Personal
Tragedy...We all have experienced this in our lives to some
extent, whether we realized it or not. I have experienced it first hand
and am forever in debt to my wonderful tuxedo stray cat, named
"Tilly"... When I adopted her, she was at the shelter for a
year (being 8 years old then) and was already adopted and returned back to the
shelter twice... Her problem according to her adoptive families:
"nasty", scratching and biting!:-)
I always believe there is a reason for everything! So,
Miss Tilly must have known there is someone who is waiting for her and needs
her help...and that was me!
At the time I just went
through losing my father to cancer- words could not explain my loss... My
life was in disarray, yet I had to keep my composure and carry on the
day-to-day operations of my already extremely demanding job in a very stressful
work environment... Life was just too unbearable... I was exhausted
from life...
Then I went to a shelter to adopta cat. I
decided to get a cat, as I was working long hours and would not have been able
to take care of a dog and walk him/her out enough etc. But a cat is
self-sufficient!
At the shelter, I asked which
cat had least chances of getting adopted and there she was: TILLY!:-)
I asked shelter employee to take her out, but she was "nasty",
hissing, swatting and trying to bite... Once she was out of the cage, I
was sure she would love ME:-), as I was a vet!... Yet, all I got was a
cold look when she passed by... My ego was hurt to say the least:-)...
Then she jumped on a window
sill and when a young cat in the room came up to her to play, she swatted at
her as well... I felt bad for the kitty, but did think that she might be
one of those "psychos", and since she had no chance of
getting adopted. I decided to give her a chance... well actually using
her "bad behavior" as a model to study psychotic cats... My
idea was to figure them out, so that when next time you, the owner struggle
with "one of those:-)", I would hand you a "step-by-step
recipe" of how to turn your "nasty" cat around before you give
up or chose last resort option...!
Well, I am sorry to tell you
that I haven't learned a thing... In fact, I am afraid to admit that the
patient was ME!:-) and Tilly was
MY DOCTOR! Here is
what REALLY happened!:
Since I was concerned for my
safety at night, as this kitty might decide to "rip out my jugular",
while I am asleep:-), I took her to the hospital I used to work for at that
time to give her a bath and to clip her nails, to play it safe...:-) Let
me tell you: I have never learned anything about
"psychos" or "nasty" cat behavior from this cat!
Tilly (I kept her name) has turned into the most sweet,
kind, gentle and caring pet and through the years has given me MUCH MORE, than I
could ever give her! She would lick or paw my face gently in the morning,
if I slept in. She would sit quietly next to me and start to purr or
knead, if I am sad or stressed and all stress goes away right away! She
is so wonderful with other people and animals and is the best hostess!
She is
MY BEST THERAPY!:-)
I am sure you know what I am
talking about and I am sure many of you can attest to the same... Our
furry family members are as dear to us, as are our loved ones... They are THE BEST PSYCHOLOGIST you can ever hope for
and their session are FREE!:-) By contributing to our
happiness and well-being, they help us to stay healthy and THAT is
INDISPENSABLE!!!
We would love to hear your Magic Pet Stories! Please share stories about
your pets and their healing powers! We would love to hear from You andhonor you PETby
sharing your story!
Thank you and stay healthy
and happy!
Please e-mail your stories and pictures if you would like to Dr.Natalie@GreenwichPets.com. Also, please let us know if you would like us to withhold your real namechange it or leave it.