The story of Tango and Cash

By Lorraine Monfils
    This past July, the Ark took in two orange tabby kittens about 10 weeks old. They were brothers and they both had upper respiratory issues. The kind person that took them in took them to the vet and got them treated and then asked us to help place them. They became known as Tango and Cash. Tango was gorgeous. He had big double paws and the most beautiful blue eyes, but he was a little more reserved than his brother. Cash was a little peculiar looking to say the very least, he had a severe under bite and he was so homely you couldn’t help but fall in love with him. From the moment you picked him up you could hear his little motor running, he purred constantly and he truly seemed to love everyone and everything. As was expected Tango was adopted shortly after they came in. Everyone would look at Cash and comment on how homely he was, but he was always happy and content.
    I knew there was something not right about Cash, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. After a few weeks we made an appointment for Cash to go to the vet. Once he got to the vet, they couldn’t hear his heart because he was purring so loud, they turned on the water faucet, which made Cash stop purring. After a thorough examination it was determined that Cash had a heart murmur on a scale of one to five — his was a four. My heart sank when I heard the news. This poor little ball of fur had not been dealt a very good hand. He had a severe under bite, he was considered homely by most and now he had a severe heart murmur. It was going to be next to impossible for him to find a home.
    If any cat deserved a home it was him, we were unsure of his life expectancy and we so wanted him to know what a real home with loving humans was like, Cash didn’t know he was different. He was just so happy and just loved everything about life. He waited patiently.
    A few days after Cash had come back from the vet, a very wonderful lady came in. She had adopted cats from us in the past and had come in to get their nails cut. When I told her about Cash, I could see tears in her eyes. She went over and held him and he started to purr, without any hesitation what so ever she said that she would give Cash a home. I explained that there was no way of knowing how long he would live and that some day he would probably just go to sleep she smiled and said that it didn’t matter. What did matter was that he got to live in an environment with plenty of love and attention and just be a happy little kitten. That week, Cash went to his new home and he thrived in his new environment. Cash is a very lucky little kitty he is living life to the fullest in his new home and loving every minute of it. He is hoping that maybe his big brother will show him how to the ride the I Robot floor cleaner early some morning.
    To Cash’s wonderful new owner you have no idea how much we appreciate you. You opened your heart and your home to this little kitten not knowing what the future holds. You were strong enough to put your feelings aside and not worry about the future and it’s uncertainty and just let this little kitten live for each moment he is here. He could live for years or be gone tomorrow but that could be said for anyone of us. Here’s looking at you Cash!
    For the month of November, the Ark took in $2,907 in donations and fundraisers. Our expenses were $2,818. We took in no cats and adopted 16. We currently have 41 cats. We took in four dogs and adopted nine. We currently have three dogs.
    Please join us on Saturday, Dec. 8, for our “Miracle on Mechanic Street” event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. We will be featuring the 12 Dogs of Christmas, as well as selling Christmas trees and wreaths. There will also be a bake sale, silent auction, rummage sale, pictures with Santa, and we will be serving sausage and peppers, hot dogs pulled pork, chili and meatball subs. We will have fire pits to keep you warm and we will also being doing pet adoptions. It will be outside on Mechanic Street at The Hollywood Pet Salon. We hope to see you there.
    We will be having a bake sale on Saturday, Dec. 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside The Hollywood Pet Salon. Thank you for your continued support and as always thank you for reading our column. We would like to wish everyone a very happy holiday season.