by Alisa Giroux
Dio was a large all white cat that a friend found hanging around her house. She felt sorry for the cat because he had no home and started to feed him. He started to trust her. She asked me to help her help the cat so I went to meet him. What a dirty boy he was. You could see the flea dirt all over him. To our horror we noticed he was 4 paw declawed and not neutered. How was he supposed to defend himself on the street with no claws?? I tried to catch him but he got away. My friend stuck to her guns and kept trying to win him over. When winter finally came, the poor cat was so cold she was able to grab him. We put him in my nice warm bathroom to adjust to being inside. He was so grateful and needed a name. I named him Dio after an old friend Daddy-O. Dio was a loving but nervous cat- after all he had to fend for himself for at least a year. I was so excited to take him to the vet to neuter him and find him a home since he was so handsome. The vet called with bad news. Dio had FIV which is feline Aids. That's what happens when cats are out roaming and not neutered/spayed. We couldn't find anyone to adopt him since the disease was contagious. I had to make a horrible decision to end his life. I held Dio as he purred and passed to the Bridge. He was only about 3 years old and didn't deserve to die. This happened because someone didn't know the importance of spaying and neutering and of vaccinations. They didn't take resposibility for caring for Dio and dumped him in a corn field by my friend's house. He suffered attacks by other cats and animals and in return had gotten a deadly disease. Dio did not deserve to live like that and die so young. Thank God he knew he had friends in us. Now my friend and I have to live with the sorrow of his loss.
PLEASE have your pets spayed or neutered and get the necessary vaccinations. Companion animals should also have the safety of living indoors where they are comfortable and safe. Please forgive me for not being able to help you Dio. You are loved and missed.