A fun part of having an office at an animal shelter is I get to have an office cat.  Soon after my first office kitty, Stumpy, was adopted, the cat counselors kindly started recommending a new kitty companion for me.  Next thing I know, I have a deaf and mostly blind cat with hyperthyroidism in my office with me.  Amelia is a gorgeous cat who adorably loves to be held just like a baby.  Her purrs are incredibly loud and she makes hilarious noises when she sleeps.  I instantly loved my new “boss” at work.

Only after a few days in the office we learned she was having kidney issues and I took her to our vet clinic for blood tests.  The results were not good and, coupled with other evidence of her failing health, I learned from our vet at APA that she only had a few weeks left at best.  I decided that night to adopt Amelia and brought her home to live out her days knowing she has a family and is deeply loved.

A lot of negativity has been surrounding my life the last few months and Amelia has taught me that life is too short and unpredictable to deal with the crap that can be avoided, to own my situation and change things if they are not what I need/want.  She has inspired me to do things I would not have considered before.  I am so honored to be her owner and mom.  She is such a beautiful, loving, charismatic little creature.  No matter how long she lives, it will not be long enough.  As each day passes, she is a little more frail, a little more sick, and soon I will have to make the humane decision to help her rest peacefully and pain-free.  I am terrified of what is to come, but I owe it to her to be strong and be a good pet parent.

Welcome to the family, Amelia Riedi.  Please make yourself at home and stay awhile.