The term “rescue” here is used lightly. As pet owners, we didn’t rescue them from any dire circumstances where they were being mistreated or neglected. At least, that didn’t seem to be the case when we agreed to take them. Belle and Paws were overweight, and while we believe both of them could have been better taken care of by their previous owners, generally Belle and Paws were somewhat healthy cats (slow, sleeping, constipated, somewhat healthy cats).
We use the term “rescue” here in reference to “we rescued these cats from going to the ASPCA” and thereby, stopping these two cats from getting into a system that was (at the very least), a questionable future for the both of them. A system that is already overwhelmed in our opinion.
We believed then, as we do now, that Belle and Paws were being thrown away after a family was done with them. This family just didn’t want Belle ‘n’ Paws any longer after twelve years.
A new beginning for Belle and Paws
Belle and Paws came to their NEW home on October 23, 2016. At the time of this posting, we are now coming up on two years with Belle and Paws in their new home. We were told Belle and Paws were originally found as kittens, with a litter of their siblings. The family who found them were able to get rid of all the kittens except for Belle and Paws so they kept these two.
Then, the family decided twelve years on, that they were going to move… and move without their cats. The kids had all left the nest or gone off to college and the parents were moving out of the old place and into a new place where they wouldn’t be having any cats. Belle and Paws were headed to the ASPCA after twelve years of giving love.
I guess we’re sort of reserving our sentiment on this family’s decision to get rid of the cats. We believe pets are family members. You make accommodations if you need to. The ASPCA (or any rescue org for that matter) should be a last resort for any animal and the more we came to learn about Belle and Paws’ story, the more we believe the decision wasn’t a last resort at all but a convenient and quick end to taking care of these two cats.
Regardless, Belle and Paws are brother and sister. They are basically a bonded pair of sibling cats who have been together since birth (14 years now of this writing). A bonded pair of pets, such as cats or dogs, are two animals that have been together as a pair and have come to know they are individually stable and comfortable when the other animal is there too. The animals don’t have to be together since birth, but in this case with Belle and Paws, they have been and need each other there to know they’re both in a safe and loving environment.
I suppose we, as their NEW owners, could be bitterly torn here. If the previous owners hadn’t made the decision to dump their animals off at the ASPCA, then we ourselves wouldn’t be in a position to enjoy all the love and happiness these beautiful creatures have brought us over the years.
Who are we
We, are Belle and Paws’ owners. We are a couple who have had many cats, dogs, reptiles and other animals over the years. We’ve done many rescues and likely… aren’t done.
A mutual acquaintance shared Belle and Paws’ story with us and after a short discussion among ourselves as to whether there was room in our home, we both agreed we wanted both Belle and Paws to be a part of our family. Their story was heartbreaking for us and we couldn’t let them go to the ASPCA. We’ve saved several pets from the ASPCA over the years and this would have been certain separation, if not worse, for the two cats.
This has been such a great decision for us to take them in and we haven’t looked back. These cats have done nothing but enrich our lives and as of this writing we’re now coming up on a couple years with Belle ‘n’ Paws. Two years of curiosity, happiness, and fun. These cats are so adorable and happy in their new home that the whole situation truly gives validity to rescuing animals for us.
Why a website?
Eventually, among our friends and family, we started getting questions as to how Belle and Paws were doing. “Do you have any pics?” was a common question. This blog became a thing all of a sudden. I may be writing this two years on, but the pics and blog has been available for friends and family since the beginning. However, we’ve re-organized some things here at the website since we began back then to accommodate more content so at the time of this posting, the pics have taken a back burner to a wider approach to our website blog.
The pictures are still here on the website but we’re developing a better way to distribute better quality photos for those that want them rather than web efficient images to serve a website. We “imagine” many things for the website but without time to make it happen, it stays on the back burner.
Side note… Isn’t Paws adorable? Take our word for it. Once Paws is a part of your life, he exudes love and affection that is only rivaled by his sister Belle. We couldn’t imagine our lives without them.
Ahem… As I was saying, Belle and Paws came to us overweight. They were heavy cats that were free feeders. Free feeding is the practice of just leaving a bowl of dry food out all day and letting the cat(s) eat as they want to. Many times this leads to overweight cats but it is convenient to the owner. Maybe they work or have obligations. Not everyone can be around to feed their pets at certain times.
Dogs have the same problem but will definitely start putting on the pounds in a scenario of free feeding, as they’ll keep eating until they can’t eat anymore. Cats have that same kind of instinct but nowhere near as bad as dogs in our experience. When free feeding, cats get used to just coming and eating when they get the urge, while a dog will try and eat as much as they can in one sitting. If a dog does leave, they’ll be back.
Two years and counting with belle and paws
As we close in on two years with Belle and Paws, we can say whole heartedly… rescuing these two was one of the best decisions we have made. Belle and Paws have continued to enrich our lives and are the representation of what a rescue pet can bring into your life. Not only for us as owners but other pet family members as well.
Belle is an empathy cat. That’s a cat that seems to sense pain whether physical or mental. We’ve had some sick pets these past two years and a few have died fighting illness’. Any time we had a sick pet, Belle was right there laying down, comforting who ever was sick. It became the norm every time someone was having an issue. She’s WAY more comfortable now than she was when she came to us.
When Belle originally came to us, she was consistently bathing. We came to learn that it was part of her transitioning from a home where everything was getting packed up and leaving, and then her going to a home with a whole new set up with all new friends and new owners. A condition called Psychogenic Alopecia was the culprit. It’s a nervous condition among cats. Belle would constantly be bathing. We’re happy to say, she’s MUCH, MUCH better now.
Same with Paws. Not only are we better enriched in our lives for taking him in, but he’s blended so well with the rest of the pets, that they think of him as part of the family as well. Paws was the spark every one of them needed to jump start their day. Paws is a schedule cat, which means you’d swear he knew what time it was. He’s always there to keep you on schedule and he always knows when it’s time to eat. He’s a formidable foe to any one of our other pets playing and they love playing with him.
One of our favorite photos of them both Belle and Paws together is the two of them enjoying a look out to the backyard. The image is about a year old now and there’s a bird out there on the ground. The window is right off the cat tree we built for them, and they enjoy watching and looking out the window together. It’s a ritual they both go through when we open the window for them. They still have a sibling rivalry but they put it aside to enjoy a moment of looking out the window.
The reward of a loving pet is more than words can say… and Belle and Paws are both awesome loving pets… that still have love to give.