netnomad’s blog & grill

[Editor’s Note: I’m not saying this to toot my horn, but I have written and re-written this article probably 50+ times reaching late into the night last night, and now first thing the next morning. I only collapsed it because it is so long, but please read it at least once. I feel the subject matter is important. Thanks guys.]

Y’all know me and love me for my satirical and sarcastic outlook on everything. I love to make you laugh. If you’re looking for funny, skip this article. I’m going to be way serious for a minute.

It’s no secret to anybody that I love cats - especially my own - but really all cats in general. When I see the “commercials” on television for the Toronto Humane Society it does to me what it does to some people when they see a World Vision or Foster Care commercial. I usually have to change the channel because I can’t handle it. In fact it angers me so much sometimes to see the video they air on those programs that I sometimes ponder emailing the station, but I never do - because deep in my heart I know the message is necessary. And this week, the message hit close to home.

Jess is a friend of mine. I’ve known her for years. I’ve known her since she was a kid. We met on Internet Relay Chat a long time ago. She attends college in the states and is an all-around great person. She is also a cat lover, and got a cat last year. His name is Otto. They get along great - especially since he had his date with the doctor and his singing career and “artistic urination” days are over.

I don’t know how exactly it happened. I’ll speculate that she went to one of those “big box” pet stores to buy food and/or litter and the local flavour of the humane society was there, although that may not be the case. In any event, she fell in love with another cat - a male Maine Coon - named Shiloh. Shiloh had been neglected, and needed a loving home. Jess filled out the adoption paperwork and Shiloh became a member of the household almost immediately.

But sometimes I think things happen for reasons other than what we plan. Shiloh was sick. Jess noticed that he was a little on the yellow side and he wasn’t eating. She took him to the vet and the vet said that it was likely Shiloh’s liver that was causing the problems, but the tests would be prohibitively expensive to a college student. She took him back to the shelter and the shelter vet looked him over. The tests were positive. Shiloh’s liver was failing. There was nothing they could do, so the vet did what he had to do and stopped Shiloh’s suffering - only two or three days after being adopted.

Jess was upset. I would be too. But I asked her to look at it from the cat’s perspective. He was diseased and neglected and suffering. And in his last moments of life, somebody pointed at him and said “Yes, I want him”. Shiloh was lucky. In his last moments, he had someone in his corner who loved him. Somebody who was cheering for him when he crossed that finish line. But there are thousands and thousands of cats who never feel that privilege. In death Shiloh may have found the peace he rarely knew in life. He wasn’t alone.

Obviously there is not much we can do about the sex life of the stray cat population. They will “be fruitful and multiply” until the end of time. But please. Spay or neuter your cat, and make sure that their shots are up to date. And if you’re going to get a cat, make sure you’re ready for the commitment of cat ownership.

I challenge all lovers of felines to remember Shiloh in a tangible way, in a way that will help other cats and dogs from that unfortunate “last meeting” with a veterinarian. Adopt a pet from a shelter instead of keeping these kitten and puppy mills in business. Pet stores - the ones that sell pets purely for profit - are wonderful places, but there are so many homeless cats and dogs that need homes just like Shiloh did. Alternately, you could make a tribute gift to Toronto Humane - or your local shelter - in Shiloh’s memory.

The story has a happy ending. The good people at the shelter offered Jess her choice of the cats they had at no further cost. “Honey” is now running around and Jess says “I think Otto has a crush on her”. Thankfully they’re both fixed.

After reading the article herself, Jess wanted to point out that Shiloh and Honey were both adopted from the good folks at PAWS of Pennsylvania, a no-kill shelter. You can donate to that organization here. I’m sure the good people there would be especially touched to see one or more donations come in memory of Shiloh. If I know the hearts of compassion that it takes to run a no-kill shelter, I’ll bet some of those folks in Camp Hill were almost as grief-stricken as Jess was.

I would also be remiss without mentioning the King Street Cat Hospital here in the Whitby/Oshawa area. Aside from being a stunningly well-run hospital for cats, they also have a “Joey Fund” established for strays and homeless cats that they take care of and try to find homes for. Dr. Christina McCrae is one of the most talented veterinarians I have ever met, and she has an awesome staff as well! And they only handle cats! If you check their website they have a postal address listed as well as a toll-free number where they can take your credit card donation. This is where I will be making my in-person donation… in honour of Shiloh.

In Memory of Shiloh

If one person adopts a “Shiloh” and gives that pet the full, long, happy, loved life that it deserves because of this article, all the money I pour into this domain just became worth it.

Thanks for listening. I promise not to be serious for a whole week.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 23rd, 2005 at 11:00 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.