Adopting Older Pets

I've long been an advocate of adopting older pets. I brought my cat home when she was 3 1/2 years old and we never missed a beat. I also believe in older pets for older people. Not everyone needs a puppy or kitten or can really handle all of the work they entail. With an older pet, you pretty much know what you have from the start.

One of my personal pet peeves (any pun intended) is when an older person dies, leaving a beloved four-legged companion who may have been their only source of love and comfort. Family members come in, dispense with property and no one takes the cat or dog, preferring to dump it in a shelter or just abandon it as if it were a piece of garbage instead of a living breathing, loving sentient being. Frankly, this topic, for me, is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. I get furious, heartbroken and sick to my stomach. Yes, all at once.

You can imagine how surprised and delighted I was to receive an early copy of a new book, "Moo Kitty Finds A Home," by Valerie Lee Veltre, and illustrated by Liz Leonard. Moo's story will touch the hearts of children and adults. It is this very topic that Veltre covers so beautifully. Abandoned after his elderly owner dies Moo watches all of the kittens being adopted from the shelter. One by one. For Moo there is, thankfully, a happy ending but this story is more than a mere tale. It is a beautifully illustrated lesson. One that will teach children and adults alike the value of someone older and that adopting an older pet from a shelter is a wonderful option.

I cannot say enough good things about this book. It has truly touched my heart. I think it would make a wonderful gift for any child or library for that matter. It would be a perfect item for shelters to sell.

Even if you don't have a child, it's well worth reading. This book will touch your heart and make you think twice.

Published by Squidgy Press, an imprint of LifeReloaded. (www.lifereloaded.com)

I'm going to read "Moo Kitty Finds a Home" again. And again.