It really is time that I wrote about the newest addition to our furry family. Venus joined us in September and is so settled here that it is easy to forget that she hasn’t always lived with us.
Some of you may remember when I wrote about our visit to the DSPCA (click here to read it!). We were passing the shelter and I thought it would be nice to go and see the animals. Mr Fluffytufts looked a bit unsure at my suggestion but I assured him that I was not on the lookout for another animal to join the household. Turns out, Mr Fluffytufts was not worried about my resolve, he was worried about his own!
The shelter is state-of-the-art and is home not only to cats and dogs, but a wide range of animals, ranging from snakes to horses to peacocks and everything in between! We wandered around the shelter photographing goats and ducks, petting the resident dogs, and chatting to other animal-lovers. We saw lots of cute pups and dogs all waiting patiently for their forever homes.
The cat/kitten area was full to the brim. We ambled from pod to pod fawning over each occupant. One lively kitten enticed us to play and we wiggled our fingers around the edge of his pod for him to chase.
Mr Fluffytufts turned to me and said “You know, I think Shelli could do with a pal. We have space for another cat now and they would have great fun playing together in the garden!” I didn’t know what to think. We hadn’t really talked about it. I looked at the available cats and pointed out that they were all short-haired (which I am allergic to). Mr Fluffytufts directed my attention into the cat play area and said, “What about her?”
It was at that moment I first laid eyes on Venus (or Estelle as she was known at the shelter). She was curled up in a cat box but as we approached the enclosure, she meandered over to inspect us! She had a long glossy coat, mostly tortoiseshell with a glimpse of white. We stroked her through the wire and had a frantic conversation about the possibility of bringing her into our home. We went to get more information about her and before we knew it were inside the cat enclosure dangling peacock feathers for her to play with.
The shelter volunteers told us that Venus was around 3 and was a seizure case (which means she had been removed from the care of her previous owners due to cruelty/neglect).
They said she had been in the shelter for several months receiving much-needed treatment. They told us that it would take some time to find her a suitable home as most people who visited wanted to adopt a kitten. Our hearts went out to her. We wondered how she could remain so friendly and trusting after all she’d been through. We sat on a bench in the shade of a tree and went over every possibility imaginable. We thought about what we would do if Shelli didn’t like her, if the dogs chased her, if she wasn’t happy at our home…
In the end, she made the decision for us. We went to look at her again. This time, not only did she run over to see us, she leaned towards Mr Fluffytufts and licked his hand (I kid you not!!). We felt that she had given us the seal of approval and so with excitement and trepidation, we filled out an adoption application.
This post is long enough at the moment! If you reached this point, then I sincerely thank you for taking the time to read Venus’ story. I will write another post soon about her adoption day and how she settled in to her new home.
How did your pet come to be in your family? Do you remember the first time you saw them? I would love to hear your stories!
Fluffy Tufts 