Rescue Sunny is beginning to heal from a rough life at -30.
Supplied photos
Laurie Mustard with his pal Buddy and his ‘miracle of love’ Boo.
Nothing beats a happy, loving, home life.
Nothing.
And in millions of homes all around the planet, the source of so much of that love, joy and fun is our "furmily" members, the focus for today’s column being the cats and dogs with whom we share our lives and residences.
I simply can’t imagine living in a home without a gang of cats and dogs loafing about. I’d also like to have bears and lions and raccoons etc. fighting over the remote, because that’s what we animal people are all about.
However, my three cats and a dog are enough for the time being, thank you. We’re all happy to have the food we need and a nice home to live in.
Now part of the reason I’m writing this today is because winter is coming, a time when homelessness for animals becomes a life-and-death challenge. One that they, unlike humans, can’t choose to seek help for.
Now, hopefully well in advance of the swirling snow and -30 C temps, is when to do something about helping them. So I’m asking animal lovers and appreciators everywhere to keep a sharp eye out for homeless dogs and cats in their area at present, and do whatever possible to save them.
Options include befriending them to the point where they join your family, or catching them and taking them to a rescue where they can be spayed or neutered if need be, any medical needs met, and then hopefully taken care of till a loving home is found.
Every furmily member this particular Mustard home has ever had — and there have been so many over the years, including those I have now — have been a rescue of sorts. The love and companionship they each brought with them have been immeasurable.
One of the most heartwarming rescues, because he was in such dire need, was my cat Buddy. He was probably already three or four by the time I started seeing him around the neighbourhood. In summer he’d just appear now and then, wouldn’t let me get near him, but his winter appearances concerned me. Was he an outdoor cat with a home locally, or was he just homeless? Got the answer to that when he eventually moved into one of my sheds.
Long story short, at that point I started talking to him regularly, from as close as he’d let me get. Then one summer day, when I was able to walk fairly close to him (maybe 30 feet), I put a bowl of cat food down and moved away. He cautiously approached it, scoffed it down, and the connection was made.
Took about two months to be able to touch him, immediately got him neutered, and he spent the remaining years of his life happily and so lovingly curled up on my lap. He was an absolute, total love.
This past February I lost another phenomenal furmily member, a rescue, my little black cat Boo. He was so incredibly affectionate I called him the miracle of love. His brave little heart just stopped one day, but his huge love will carry on forever.
Actually, I believe he made sure of that, because within a few days of his death, a friend told me about a little black cat that had shown up around her Charleswood home, obviously in need of shelter from the -38 temps. He was in really rough shape, so I adopted him, thanked Boo for taking care of both of us, and now Sunny is happy, healthy, and most importantly of all, home to stay.
Because furmily is such a huge part of our home life, I’m going to make this a two-part column. Included next week will be a positive approach I’ve developed for dealing with the horrible pain of their inevitable loss. Hopefully you’ll find it helpful. Have a fab furry weekend!
Comments and column ideas welcome at lmustard1948@gmail.com
