Cat Mom Life

People who don’t have pets do not understand the joy that owning a pet can bring. They don’t understand why we go all out for our pets. Then there are dog people, cat people, bird people; the list goes on. Here are some of the things that have happened in my life since I became a cat mom.

In the Beginning

So, let’s go back a few years. I have always loved animals, and tried to get a pet as a child. My siblings and I wanted a pet so badly that we smuggled a cat into the house while our mom was at work. We even went to a store and got all kinds of things for our cat and hid them in my room. While mom was away, the cat came in the house and we would bring it back outside when she came home. She found out.

After I became an adult, I thought I was more of a dog person and tried having dogs as a pet. I loved them dearly, but I didn’t have the time to actually train and exercise them. Then my best friend and I took in two cats and I fell in love with them. After we parted ways she took both cats and I ended up adopting 2 cats from a rescue. They are the main story from now on.

I adopted Ted and Marshall when they were just kittens. They were so small and fuzzy and simply adorable. I did have a roommate who was the one who adopted Marshall, but after she moved out, she left him with me because her new place was not pet friendly. Since then there have been struggles, but the joys have been more.

The Struggles

So, let’s get the negatives/hardships out first. Cats cannot be trained like dogs. They have their own minds and this can cause problems, like damage to furniture and walls. Vet bills can be expensive. In the beginning, the rescue covered the first 6 months of vet bills, shots and their neutering. Ted (I mainly call him Teddy now) also had surgery to remove a hernia at the same time which was also covered by the rescue. Now, vet bills are my responsibility.

The hardest vet visits were finding out there was something wrong. Poor Marshall seems to have drawn the short end of the stick. He had mites when he was little, was diagnosed with hip dysplasia shortly after turning 2, and then had some sort of infection in his bladder. Teddy has been healthy for the most part. His worst vet visit was when I saw something wrong with his eye. Turned out he had an infection.

Marshall will have hip dysplasia for the rest of his life, but he is doing much better than when he was diagnosed.

The Joys

I’ll never forget the first night with the boys. We were not sure how quickly they would warm up to us and little Teddy seemed to be quite shy. However, as soon as the lights were out and my roommate and I went to bed, it changed. Teddy climbed into my bed and curled up with me. He still sleeps with me most nights. It took Marshall a bit longer to sleep with people, but he also sleeps with me most nights.

Watching the boys grow up together, knowing that they have always had each other, is such a joy. Yes, they fight like brothers, but they have their moments where they curl up together. We love playing as well. Their favourite games are to chase the laser and catch fishy (a pink fish on a string). They also love to curl up near me when I’m doing my devotions in the morning.

Where we are now

There are moments when I do get frustrated with them, but they are quickly replaced with loving moments. I was able to eliminate one of my frustrations. Teddy used to wake me up crying because he wanted food. I don’t have a regular schedule, so he didn’t have a regular feeding schedule. I eliminated this frustration by buying automatic feeders (I’ll link these below. Worth every penny). Marshall is living a great life, even with hip dysplasia. I’m happy to announce that he is playing and climbing like a healthy cat.

Both boys are as healthy as they can be. They love to sleep during the day and race around at night. Wet food is better than dry kibble, and I am able to add some supplements to their wet food to help with keeping them healthy. They have such fun personalities and I definitely recommend getting a pet. They will bring so much colour to your life, and it will cover the hard times. So, if you can, adopt a furry friend. They will make your life better. If you want the rescue I used, it will be linked below.

https://www.amazon.ca/Petoday-Automatic-Dispenser-Programmable-Recorder/dp/B09C26NF1N/ref=asc_df_B09C26NF1N/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459659359112&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12291978824084466011&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001223&hvtargid=pla-1462316788921&psc=1

https://www.facebook.com/steinbachanimalrescue/