We used to live in a barn and it was probably one of our favorite places we’ve lived. Pre-kids, it was this tiny little studio and it wasn’t really the nicest place ever, but we had the BEST views of the sunset and despite all the quirks of the place, in retrospect, we actually really liked living there. There was the bonus of the barn cats that would come and visit daily and make our home theirs. One cat was nameless (we ended up naming her Roxy) and the other was Lucy. She was such a big, lovey cat and I totally fell in love with her. I loved that she would come and invite herself into our place and sleep on the bed like she was ours. At night, we would call the cats into the barn to keep them safe from the coyotes. One morning, I went out to call for her and she never came. The whole day went by and I still hadn’t seen her until later that evening I tried calling for her again before closing up the barn and she still didn’t show up. I had a terrible feeling that she was gone. It wasn’t like her to not show up for that long. The next day, a guy that worked there told us that he saw Lucy’s body in the field when he was running a horse. This cat wasn’t even mine, but I was SO sad! We had gotten attached so quickly and I was so bummed I would never find her sleeping in my laundry basket anymore or have her to snuggle up with. Ryan saw how upset I was so he started looking into getting a cat. I didn’t really want one, but he kept showing me all these cute kittens! Of course, he found this striking kitten and I caved. Enter Apollo.
Apollo was quite the character as a kitten. We noticed that he had really big paws and we thought his proportions were too funny. Well…turns out he is NOT a small cat. He’s not fat, but just very big. The markings on his body were so different than what we’d seen before and the spots on his belly were so adorable. He was nuts though. Crazy energy, was such a climber and loved high places. Just like any cat would, he also loved exploring the barn. It was the best backyard! When we moved to California, we took him with us. Then, when we had our daughter, he wanted nothing to do with her. We saw that he wasn’t exactly the best kid friendly cat. He’d let you know when he was done if you were petting him…and it wasn’t always in a very nice way. If she passed him while he was sitting on the bed or a shelf, he’d gently swipe at her to say “stay away.” But we loved him and he loved us too…in his own way. We took him with us when we moved back to Colorado. And we had our second baby. “Great, you guys brought another hair puller home? Perfect. Stay away.” And then we had our third baby. Still the same. But now, our kids know him so well that they would hardly touch him and if he was sitting on a chair or stool that they needed, they would ask us to come help because they knew that he would most likely swipe at them if they tried to touch him. They were so used to his grumpy self that they would start flinching when they’d walk past him…because they knew how he was. Funny for us to witness, not so funny as a kid. Ha!
I’ve always grown up with cats and seen them pass away due to old age or getting hit by a car or just disappear and you’d know something had snatched them. But I’ve never had a cat really have anything medically wrong. When we got home from our trip in February, we noticed that Apollo wasn’t himself. He was sleeping all the time, he didn’t jump onto the washing machine to beg for his food because it was too high and something wasn’t right with his hind legs. We took him to the vet and soon learned that he had diabetes. Say what?! I honestly didn’t even know that was a thing in cats!! Mind blown. Of course, classic Anyssia, I started stressing and worrying about what to do for our poor guy. Do you know how expensive it is to care for a diabetic cat? All of a sudden, we had to consider the amount of money we would be spending on insulin, needles, blood work every three months, and a special diet. We would have to be vigilant about giving him insulin shots every 12 hours for the rest of his life (what do we do when we go on vacation?)…unless it somehow regulated after some time and we could maintain it with just a diet alone. But there’s only a 25% chance of that happening. So our monthly expenses to have our cat would be quadrupled. FOR A CAT! How could we do that when our priority was to our kids? Paying a mortgage and supporting our family! I spent weeks going back and forth, procrastinating, weighing the options before we came to the conclusion that we needed to give him up. He was in pain, he needed help that at the time we could not give. So I took him to the MaxFund Cat Shelter. I was a mess. I didn’t want to leave him! We spent eight years with him! They saw that I was really struggling with letting him go so it was decided that they would take him on a temporary basis. They evaluated him, did all the necessary blood work and started him on insulin. I walked out of the shelter that day with MAJOR guilt and a very heavy heart. I had literally just dropped him off and walked away. I regretted it immediately, but told myself I was doing the right thing. I thought about him every day and called for updates and waited.
Almost two months passed when we got a call from the shelter asking if we would be willing to take him home. He had developed an upper respiratory infection and he was depressed. More guilt. Here we were again having to figure out what we were going to do. We knew that bringing him home was the best option for him, but again, how were we going to do it? In the end, Ryan talked to them about our situation and they were amazing! They worked with us and got us all set up for the first few months so we could bring him home. A week later, I went to pick him up. They were so kind and supportive. I learned how to give insulin and learned all the ins and outs of what this new life was going to look like… for us and for him. When they brought him out, a couple gals came out with him to send him off and say goodbye. He sniffed my hand and his eyes softened immediately…he recognized me.
So now he’s been home a few days and it’s like we have a new cat! He is not the bitter grumpy cat we used to have. All three kids have been in his face and petting him and not once has he tried to bite them or swipe at them. Maybe he’s been poked and prodded and in his kennel for so long that he has realized that it’s actually not so bad at home. hahaha But one thing is for sure….he is SO happy to be home. His whole demeanor is different! He can find his spots to nap, lounge in the sun, and sleep the day away with no worries. He is taking in all the love and attention we give him. After I saw how easy it really is to give him his insulin, I’m seeing that it’s not so bad. However, I just about had a heart attack when I saw that his cat food costs $62 a bag!! WHAT?! That’s seriously outrageous!! Then, I realized that I had a gallon sized ziploc of syringes and couldn’t just throw all these used needles in the trash. Not only is it just not right, but I also have three kids! No explanation needed…imagine the what-ifs! Yikes! So I had to buy a sharps container to properly dispose of them. And put everything out of their reach. Ouff…one thing at a time, I guess. But despite all that, we are very happy to have him home after all and there is no doubt he is too.
During this whole process with the shelter, I quickly came to a realization. You know how everyone says adopt a pet instead of buy one? Well, I can now understand why. The cat shelter told us that they have over 300 cats there. It’s a true no-kill shelter so they will always take a cat no matter what. Each time I went, I saw just how many sweet cats there were and it just broke my heart that some of them had been there for so long! When I dropped Apollo off, I vowed that the next time I got a cat, I would pay it forward and adopt a cat from a shelter. Or 3. Just kidding. But seriously, I would totally go that route rather then buy a cat like we did Apollo. I mean, we got him from a private owner. Nothing crazy, but after witnessing the shelter first hand, it definitely opened my eyes. I can’t thank the shelter enough for all they did for Apollo. They took amazing care of him and did EVERYTHING to give him the best chance. I guess we do crazy things for the pets we have in our lives…but then again, we did chose them to become a part of our family, right? And that’s enough justification for me.
Broken Crayons Still Color 
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