Giving Back Tiny

Last Wednesday I dropped by our vet's office to pick up our corgis from their grooming appointments. While waiting for the dogs to be brought up front I scanned over the lost pet fliers.

Hmmmm...there is a cat that looks like Tiny.
Am Looking For Tino. Have you seen this cat? Please call. Reward $.

Wait a minute. Tiny. Tino...That cat doesn't just look like my cat, that IS my cat. I turn to the woman working at the front desk, "That's my cat! Last Spring we adopted a cat named Tiny from this office. What is going on?"

The woman turns to the other woman working at the desk, "She says that is her cat."

Both women observe the poster. The second woman says, "You look like a good cat Mom. You bring your pets in here and they are well taken care of. You should just keep the cat. I've met the cat's previous owner and she has some severe emotional issues. I think the cat would be better off with you."

I pay our tab, gather the dogs and leave. As soon as I am in the car I call David. "You are not going to believe this..."

David calls our vet to find out exactly what is going on. The vet relays that a month after Tiny was given up his owner came back to the office crying, saying giving her cat up was the biggest mistake of her life. The vet did not know who had adopted the cat because that was handled by the front desk and they don't keep records of pet adoptions. He said that he had never experienced a situation like this before. He felt that the woman had some emotional issues that might have prompted her to give the cat away in the first place.

David felt that we should keep Tiny and forget that I had seen the poster. We have had Tiny for 8 months and we adore him. Tiny came into our lives at a very sad time right after our corgi Simon died. He follows me around the house, he sleeps in our bed and always sits beside me.

But, I couldn't just let it go. Images of Tiny reclining on a pillow, a collage of pictures carefully selected to reveal all his distinguishing markings leapt off the poster and kept me awake that night. Tiny looked happy in the pictures from his past life. It had been 8 months since we adopted him but this desperate poster had been hung less then a week ago.

I got a sense of a depressed, isolated person who became overwhelmed by life and did the best she could for her cat in the moment. She didn't give him to an animal shelter or turn him lose on the street. He was given to a trusted vet to be adopted into a good family. I decided to call his previous owner.

I wanted to assure her that Tiny was well loved and in a good home. I also knew before I called that she would want him back. I hoped that I would make a good choice in that moment.

As we spoke her story came tumbling out, between sobs. Tiny's previous owner found herself alone in the world after the 3 people closest to her died. She became severely depressed and was put on an antidepressant medication. She had a severe reaction to the medication and began giving her possessions away, one of them being Tiny. When her doctors realized she was having trouble they switched her medication. After she became regulated on the correct meds she was horrified to realize that she had given away her beloved cat.

Tiny, who she had named Tino, was like a child to her. She had been putting up posters all over Los Angeles and in local veterinary offices for months. She hadn't been able to sleep because she was so deeply troubled by what she had done.

Tiny tolerating one too many kisses goodbye.

As much as I love Tiny, I couldn't keep him knowing that I would add to this woman's pain. So, on Saturday David and I drove Tiny over to his owner's apartment. We spoke with her for over an hour. She had framed photographs of Tiny on her dresser. She seemed stable but a little lost in the world.

Tiny walked around the place like he owned it. He walked over to where she kept his food bowl and looked around expectantly. Once she fed him he settled right in. I could tell that he was very loved and would be happy. We told her that we would take Tiny back at any time, short term or long term if she ever needed help again.

I know we did the right thing, but why does doing the right thing have to hurt?

Posted by heather at January 22, 2007 9:35 AM

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