We believe in #ThePowerOfPets. And we try to tell stories that reveal how incredible the human-animal bond is. But from time to time, we ask people to tell us, in their own words, what their pets mean to them and what kind of impact those pets have had on their lives.
This is Lisa’s story about a cat who never let her down.
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If you want to share your own story, please email us at [email protected].
Two years ago we moved into a house near Swope Park.
As soon as we moved in a chubby black cat started coming around. The minute we were outside she was there. My husband named her Blackie and she didn’t seem to mind.
“Blackie and I had a connection and I felt so lucky to have her.”
We found out from our neighbors that someone who lived in our house years before had abandoned their black cat. Our neighbor said her husband fed her every day and that she stayed in his old boat in the backyard. Well, we started feeding her cat food daily and keeping an eye on her. I fell in love with her. Being a stray cat who had to fight to survive she had the sweetest personality.
A few months later our neighbor’s husband passed away and she wasn’t really fond of Blackie so we worried about what would happen to her. At the end of our lease we decided to take her with us to our new house. We figured she could hang in the basement until she and our elderly dog and female cat got used to each other.
Slowly she made her way upstairs and became an instant family member. Blackie was very spoiled when it came to love and attention. She seemed to love having a home and family again.
Blackie and I had a connection and I felt so lucky to have her. She became our porch guardian and would keep an eye on me when I slept. I have health problems and she knew when I was feeling bad. I know she’d had a rough life living outside and worried about he health constantly but a vet visit for her was out of the question. I’d never be able to get her in a carrier and the stress would be too much for her. I just always kept an eye on her like she did with me.
“Blackie was my sidekick and I’m already lost without her.”
We had her in our lives for two years total and adored her. Last night she wanted to play and we did. I loved on her and she was purring and holding my hand with her paws and claws. A half hour later she was throwing up and howling. She was having problems with a hairball so I picked her up and tried rubbing her stomach. But my beautiful survivor cat ended up dying in my arms. I’m crushed. Blackie was my sidekick and I’m already lost without her. But I know we were able to give her tons of love in her last year and she did the same for me.
