I adopted two cats 3 weeks after I lost both of my 2yr old cats in a house fire on a family vacation. I was not ready in the least bit, but something was telling me to drive 7 hours to this shelter to get these fur babies and so I did.
I sat in the shelter for about 4 hours just undecided on what I should do because I was still in such an emotional state. The one had to be pried out from under the cat tree and forced into the carrier. In that moment I remember thinking wth am I doing but put the two cats in the back of the car and drove 7 hours home.
The cat that they needed to pry out and force into the carrier (Oakley) was not in good shape. He would let out this yell all night and would hide all day. After taking him to the vet, I found he was struggling with worms, a respiratory infection, and had severe untreated asthma on top of it. Again, hearing this at the vet I asked myself why did I just add this to my life right now??
Oakley needed to have 3 medications across 6 different times a day for the first month I had him. And while it was stressful and a lot of work for a cat I barely knew, Oakley was the one pushing me forward and getting me out of bed each day when all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry and completely isolate myself after what I had just experienced.
Looking back, I wonder if things could've been different if I didn't have the feeling that I needed to adopt so quickly after the fire. If I didn't have him there to keep me going and to change my focus each day as I started to process and heal from the trauma.
Today, a little over 2 years later, we still do our inhaler routine twice a day, but he is happy and healthy. We are both back to living our best lives, knowing we were always meant to cross paths.
Wow, Kayla—thank you for sharing this. What you went through with losing your cats in that fire is unimaginable, and I can only imagine how raw everything felt just 3 weeks later. I love how you listened to that pull to make that 7-hour drive, even in the middle of so much grief and uncertainty.
It’s incredible how Oakley, even with all his challenges, became the one to keep you moving forward. Those routines, even when they feel heavy, can be such powerful lifelines. I’m so glad you both found each other when you did—and that today you’re both thriving. That “meant to cross paths” feeling is so real.
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Have you ever had a pet come into your life at exactly the right time—even if you didn’t think you were ready?
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I adopted two cats 3 weeks after I lost both of my 2yr old cats in a house fire on a family vacation. I was not ready in the least bit, but something was telling me to drive 7 hours to this shelter to get these fur babies and so I did.
I sat in the shelter for about 4 hours just undecided on what I should do because I was still in such an emotional state. The one had to be pried out from under the cat tree and forced into the carrier. In that moment I remember thinking wth am I doing but put the two cats in the back of the car and drove 7 hours home.
The cat that they needed to pry out and force into the carrier (Oakley) was not in good shape. He would let out this yell all night and would hide all day. After taking him to the vet, I found he was struggling with worms, a respiratory infection, and had severe untreated asthma on top of it. Again, hearing this at the vet I asked myself why did I just add this to my life right now??
Oakley needed to have 3 medications across 6 different times a day for the first month I had him. And while it was stressful and a lot of work for a cat I barely knew, Oakley was the one pushing me forward and getting me out of bed each day when all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry and completely isolate myself after what I had just experienced.
Looking back, I wonder if things could've been different if I didn't have the feeling that I needed to adopt so quickly after the fire. If I didn't have him there to keep me going and to change my focus each day as I started to process and heal from the trauma.
Today, a little over 2 years later, we still do our inhaler routine twice a day, but he is happy and healthy. We are both back to living our best lives, knowing we were always meant to cross paths.
Wow, Kayla—thank you for sharing this. What you went through with losing your cats in that fire is unimaginable, and I can only imagine how raw everything felt just 3 weeks later. I love how you listened to that pull to make that 7-hour drive, even in the middle of so much grief and uncertainty.
It’s incredible how Oakley, even with all his challenges, became the one to keep you moving forward. Those routines, even when they feel heavy, can be such powerful lifelines. I’m so glad you both found each other when you did—and that today you’re both thriving. That “meant to cross paths” feeling is so real.