BlogPaws Co-Founder New Feline Family Member

by: Yvonne DiVita, BlogPaws' Co-Founder

Her name is Molly. She lived a love-filled life in a home
with two big dogs, for eight years. Her ‘Mom’ doted on her – but, over time,
the allergy issue made it impossible for Mom to hold or pet Molly. With great regret,
Molly’s Mom sent a note out via Facebook asking for help.

“I don’t want to take my girl to a shelter!” she wrote. “I’d
be afraid of her being there for a very long time, since I know how hard it is
to adopt cats out. Especially adult cats like my Molly!” But, she could no
longer keep her. Her asthma and allergies were out of control.

That day, only a few weeks after our own girl, Pandora (aka
The Grumpy Old Lady) had passed to the Rainbow Bridge, I saw the note about
Molly on Facebook. I was immediately drawn in – and held my breath for just a
second when I saw that Molly lived in Colorado Springs! So often I see
wonderful cats and dogs up for adoption, but they’re far, far away and I can’t
do anything to help…except share the note.

Not this time! This time…I could make a difference because I
was ready for a new kitty! I immediately showed the message to Tom and Chloe
(the ‘daughter’ who can’t have a cat due to her husband’s allergies). Both of
them agreed we should consider adopting Molly.

After a few exchanges with Molly’s Mom, via email and phone,
we made the decision. We decided to adopt Molly. It was agreed that we would
drive to a mid-way mark (don’t ask me where it was… I’m woefully bad with
geography…all I remember is meeting at a Burger King), and make the exchange.
The
day was gorgeous, full of bright sun, and warm temperatures. As usual, the
scenery on the drive was beautiful. Colorado in the summertime sparkles like a
new penny. Tom and I were anxious but eager – we talked about how to bring
Molly into our family, introduce her to the dogs (luckily she was used to
dogs), and make sure she was comfortable. The ‘love’ would have to grow
organically, we knew.

The exchange was simple. Molly’s Mom was clearly distressed.
“I don’t want to give her up!” she said. “But, I’m so glad it’s you adopting
her!”

Molly meowed – and when we made the switch, from her cramped
carrier to our big, open, clear plastic carrier, she was as interested in her
surroundings as she was in what was happening. After tucking her medical
history away, we settled her on the back seat and were on our way home. Her
sweet meows were so tiny, so soft, we barely heard them! I think being able to
‘see’ through the top of our cat carrier kept her busy. In time, she relaxed
and seemed to go to sleep.

Once here, at her new home, we brought her into the family
room, where she would be ‘confined’ for awhile. It’s a large area attached to
our laundry room… where the kitty litter box sits, and where we always fed
Pandora. Molly fled, immediately, under the futon. But, she came out when
called and allowed us to pet her and talk to her. We gated the top of the
stairs, to keep the dogs out, but they were all there… very curious about what
was going on.

Over the weeks, Molly has settled in nicely. We’ve removed
the upstairs gate – and Emily, our treewalker hound dog, routinely heads down
to see Molly. They often touch noses, but not much else. Molly is taking her
time getting used to the dogs. She does love Tom – he’s there with her every
day. It’s his office and Molly is now in love with his chair. When he’s not in
it, she is. She gives the dogs a long stare when they venture down, but all in
all, everyone is accepting the new girl. And, we are very sure that in short
order, Molly will run the dogs lives, just as Pandora did!

One last little note – just last week, our daughter and her
husband were here for a week, visiting from upstate NY. They brought Frankie,
our so precious granddaughter – just turned 2. Frankie has 3 kitties at home,
in NY. While she loved the dogs (and chased them about… to their credit, they
were so tolerant of her!)… she was IN LOVE with Molly.

“Mow-mow,” she would call out to me, every morning.

“You want to see Molly?” I would ask. Mow-mow is her way of
saying, “meow” – I believe she even does it at home with her three kitties.

“Yes!” she would nod her head vigorously and let me carry
her downstairs. The excitement and pure delight on her face when Molly would
come out was precious! I only wish I’d gotten a picture of it. To Molly’s
credit, she sniffed Frankie’s outstretched hand and allowed this little girl to
pet her, without pulling away. 

It’s hard to understand how anyone cannot love animals, as
we do. It’s hard to understand why cats languish in shelters – when we know
many are just like Molly; loving, caring, warm, and full of life. The purrs
alone help bring our blood pressure down and convince us that we are lucky to
have a girl like Molly at our house.

As Tom says to anyone who asks, “We have three dogs, and one
cat to rule them all.”

Is there any one thing in life that’s better than adopting a
pet? I doubt it.

BlogPaws is proud to help in celebrating the 5th Anniversary of Pet 'Net with Petside and encourages our fans and followers/ fellow BlogPaws' community members to spread the adoption word!