Hearts That Purr

Hearts that Purr

Years ago my parent’s had a kitty who was tragically killed in front of my mom by a neighborhood dog. My mom was sure her heart would never heal. A month or so later I was visiting them in the White Mountains. I ran into the local grocery store while my mom waited in the car. When I came out of the store I noticed the local humane society was having an adoption fair. I walked by and saw this adorable white kitten. I hurried to get my mom and I told her she needed to come with me. I knew if I told her why, she would say no. She followed me up to the store and I put this furry angel in her hands. It was love at first sight and Gizmo came home with us.

Gizzie was spoiled by my mom. He loved snuggling with her, being brushed, watching birds through the windows and being the king of the house.

13 years later, my mom was diagnosed with brain cancer and died within a month of her diagnosis. Everyone was devastated, especially Gizzie. My Dad who is in declining health tried to take care of Gizzie, but it was becoming too much for him. The “final straw” was when Dad was petting Gizzie and because he wasn’t paying attention to the fact that Gizzie was getting irritated, he got bit. The next day his hand was swollen up and he ended up in the hospital for 4 days with IV antibiotics. The physician told my Dad that he needed to get rid of the cat.

Obviously this was an extremely difficult situation. Dad didn’t want to get rid of Mom’s cat, but he was scared that he would be hospitalized or worse if Gizzie bit him again. Unfortunately, I was unable to take Gizzie because I already have 2 of my own fur-babies. If I took him to the pound he would be put down because he was a “bitter”. The no-kill animal shelters was over-full. I couldn’t find anyone I could trust to take my mom’s beloved cat.

After quite a bit of research I came across Hearts That Purr. Jeanmarie and I began corresponding. She is a wonderful pet advocate. The...