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I have three cases pending, two dogs and one cat, which I will try to tell of as their cases unfold.  

Today I’d like to speak of Carrie, my 16-year-old rescue cat. I first met Carrie around 12 years ago; she was a rescue living with the menagerie at Bert and Jeanette Larson’s house. Carrie was a shy little girl who’d scamper to the top of her cat tree when Elaine and I visited.  

It took nearly a year of me cajoling her during visits before she gave up her trust in me. It got to a point where Carrie would sit on the table and meow each time I visited; I had to greet her first before visiting anyone else. She loved to play head butt with me and rub herself all over my face, all the while emitting her soft, quiet purr.  I may have won Carrie over but she certainly stole my heart.

A few years ago both Bert and Jeanette passed on within a year of each other, leaving behind their own dog and 12 cats. After much money and effort, three of Jeanette’s cats and her bulldog were simply not adoptable, to the point that they were mean and dangerous. With the help of Paws, Prayers and Promises, Dana Mayer of Po’Kitties and two others, all the rest were adopted.

Elaine and I took Gigi, the one-eyed cutie who is no longer with us, and my sweet Carrie.

Carrie has the sweetest little kitten face and her coloring is known as mute, which is a soft grayish color with tints of orange here and there.

For the last year or so we’ve been battling breathing problems and this week she had an ingrown nail and there was blood all over her room. All has been taken care of at great expense. We run a humidifier in her room and she gets special medicine on her wet food twice a day.  

Carrie is a fighter and pretty much has become Elaine’s girl, though the headbutt game goes on each time I visit.

Carrie knows when her wet food is coming and each day, one hour before feeding time, she’ll meow until she gets it and that’s twice a day. She also gets dry food, softened up with some chicken broth, which she loves. All foods are the healthiest we can buy. As long as my dear Carrie shows me the will to live, she will get what she needs to help her win the fight.

To all you animal lovers, “May each of your pets love you back with the same fervor as Carrie does me.”

God bless and thanks for listening.

Leonard Rizzo is the founder of Lennie’s Kids, a nonprofit organization that helps sick and injured animals in the foothills, promotes animal welfare and works to find homes for pets.