After her beloved cat Louie died in September 2019 at the age of eighteen, Deborah Kon was missing the companionship and love that only a pet can offer. “It was just too quiet and too lonely at home,” she says. “I was all alone. My family lived in another province at that time, so it really felt like I had no one.”
To help fill the void Kon adopted Jojo from the BC SPCA in Victoria in January 2020.
“He was my first choice,” she recalls. “I looked at other cats, but I kept going back to him. He was my first choice and I decided to take him. No other cat was doing to do it.”
Shortly after adopting Jojo, the COVID-19 pandemic hit British Columbia and, like many people, Kon’s lifestyle became instantly uncertain and isolated.
“I was feeling very stressed out and anxious. I was worried about getting sick, about losing my job,” she says. “I was worried about what I would do if I got sick or had to be in quarantine. I had no one to help me. I also missed my family and I couldn’t travel to go and see them. I didn’t know when I would be able to see my family.”
Kon found her solace in her furry companion whom she adopted just in the nick of time. “I am very lucky to have Jojo in my life. He makes my life more interesting. He is very sweet, very active, very loving, and very funny. When I get anxious, I just look at him and see how happy he is. He wakes up happy every morning and he is active and running around, and purring. He doesn’t worry about anything. That always makes me smile and it makes me happy to see that.”
The pair love to snuggle and play, and Kon enjoys watching Jojo run around for his morning zoomies. She says Jojo’s companionship gives her a sense of purpose that helps alleviate her stress during these tough times.
“I know that I have to keep going because he is there and he needs me. He doesn’t know anything about COVID or the pandemic.”
For those who might be in a similar living situation and dealing with loneliness and anxiety, Kon can’t recommend enough the importance of adopting a pet, especially during the pandemic.
“I am a big advocate for people having companion animals,” she says. “They enrich our lives and make our lives so much better. They bring us joy and laughter. A lot of us have experienced some level of anxiety during this pandemic and pets help to reduce that. They teach us that there is more to life than being stressed out and anxious. They are there for us and they need to be taken care of. They can take our minds off the pandemic by providing endless love and entertainment.”
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