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Eddy , who we often called Eddy Spaghetti, taught us a lot about caring for a cat. He is the reason we came to found Happy Cats Health & Wellness and we consider him our founder and CFO (Chief Feline Officer).
“There are kittens underneath the deck,” my mother said to me when I came home from a tai chi class one summer afternoon. “This is the second day that I’ve watched them playing in the grass. They aren't very old. Just a few weeks.”
“Have you seen the mother cat?” I asked.
“Not once," she said. "I think she may have abandoned them.”
That’s how it began, this relationship with Eddy and his sister Lucy. After a bath and all the requisite tests and vaccinations, Lucy proved to be immensely adoptable. Eddy not so much. He has several congenital issues that keep him low on the adoption list.
“Don’t worry little guy.” I said to him as we drove home from his first health exam, “You’re coming to live with me and you’re going to like it.”
There was no way for us to know at the time, that Eddy has several medical issues. I won’t say that taking care of him has been a complete pleasure. It’s been demanding in terms of effort required and expense. But it’s been worth it. He gives back in love far more than the demands of caring for him.
We not only receive Eddy's love, but he also inspires us. He is such a little trooper! No matter all the medical and physical issues he's had, he always bounces back and he always trusts us implicitly. It was in caring for his health and medical needs that we came to realize that we knew much less about caring for a cat than we thought.
That realization caused us to begin educating ourselves. My first act was to ask my veterinarian where I should look to learn about cat behavior and their essential needs. She helped me to learn about many of the information sources listed under the Learning Resources tab on our menu.
When I shared what I was learning with my friends who are also cat lovers, I discovered that most of them were just as unaware as I was about their cats essential needs. It occurred to me that perhaps most cat owners and their cats would benefit greatly from this same information.
That was the point at which we decided to build Happy Cats Health & Wellness with the mission of making the essentials of cat care available to others like us--people who love cats and who want to give those cats the best lives they possibly can.
If you want to know more about the essential needs of your cat, click on A Cat Friendly Home in the menu bar at the top of this page.
Cat Adoption
Adopting a cat or a kitten is a major life decision. Or it should be. There are many things to consider before making such a commitment. That's why its important to speak to your veterinarian before your adopt.