My favorite subject in the whole world

OK, so it's time for me to blog and after a long week, it's hard for me to come up with anything news-related. Oh sure, we've reported plenty of stories this week that are ripe for comment, but I'm not sure at this point in the day I can comment on them coherently.
Time to fall back on my favorite subject in the whole world: my family.
My family, quite simply, rocks. It consists of my mom and dad (together for 38 years, I'm proud to say), my kid brother and his fiancée, my parent's cat and my three cats. I also have a few close friends I consider part of my family -- they're the ones I got to pick out. I gotta say I hit the jackpot when it comes to my immediate family, though.
My little family, the one that greets me every night when I come home and is there when I (often reluctantly) wake up in the morning, at home is my three sweet kitties. The oldest of the three was adopted from the Florence Area Humane Society six years ago. His kid sister, the one from a litter of barn kittens who still needed a home, arrived a month later. And in May, a strapping young tomcat who'd been hanging around my house for a year finally became a full-time member of the family when attempts to get him adopted didn't work out.
You know that cheesy song from "Urban Cowboy" back in the day, the one about looking for love in all the wrong places? I'm here to tell you it can be found as close as your local animal shelter. Whether you're a cat person like me or a dog person or even a pot-bellied pig person, I know for a fact that when you adopt an animal who needs a loving home, those animals know that you've chosen them among all others and appreciate being a member of your family.
Please, please, PLEASE, if can do so, adopt a homeless pet. Think it through, though. Know that your pet will become a member of your family and will rely on you completely for his or her well-being for the rest of his or her life. If you think you might get bored with a pet or can't handle the medical or behavioral problems that might arise, don't get one in the first place, please. Vet bills and pet food and supplies aren't cheap, but to me the expense is totally worth it.
And, in the name of all that is holy, have your pet spayed or neutered!!! It's the law if you adopt one from a shelter. It's people's failure to do this one simple thing that has created the homeless pet problem. Domestic animals aren't meant to fend for themselves in the wild, either.
Not sure where to start? Well, if you live in Florence, you're in luck:
* Home Away From Home Rescue will have a pet adoption from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at Bi-Lo on Pamplico Highway in Florence. Dogs, puppies, cats and kittens will be available. The animals will have been bathed, and each adopted dog will be go home with a collar and leash and will be supplied with a bag of food.
Home Away From Home Rescue is a nonprofit kennel for dogs and cats rescued from the county pound and off the streets of Florence. It’s a no-kill shelter and relies on adoption fees and donations for animal care. Dogs and cats older than six months are spayed or neutered and up-to-date on all shots. Kittens and puppies will be up-to-date on their shots and deworming, and most will have been spayed or neutered. State law requires all animals adopted from a shelter, pound and/or rescue be spayed or neutered.
The rescue, located at 2405 Lakeview Drive, Florence, can be reached at (843) 665-1615. Volunteers are always needed.
*For the Love of Cats Inc. Feline Rescue & Adoption will have a pet adoption from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at Wood Creek Dog Food Center, 2803 W. Palmetto St., Florence.
Kittens and cats will be available for adoption. All the kittens have been vaccinated and dewormed. Older kittens will have been altered and up to date with vaccinations. All kittens and cats are treated with flea preventative before adoption. State law requires all animals adopted from a shelter, pound and/or rescue be spayed or neutered.
For the Love of Cats is a nonprofit group formed for the purpose of rescuing and placing homeless cats and kittens.
For more details, call (843) 383-4980 or (843) 230-4464.
My cats show me unconditional love (they never care if I'm having a bad hair day, and they don't laugh when I dance around to Duran Duran in the kitchen -- but I'm pretty sure they'd rather I didn't sing along) and bring me joy every single day.
I can't imagine life without my feline family. You'll be reading about them again, trust me.

Log In | Register as a new member