PUZZLING INTEREST

 

 

Garfield is doing great! His previous tummy issues are completely under control and he appears, happy, settled and totally at ease so it's safe to say that the adjustment period is over and it's all systems go from here.

The one other thing that let's me know we're well on our way is that I've already had two adoption calls for our creamsicle boy. Alot of people would tell you that doing rescue work isn't for the faint of heart, and that's true. But what's more true is that a leopard always shows his spots sooner or later and this thankfully is always sooner I've found when it comes to that initial conversation after an adoption enquiry has been made.

Case in point...... The first individual I spoke with a week and a half or so ago, who called really eager to meet Garfield, had lost their own cat a year before and wanted to go through the grieving process - fair enough. I can totally relate to feelings of loss and understand that we're all different and everyone needs their own amount of time to feel that they have healed. But in the year that their cat had been gone, they had been to 6 shelters, 4 adoptathons, and had already had conversations with 3 different rescues about 8 other cats - with none of these ending in an adoption. My first alarm bell had already gone off. My second alarm bell went off after we continued our conversation for afew more minutes and I let this person know that Garfield weighs in at 22 Ibs.

It became very apparent, very quickly, that they were already backing as far away as possible. The clincher? - well that was when they asked me how I hoped to possibly guarantee his health when he was already so unhealthy at that (and I quote), HUGE size? There's a deal breaker in me with everyone I meet in life - I don't like people that make fun of other people because of their weight, their skin colour, or their religion, and the same holds true for anyone that references an animal by using terms such as IT, THING, UGLY or FAT!!

The second interested party had a dog and was hoping that I could confirm Garfield's past history included friends of the canine persuasion - which of course I cannot.

It mystifies me why Garfield's weight is an issue for people. When we fostered Farley (who was of a similar stature), everyone that called prior to his adoption, actually admitted their disgust that he was so heavy. My question to them was and is still the same..............how can you penalize an animal for what has clearly been a case of animal neglect/cruelty/abuse? It's not as if he or any other in his situation has willingly trotted downstairs and opened the pantry cupboard or fridge on their own and decided to gorge to the point of obesity!

What's most important here? That Garfield is safe and sound with us and has advocates in the form of the rescue and us his foster family, who will ensure his new forever family will love him for the darling, sweet animal that he is AND recognize his extra bit of self as just more of him to love.