Happy Tail: GinGin and Lollipop
It’s May 2021 and Gary is on the phone with Annex Cat Rescue. He’s thinking about adopting a rescue cat, but it’s the peak of the pandemic, and he wants to make sure he’s doing the right thing. Luckily, ACR volunteers were there to help.
“I gave it lots of thought. I knew that there were needy cats out there, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t just adopting a cat because I was bored during the pandemic,” he says. “We talked for about two hours to make sure I was really ready.”
For Gary, adopting a bonded pair was a no-brainer. He is a business owner and needs to spend much of his time at work, so naturally he wanted to adopt a pair so they could keep each other company. Most people prefer to adopt one cat, which means many pairs end up being separated. Gary decided he would stick it out until ACR rescued a pair that needed a home.
He didn’t have to wait for long. A call came in to ACR’s feral/stray community outreach line about a week later reporting a colony in Scarborough. A bonded pair were rescued and were being cared for at a foster’s home. “I just jumped on it. It was luck,” he says.
They two took a few days to settle in, finding safe spaces to hide out in while they learned all the new sights and smells of their new home: GinGin behind the litter box and Lollipop at the very top of the cat tree. “They wouldn’t come out of their safe spaces for about three days. Now they are my kids,” he laughs.
GinGin and Lollipop are the cutest pair. They sleep together, groom each other, play with each other, and they even let Gary know if the other cat is stuck behind a closed door. GinGin is a big baby and asks for cuddles every night. The older he gets, the more he turns into a lap cat. Lollipop used to be a bit more selective. Recently, she had two teeth removed and now she is the friendliest cat.
Adopting a cat isn’t always cuddles and zoomies. Sometimes things happen that can make you sad or worry, like GinGin having a fear of carriers or Lollipop needing dental care, but Gary doesn’t regret a thing. Even if he hadn’t ended up with his purrfect matches in GinGin and Lollipop, knowing that he is giving two cats a good home has been well worth it.
“It melts your heart,” he says. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
If you’re thinking about adopting a cat, give ACR a call. The volunteers on the other end of the line are ready to share their experiences, point you to resources, and connect you with a rescue cat waiting for a home just like yours.
-Jessica Pellerin