Adopt, don’t shop this National Pet Day

TODAY is National Pet Day, an unofficial holiday celebrated annually on April 11, with the aim of not only encouraging those who are already pet owners to appreciate their furry, feathered or scaly friends but also to encourage those who may have space in their home for an additional or first pet to think of those who are in need of a ‘furever home’.

All throughout my life, we have always had pets that were rescued from less-than-ideal circumstances, and in return, these little beings shared so much love, cuddles and, yes, laughter.

So, I am hoping that by sharing the shenanigans of my beloved yet mischievous cat, Jack, it will encourage at least one family in the community to adopt an animal from either the SPCA or one of the many non-profit rescue organisations in Durban.

Jack (our rescue from Kitty Care Durban), who was named aptly after the infamous pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, has always kept us on our toes.

One of his most recent escapades nearly had me rushing him to the vet. One morning I heard him vomiting in the kitchen. Not the best way to start your day. Vomiting cats are not always an immediate red flag because of hairballs, but the pure amount of it shocked me.

He is a greedy guts, and the vet has clocked him a wee bit (whispers) pudgy in the past, so he and his sister, Neko, get fed measured meals three times a day.

So where was all this food coming from? Was he not digesting his food? Panicked, I phoned the vet who suggested we monitor him overnight. If he vomited again, did not have a bowel movement by the morning or stopped eating or drinking, I should bring him in immediately.

And, so I jumped into anxious-cat-mom mode, monitoring his every move and even losing sleep as I got up several times during the night to check on him. But, as you may have guessed, Jack did not have any further issues. In fact, besides looking a bit sorry for himself, he seemed to go back to his healthy, gutsy self.

A few days later, while cleaning behind the massive bottles of water we have stored in our little flat –  you know because of the ongoing water outages – I spotted what appeared to be a wrapper hidden between the containers.

After picking it up and recognising it as a kitty treat packet, it hit me like a ton of bricks where all the food had come from. . . Turns out, Jack had climbed onto the water containers, which allowed him to reach and pry open the door to the cabinet where all their treat packets were stored, and had subsequently had his fill of several of the treat packets.

Jack had eaten his breakfast and three times the amount he is supposed to get with each meal. No wonder he had become sick and there had been such an alarming amount.

We laugh about it now, and I am still unsure how he managed to pry open the cupboard doors. But needless to say, we now have all the treats locked up in a different cupboard.

At the end of the day, I am just glad that it was nothing serious and that he can get back to constantly keeping us guessing and entertained.

When he is not naughty, he does several cute tricks and gives the best cuddles. My favourite part of the day is when I come home to find my cats waiting for me at the door.

Our house would not be home without them.

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