Suffield Veterinary Hospital

March 2006 Patient of the Month

            Meet Princess and Esther, two spayed female sisters, currently incarcerated – through no fault of their own – here at Suffield Veterinary Hospital.  They are 18 months old and up to date on all of their inoculations. 

On November 1, 2005 a kindly appearing woman came up to the reception desk with two cat carriers, looked our receptionist in the eye and said, “Oh, I left my purse in the car, I’ll be right back.”  She was never seen again!  Inside the box was a note giving their names and ages, and stating that due to a change in her housing situation, she could no longer keep them.  She had tried contacting numerous rescue groups, but the day of the move had come without her finding them a placement.  The tone of the note was heartbreaking.

As you can see in this picture taken at Motophoto and Portrait Studio at Brookside Plaza in Enfield, the pair are lovely short haired cats, extremely closely bonded to each other.  They are very shy, and probably led quite a sheltered life.  Princess (the grey and white) likes to hide.  It is only in the last couple of weeks that she will emerge from behind her box and allow one of us to pet her.  Esther (the calico) is also timid, but more approachable and trusting than her sister.

These girls need a new home, someplace without a lot of activity and noise, preferably without dogs or children.  This doesn’t remotely describe the atmosphere at Suffield Veterinary Hospital.  Both of them interact well with other cats.  If you might consider adding Princess and Esther to your family, realize that you may go several days at first without seeing them at all!  It will take lots of time and patience before they develop enough trust to feel confidently at home.  But the reward for taking them in will be great: knowing that you’ve given shelter to two needy critters, and that, indirectly you’ve fulfilled the wishes of the sad, anonymous woman who left them in our waiting room.  Call our office and ask for Robin or Tena.

PLEASE don’t take this story as a blueprint for how to get rid of unwanted pets!  The lesson should be the opposite:  a pet is a lifetime commitment.  The playful kitten becomes a cat, the cute puppy becomes a dog, and by bringing them into your home, you must plan to love and care for them as long as they live.  There are simply not enough homes and shelters for cast-offs when people have gotten pets without thinking of what the next 12-18 years might bring. 

Yet, even when pets are dearly loved, sometimes unexpected circumstances develop that require them to go to new homes.  We like to think that is what happened to the previous owner of Princess and Esther, our March 2006 Patients of the Month.

Suffield Veterinary Hospital

Dr. Ann Huntington - Dr. Anita Sabellico - Dr. Dawn Burke

 Dr. Jean Herrman – Dr. Tracy Powell

577 East Street South (Route 159), Suffield, CT 06078 (860) 668-4041