Celebrate National Pet Day with Your Worthy Friend

Today is National Pet Day! If you have a dog, cat, horse, bird, rabbit, or reptilian friend, you are aware of the special companionship that your pet provides every day.

Dogs: 69 million.

Cats: 45 million.

Fresh Water Fish: 11 million.

Birds: 9 million.

Reptiles: 6 million.

I don’t have any data on rabbits, but I’m sure it’s sizeable and no doubt multiplying.

Some of our animals provide emotional support and, in doing so, reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Service animals assist those who have experienced horrendous emotional trauma.

If you’ve read about Amanda in Being Worthy, she loved her dogs and guinea pigs. Coincidentally, she would have been 33 years old today.

Our pets love us unconditionally, are loyal, and expect so little in return.

In my situation, it took 70 years until I had my first pet. For a year, my wife Jayne searched for a long-haired cat. Finally, in January, she found one in Eastern Rural Pennsylvania. On a cold, grey snowy day, the transfer was done in an empty schoolyard parking lot. With a 90-mile drive home, Jayne opened the carrier, and our new cat poked her head out and started meowing for the next 40 miles back into New Jersey. It was the first time she was in a car or even outside. Very curious.

Jayne decided to name the cat KiKi, and we went with that. She is a KiKi.

In the first month, KiKi received a rabies inoculation (make sure your pet has theirs) as required. But the next thing we had to do was get her groomed as she was badly matted and was rubbing her back on any surface. The groomer worked on KiKi for over two hours, gave her a lion cut, and commented that it was the worse case of a matted cat he ever saw. Recently she was spaded.

As Kiki is only 8 pounds and six years old, she looks ridiculously cute. It will take about a year for all that fur to grow back. I told Kiki. “Look, tiny cat, if you decide to head back west to Pennsylvania, I will understand with all that we did to you.”

So far, Kiki is still with us.

In fact, Kiki has the run of our entire house. She plays with plastic curly spring toys and some plastic tubing I cut up. Once she grabs them, she will put them down and meow at the object for quite some time, looking for some type of response that never comes.

So cute! Kiki is becoming affectionate and doesn’t always run away when approached.

Of course, this is all on her terms. Kiki is becoming a good friend and makes us laugh quite a bit.

So, make sure that you spend some time with your pet today. Play with them and give them a special treat. If you’re considering a pet, visit a shelter for adoption and make a donation.

Our pets are worthy of our time, caring, and love!