I had heard the warnings that Heaven on Earth cat adoption can be selective about disclosing medical or behavioral problems. But reached out to them anyway because cat adoption resources are scarce in the valley. The manager pre-selected a cat and, to her credit, Oreo immediately bonded to me.
I am an experienced pet owner having raised five dogs, nine cats, and numerous other animals over the past 40 years. Including a pound rescue cat that they said was incapable of bonding, but with patience became my lap baby for the last 12 years until his passing.
Oreo and I were instantly inseparable. If I stepped out of his room, he would meow until I returned, and then it was a loving purr fest. I stayed home 24/7, and Oreo clung to me day and night, even as I slept on a sofa just so that I could be there for him.
However, every few minutes Oreo would leave my arms, and start frantically panic screaming at the door (as if he was being beaten), and then run back into my arms for comfort. I think that he was sensing that my wife's dog was somewhere beyond that door. All the while, my wife's dog (a service animal) never left her side.
This was not normal cat hissing, but an uncontrollable instinctual reaction that no amount of time could have ever resolved. It did not matter that Oreo and our dog remained in different rooms with no contact. Oreo had seen the dog twice, and that was twice to many times.
After 48 hours, Oreo developed mild diarrhea and I knew that the longer he stayed in our home, the more traumatized he would become. Potentially getting very sick or becoming emotionally unable to be re-homed. I had to decide between keeping my wife or my new cat, to which my wife said that I took an uncomfortably look time in deciding.
Bringing Oreo back was one of the most difficult decisions that I have ever made, and the fact that he spent 95% of his time in my arms made that decision even harder. But I had to put his needs above my own. For him to have the best chance of a happy life, even if it meant being away from me.
I told the facility staff to keep the adoption fees and handed over another $300 in cash (I had given $200 in cash on the adoption day) to help cover care costs. I then held Oreo one last time, as he reluctantly left my arms for their cage. My hope was to take a few days before opening up to another fur baby to love.
Rather than having any compassion for this experience, management repeatedly stated that it was my fault for not isolating Oreo. When I asked to be considered for a different fur baby, I was told NO since I had not kept Oreo for two full weeks. A policy they had never previously mentioned, and to which they admitted was subjectively applied. Not that I would have risked Oreo's well being just to fit their policy.
I should have listened to the warnings because, for me, they turned Heaven on Earth into a living... I can only hope that they treat cats better than they treat people.
The city animal shelter is no-kill and has fur babies that need a home, they disclose all medical and behavioral issues, and they don't punish people for doing right by their pets. read more