Adopt-A-Shelter Cat Month

June 18, 2012

As June is Adopt-A-Shelter Cat Month, I thought this presented an excellent time to talk about the two happy cats who call my house home. 

To be honest, they were not shelter cats, but they were what I call "rescue cats." Rupert (yes, that’s her name, and yes, she’s a female) came to me when I rescued her from my parents barn several years ago. As my mother says, she’s the only cat that ever went to college. I hauled her back and forth between college apartments and my parent’s house for three years until I finally graduated. 

And then we found Smokey. 

To be honest, I didn’t really want Smokey. My husband and I were living in a small apartment, and we already had the one animal. But a coworker convinced me to take her after finding her abandoned in a barn in 100 degree heat. How could I say no to that? 

After a few years with my cats (not to mention a 500 mile move across three states), I can’t imagine not having them in my life. I don’t have human children, so essentially my kids are my cats. So much so that my mother-in-law refers to them as "grandcats" and has pictures of them up at work. 

As with all children, there have been trying times. Rupert has litter box issues, making it necessary for us to buy special food and litter. Smokey has attempted escape a few times, and we’ve had to spend several hours searching the neighborhood for her. But, as my husband has said, "You can't get rid of your children." 

We’ve taken responsibility for raising them and keeping them safe, and we still have them. So even though I sometimes get tired of cleaning up hairballs and scooping the litter box, I just remember that I could be cleaning spit-up or changing dirty diapers. 

I hope that Adopt-A-Shelter Cat Month inspires many to take the chance on a shelter cat. There are many local shelters, including Wayside Waifs and the Humane Society of Kansas City, that do adoptions. You can also check out your local PetSmart; they often have cats on hand from local adoption agencies that you can take home. I can’t claim that the cats will always be perfect, but they will be great companions, as well as important members of your family. 

Jamie C.
Platte City Branch