For those of us who love animals, our pets are truly members of our family.
Therefore, it can feel impossible to move past grief when losing them—especially when it is unexpected.
A while after one of Leah’s cats suddenly passed away, she felt the time was right to seek a new furry family member. Then, she came across Bilbo, a tiny kitten available for adoption at the BC SPCA Cowichan Community Animal Centre.
In June 2024, Leah went to visit Bilbo in person, and she couldn’t resist his sweet face. It has now been a few months of Bilbo settling into his new home, and he has quickly made it his own.
Leah has written to us with an update on their lives with Bilbo:
“We adopted Bilbo on June 28th of this year and our lives have been more exciting, loving and crazy ever since.
We decided we were ready to adopt another furry friend a few months after we had lost our loved cat to a sudden heart attack. It was a hard decision to know when we were ready after such a traumatic experience.
Our pets are our family and therefore we were dealing with grief at a high degree. We noticed that our remaining cat was showing signs of loneliness as well. We didn’t want her to become bitter or lazy, so we felt it was time to look for her new sibling.
I knew I wanted to go with the BC SPCA because it is an organization built by people who care deeply for animals. We saw photos of some new baby boy kittens at the BC SPCA Cowichan Community Animal Centre.
Their names were Zack and Cody. Anybody born in the 2000s will understand why that drew us in. We decided we were super interested in Cody.
So, on a very hot day, in my car with poor ventilation, I went to visit this tiny kitten that fit in the palm of my hand. Immediately he let me hold him close. He quickly grew comfortable letting me play with him. He stole my heart right then and there.
Since bringing him home, we have changed his name to Bilbo. Now, he is running this house like he pays rent. Everything is a toy and everything is fun.
Bilbo keeps his sister on her toes as well and they have started a lifelong sibling love. He enjoys chasing her tail and following her around everywhere.
We found out that Bilbo loves particularly soft blankets and his favourite hiding place is grocery bags that get left on the floor.
We’re so happy and grateful to have him around.”
Thank you, Leah, for your courage and commitment to opening your heart and your home by adopting another animal in need even during a difficult time. We can tell that Bilbo is thrilled about his new home and already has each of his new family members wrapped around his tiny toe beans. We wish you all many happy memories to be made over the years to come. Thank you for giving Bilbo the environment he deserves to grow up into the best cat he can be.
Have you adopted an animal from the BC SPCA and want to share your joy with others? Submit your adoption story!
Resources for cat guardians
How do I know if my cat loves me?
