Love Your Pet – Community Voices

After having lost two family cat pets, Jasper (at age 19) and Jasmine (at age 16) I was heartbroken. I knew that another cat would come into our family,  but I wanted that cat to “find” me.

Two years passed and we were a pet-free home. On the coldest night of 2011, I was at our local drugstore when I heard a faint “meow” from a bit away. There sitting in the parking lot was this scruffy, large, sweet-as-can-be tabby. When I called to him, he happily ran over. I scooped him up into the warmth of my car. But now what? I couldn’t put him back into the parking lot…people would think I was dumping my cat! So I decided to take him home since the weather was worsening. I’d search for his owner in the morning.

Long story short…I looked and looked for his owner. Drove around the area where I found him, looked at ads in the paper, looked for signs on street posts…everything. I finally came to the conclusion that perhaps someone moved away and left him; there are apartments near where he was found.

We named him Rebel and took him to the vet. With no microchip in him, no one claiming him and him returning to our house daily for food … We made it official and claimed him as ours.

Rebel is such a sweet, playful and talkative kitty. He is an excellent hunter as well, having left us multiple gifts of birds, squirrels (well partial squirrels) and even bunnies. He is enjoying living both inside and outside as he chooses, and is coming around to the pampered life of a family cat. His favorite to is one we call “pickle mouse” because it’s a green, catnip filled mouse. He truly found me and I couldn’t be happier!

Tell us what your pet (past or present) means to you – and share a photo at feedback@explore.org, and we’ll post it on our blog over the coming weeks!