“He’s meant to be with me” – Bean’s Happy Tail
September 3rd, 2024
By Savannah Verdon, Development Manager
Every day for a week when Jen dropped her dog Toby off at doggie daycare in the morning, she would see a cute green-eyed cat darting in and out of the bushes around the building. She had never had a cat, but she was fascinated. Every day she had to remind herself there were several reasons she couldn’t have a cat. Still, she found herself disappointed when the cat disappeared over the weekend.
“I said to myself ‘If I see him Monday, when I bring my dog to daycare, and he’s there, it’s a clear sign he’s meant to be with me.’ Sure enough, that Monday, he was there. That day, I brought him home. I love him so much. He is unlike any pet I’ve ever had. Cats truly are different from dogs. He’s challenged me, he’s loved me, and I love him back.”
Hoping to begin her life as a cat owner on the right foot, Jen took Bean to the veterinarian for his vaccinations. She was told he had severe respiratory issues, and the veterinarian was sure she had saved his life. Jen was certain he had saved hers. From just Jen and Toby to welcoming Bean, her family was growing rapidly; but there was room for one more.
For two months she had been visited by Garfy, her neighbor’s cat in desperate search of love and attention. Three times in one week she took him to the veterinarian to address some of her concerns, but when she knocked on the neighbor’s door to get them to notice their cat, let alone care for him, she was met with silence. She continued to feed, house, and love Garfy – and he had become Bean’s inseparable best friend.
Now that she owned two cats and they owned every toy they could want, Jen wondered if a catio might be just what they needed. She asked her handyman to install mesh on her patio to keep Bean and Garfy safe. Just hours after the mesh was installed and Jen paid the handyman, she returned home to find Bean acting strangely. He let her pet him, but he seemed disoriented and was nothing like the little lover boy she knew. Then she noticed the blood on his leg.
Had she not needed to rush Bean to the veterinary clinic 30 minutes before they closed, Jen might have been able to appreciate the irony of him being injured the same day she paid to prevent that sort of thing. As it was, he had a deep laceration on the back of his leg; she had no idea how it happened, and her heart was breaking to see him suffer. They made it to the clinic with 15 minutes to spare, enough time for the veterinarian to give Jen an estimate for surgery for Bean to heal properly. Another cruel irony: if she hadn’t paid for the catio, she could have paid for Bean’s surgery outright.
She had just started a new job the week before, after two and a half months of unemployment. She was responsible for a mortgage, utilities, and Toby, Bean, and Garfy’s needs, all on her own. Even though she had managed, she would need time to recover from such a setback, and now she was faced with another. Jen returned home with Bean who hadn’t received so much as pain medication or a wound cleaning. There was only so much she could do at home, and she knew she needed to raise the money for his surgery as soon as possible to prevent an infection. She applied for a RedRover Relief Urgent Care grant program within minutes of discovering it through a friendly Facebook group.
The continued support of our FurEver Friends means we can always be there for families in their moment of need; Jen certainly had a Friend in her corner when she woke up to find a grant approval in her inbox. It hadn’t even been 24 hours since she found Bean bleeding, and with the wonderful news, Jen had run the entire gamut of emotions. After a successful surgery and smooth recovery, Bean and Jen were both relieved the day his sutures were removed. She was never sure who hated the cone of shame more, him or her, but everyone was happy to see it go.
Now Bean and Garfy could enjoy their catio in peace while Jen knew all three of her boys were safe while she was at her new job. Thank you for being a FurEver Friend to this family and the hundreds more families and animals that count on RedRover for a second chance at healthy, happy lives together!
