Dogs or cats?

I’m going to tell you a little story about my animals over the course of my life time. I don’t have photos for all, and some of it really sad, but I will tell you a tale of how I’ve come to home 6 of the most beautiful souls known to man in our forever home in Australia’s capital territory.

Blacky the cat

My first memory of having an animal was Blacky the black cat. I don’t remember much about him but I do recall having his pass away and Dad buried him in the back yard.

Jessica the cat

This little girl was my confidante. She heard every story of bullying I got at school and would sleep on my bed every night. One morning, I got up and kissed her on the forehead to say goodbye. I’d never done that before and when I got home, I found out she’d run under my Dad’s reversing car and been killed. She too got buried in the back yard.

Milo the dog

We got a dog from the rescue and she came home with us. Eventually, I moved out to live with my first husband but one Christmas, she got very sick. The vet said she had congenital heart disease and had to be euthanised. I cried and my uncles then girlfriend told me I had to be happy for everyone else as it was Christmas and to get over it. Milo was also buried in the back yard.

Bella the cat

I was in Brisbane with my aunt and her boyfriend. We went to his parents place (think bad bad house) and they were going to kill a little of cats. I took Bella home to save her.

My first husband forbid me to have a cat and my parents took her in. She got old and passed away before we moved the Canberra. She was a good cat.

Kody the dog

Kody was rescued from a shelter. He had been rejected from the airforce as he was too docile. I’d gotten him with my second husband and he had told Kody he loved him before he told me he loved me. That should have been a warning sign.

Kody was short for Dakota and he was a great running companion. He got an ear infection and not even my best friend and I could get his ear drops in after my ex was removed from my house. I had to surrender him as I could not look after him.

Missy the dog

My second husband’s sister gave me her dog Rosie as she could no longer look after her. I called her Missy and my best friend’s dog Bam got her pregnant. They had puppies which was my first whelping experience and they were gifted to friends and family. I had a breakdown and Missy went to my second husband’s friend who renamed her back to Rosie. Rosie lived out her life being loved and passed away a couple of years ago.

Shelley the dog

Shelley was living with a lady in a wheelchair. The lady was worried about this little puppy getting under her wheels so we took Shelley in.

My main aim was for her to be a loving little pupper for my son who was having problems at school. She was there to give him lots of love even when he had no love at school. Shortly after came Gemma for the same reasons.

Gemma the dog

Gemma had been bought by a single mother of four who realised it was too much for her. She went to a lady who discovered she had allergies to Gemma and then we went and met her with Shelley.

Shelley and Gemma were fast friends and Gemma came home with us that day. They were both indoor dogs until one day we came home to a sea of white as we had left the toilet door open and they had strewn all the toilet paper throughout the entire house. They both stayed outside after that. I moved back in with Mum and Dad after my second husband stalked me to the brink of breakdown and when I moved in with my now husband, I was not allowed to have them in our rental. They lived with Mum and Dad for many years after that.

Lola the dog

Lola had a good start at life with my second husband buying her for our daughter for her birthday. She was a cute puppy and very loved.

When my second husband moved back to Canada, he left Lola with us. We were very lucky our landlords allowed us to have her. By then she had some major health issues though. She had developed lens luxation and was blind.

I was away for an internship in Canberra and my Mum had thought turmeric would help her. Unfortunately, she started internally bleeding in her eyes and had to have an operation to remove them on my return.

As she was blind before, she had no problem adapting but she is so much happier and not in pain any longer. She’s expensive but so worth it.

Tom the cat

During covid, our landlord lost his job and had to sell our rental house. Our realestate put us in a break lease property and the previous tenant left us with their cat, Tom.

The previous tenant was unable to have him inside their house due to their son’s allergies and there was a lot of construction in the area where they were moving to which made them anxious about his safety as an outdoor cat. We brought him to Canberra with us where he spends his days inside now as Canberra is a cat containment zone and he is a happy fat cat.

Gemma and Shelley the dogs

After we left to relocate to Canberra, Gemma had come to the end of her life with a lot of tumours causing a lot of pain and ill health.

Gemma was euthanised and Shelley was brought to Canberra in Mum and Dad’s caravan to spend the rest of her days with Lola. Mum and dad had wanted to travel and Lola and Shelley had always gotten along with each other. Unfortunately, Gemma was overprotective of Shelley and we could not leave Lola unattended around her so we had to wait until Gemma was no longer with us to have Shelley back in our care.

Luna the cat

Luna had a rough start to life. Her owners had to go home to China in the midst of the covid pandemic and the people she was staying with were unable to look after her any longer. She was in a bad way and required urgent grooming.

We got a mobile groomer around and got her shaved to remove the dreadlocks she’d developed and worked on getting her to trust us.

Luna is a bit skittish to this day but has just started to trust hubby during his cancer treatment as he’s been home and in bed a lot. She likes our bed and loves to snuggle in the warmth with him.

Athena the cat

Then, Mother’s Day 2022 saw our eldest son move back in with us after relocating to Canberra to study at the exclusive ANU for a bachelor of archeology. He brought his beloved cat Athena with him. She is such a pretty little thing with a very feminine meow.

She loves cuddles and nuzzles into armpits. Very strange but beautiful. I feed the animals every morning as I’m the first one up in the household and she waits patiently at my son’s door after eating until I let her in to cuddle up to him.

Maya the dog

Hubby wanted a Labrador so I applied on a Labrador rescue group. We waited six months until we were chosen for Maya. we met her on Christmas Eve 2022 and have been in love with her ever since.

She was rescued from a puppy farm and Shelley and Lola have become her puppies as she was ripped away from three litters before she was three years old. Must have been devastating for her. She is very anxious and loves to lick everyone. She needs a lot of love and some obedience training but we are happy to give her a forever home. She’s obsessed with me so I’m pretty sure she’s my dog even though hubby wanted her.

Cats or Dogs???

The answer is both! I cannot live without my tribe. The cats and the dogs in our lives have their own personalities and their own ways of loving. When I get up every morning, the cats are waiting for me to feed them. I’m pretty sure they adore me (or is it just food?)!

And the dogs adore me (or the food) and we snuggle after they eat every morning.

Our little family would not be the same without our animals. Although, the kids want a rat!

Hubby says “NO!”