Pets

In my home country, Russia, there is a big problem with stray animals. Many people buy cats and dogs or get them from friends and neighbours. Some people even adopt stray animals. These pets become like family members. They are loved and pampered. Most often pet owners cannot live without them. However, there are also pet owners who decide that they don’t want the responsibility of taking care of their pet(s) any longer and abandon them. My family has always rescued such animals.

We feed and take care of them. We also try to find new homes for them. Often, there are up to five cats living in our apartment. At one time, there were nine. Once, two dogs that we could not find homes for lived with us for a very long time too. Our neighbors think that we are crazy.

Approximately seven years ago, someone knocked on our apartment door. When my mom went to answer, she saw nobody, only a hat lying on the ground. Inside the hat there was a tiny male kitten, whom we later named Nusy. We took him inside and looked after him. It wasn’t easy because he was so young. Also, one of the other cats didn’t like him. Despite the difficulties, he grew up and became an extremely handsome cat indeed. His fur is beige with chocolate colour stripes. He has big blue eyes and a dark pink nose, which he wiggles funnily. In addition to being handsome, Nusy is very friendly and gentle. I brought him to Canada with me in 2019 when I emigrated. He has lived with me in Burnaby, BC ever since.

Be kinder to our smaller brothers. Although looking after pets can be a lot of work, they truly love us and help with stress. During the first Corona Virus quarantine older people living separately from relatives were happy to have a cat or a dog because they didn’t feel absolutely alone.