“I read your column”, he says, and I wait for it, and wait for it, not sure if he caught a typo, or bad sentence structure or just had a general question.
“I want to sponsor a cat adoption,” he announces, “in memory of Boo.” I tear up just a little and then I kick myself. I’m the one out there promoting sponsorship and here we have a perfect opportunity of our own and I guess, perhaps in my grief, the moment had passed me by. It took my kind hearted husband to point out that we can honor Boo’s memory this way.
So right now we are sponsoring a kitty adoption at Houlton Humane Society. I asked CJ to find the kitty who has been at the Shelter the longest and we will pay all fees associated with that adoption. It’s the least we can do.
Boo was a shelter rescue, 14 years ago. We lost our precious Elizabeth at the age of 18, and I was near inconsolable. Some would say “she was just a cat” but to me, Elizabeth was “the” cat, the once in a lifetime companion who I swear understood every word I said, who loved me no matter what, who I would cuddle with when I cried. I remember when my Mom passed away, for weeks I was strong, stoic, a real rock, and then one day it all came crashing down around me and I locked myself in my room with Elizabeth Ann Cat, held her and sobbed my heart out.
For a while I could not even consider getting another kitty, but who am I kidding, I’ve been working in animal rescue for 30 years. The shelter was full of animals needing homes, how could I not adopt? So off we went, and in one cage was the most gorgeous long haired calico and right away she was the “one.”
This kitten had been paired with another, a little black and white who was so scared of everything they thought giving her a mate would bring her around. “We can’t take one without the other,” my husband announced, and so Ellie and Boo came home to live with us.
Ellie turned out to be a snob, she was beautiful, she knew it, and she needed nothing from humans but food and a soft bed. She was the queen and she bowed to no one. Boo would jump if you whispered, run and hide, rarely come out from under the furniture. A year later Boo was curled up in my lap, and with tears in my eyes I quietly said to my husband “look at this.”
From then on, she was “my cat.” Ellie was taken down a notch from her throne when we had to have her shaved to remove some mats, and once she was no longer gorgeous, and knew it, she also turned into a warm, loving, funny little lap cat.
Two weeks ago I lost my precious Boo. She had to have a medical procedure and for some reason after that she just refused to eat. We tried everything, hand feeding her baby food, treats, but she would turn her nose, spit them out, nothing worked. We had test after test run, ultrasounds, blood work, you name it. There was just nothing showing up to help us understand what was going on. She lost her battle and we lost a friend.
Now we are going to help you find a friend as loving as Boo. We are going to cover all adoption costs for a shelter kitty in her memory. Perhaps you could also sponsor a pet to help find homes for all these beautiful animals. Perhaps there is a Boo in your past, a beloved companion who brought you great joy and much love. Perhaps you can honor their memory by helping just one more animal find a new home.
Please call the shelter at 532-2862 after 11 am, Tuesday through Saturday. Stop by and see what’s available for adoption, sponsor a pet, save a life.
The Houlton Humane Society is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is located on 263 Callaghan Road, Houlton, ME. Officials can be reached at 532-2862 or via email at HoultonAdoptsAPet@gmail.com.
