If you are questioning whether to buy a perfect pet or adopt one with some baggage, a lesson reveals itself in this tale.
Linda Wilker of Perrysburg adopted Eve one year ago on St. Patrick’s Day. She credits me for bringing the special-needs cat into her and her husband’s lives.
When the black and white kitten was rushed into the veterinarian’s office on New Year’s Eve 2010, it wasn’t for a new beginning. She had gotten mangled in a car’s fan belt and ended up on someone’s front porch. The stranger took her to the vet to be euthanized.
But when the kitten reached her paws up toward the veterinary staff at the Anthony Wayne Animal Hospital, they knew she had eight lives left to go.
“Before we opened the box, she was peeking through the handles,” said Laurie Reece, who helped organize the adoption and whose husband, Steve, is a vet and owner of the animal hospital.
“She was such a trooper. She had the will to survive.”
They named her Eve because of the fateful day she arrived. The staff rushed to save her life. Her tail had been cut off and she had “horrific” injuries to her backside, Laurie said.
After surgeries, a lot of love and a few months of healing, I suggested Linda as a possible pet parent (my cats go to the Anthony Wayne Animal Hospital).
Eve had grown tired of living at the vet’s office. She wanted more freedom to roam and
she was lonely at night.
Linda had grown up with cats, but never owned a special-needs one. Linda researched what and how much Eve should eat to help with her lingering injuries, which ranged from constipation to a leaky behind.
Today Eve goes by “Evie,” and is happy, healthy and wholeheartedly devoted to running the household. She has toys in every room, beds stationed at most windows and treats placed in all corners.
She still needs a little extra medical attention every now and then, but compensates with extra snuggles and kisses.
“Anytime you adopt an animal, they know that you rescued them,” Laurie said. “Th ey are like, ‘I love you, I love you, I love you. Thank you for giving me this wonderful life.’”
Eve almost died on New Year’s Eve, but her life began again on St. Patrick’s Day. I guess you could say the luck of the Irish was with her.
