Who doesn’t love looking over into a box of cute, wiggly puppies or kittens? While these cuties are easy on the eyes, taking care of so many of them is a task a lot of people don’t want to undertake, and, as a result, far too many of them end up in the animal shelter or on the streets.
If you’re looking for a pet, sometimes its good to check out the local animal shelter. You never know. You might walk away with your new best friend.
My childhood best friend found me during the in the summer when I was 11 years old.
I was visiting my grandparents one afternoon, when a tiny black kitten showed up out of nowhere.
He was skin and bones, and wasn’t going to last much longer during that summer’s terrible heat wave. Someone had abandoned him on the side of the road.
I could tell the kitten was hungry and thirsty, so I poured him a bowl of water and went inside to get him some of my grandmother’s cornbread. He ate and drank until his little heart was content.
When my parents came to pick me up, I begged to keep my furry playmate. As all parents probably do, they said no at first, so I begged a little more. They finally agreed that if the kitten hung around for a few days, then I could bring him home ONLY if he stayed outside.
Well, needless to say, a few days later we were going back to pick up the cat. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so excited in my life.
We named him Midnight and he was my outdoor cat for about a week before I gave him a grand tour of the house — without permission.
Of course, we were caught and Midnight and I were both sent back outside.
I’m sure my parents were concerned that the cat would scratch up the furniture and they certainly didn’t want cat hair clinging to everybody’s clothes every time they sat down.
It took some time and quite a few “PLEASE Daddy’s,” but somehow Midnight found his way inside the house — and everybody’s hearts — where he stayed for the rest of his life.
He would greet me at the door when I came in from school and slept in my bed with me at night.
When he wasn’t swatting at or stealing my pencils, he helped me do my homework.
He never bit or scratched me, and he allowed me to dress him up in ridiculous clothes and put goofy hats on his head. I called him my year-round Halloween decoration.
Midnight was even cool with it when we brought in another cat, a grey-and-white tabby named Mittens, who became his sidekick and partner in crime.
Granted, Midnight wouldn’t have protected me from anything, (He was afraid of my brother’s fishing worms) he was nonetheless the ideal pet for a child.
We had Midnight eight wonderful years before liver cancer took him. He passed peacefully.
Midnight is buried under a tree pretty close to the same spot where I found him.
Knowing that I rescued Midnight only made him more special to me. It meant so much just knowing that my family saved his life.
Somebody’s throwaway cat was my beloved friend, and they really missed out on a great pet when they dumped him in a ditch in Union County. Their loss.
Some people think the best pets are pure-bred animals that come from a long line of champions. But to me, the best pet was one I found on the side of the road.
I’m so glad he found me on that day, and my parents allowed me to keep him.
No, Midnight wasn’t a Persian, Scottish Fold or anything else people pay big money for, but he was worth the world to an 11-year-old girl. The rest of the family was pretty fond of him, too.
So what’s the moral of my story? If you’re looking for a pet, consider adoption. Not only will you save a life, but you will enrich your own life more than you realize.
•Contact Beth Thomas at 581-7233 or bthomas@gwcommonwealth.com
