a bag of cat food, two bags of cat litter and one triumphant boy!
They have grown up to be such a fun part of our family! They brought back the laughter and the joy that only pets can for a family. I’m so very glad we have a very persistent son. It will take him far in life and it gave us two very important parts of our family.
PURCELLVILLE, VA
