Friendship can make all the difference when it comes to facing life’s challenges. If you think hard enough, you can probably remember a time that a close friend helped you through a rough patch.
However, it’s not just people that can benefit from this type of bond. The story of a sick and scared Siamese cat can certainly vouch for that.
The residents of Kingston, Ontario noticed a visibly ill stray cat wandering the busy streets. The feline was wary of people and had a build-up of fluid around the eyes. Life on the streets certainly had not been kind to the animal.
Fortunately, a passerby was able to trap the cat and was able to get the cat somewhere that could help.
Happy Tails Farm Sanctuary, owned by Carla Reilly Moore and her husband, Harold, is a group dedicated to helping rehabilitate animals and educate the public.
The sanctuary started out focused on potbelly pigs but has since included other herd and domestic animals into their efforts. They are exceptionally skilled at assisting animals that may need some extra attention on learning how to interact with people.
Without hesitation, the group took her in and named the cat, Sapphire.
As luck would have it, Carla and her husband, and recently given birth to a baby girl, Mary just a few weeks prior to Sapphire’s arrival. While some people may have hesitated to take in such a complicated case, Carla welcomed Sapphire with open arms. Carla explained it,
“While we are not a domestic animal rescue, we focus mostly on farmed animals. But for some reasons when we received a call for Sapphire, we took her in, no questioned asked. I found myself saying yes before I even knew what I was saying!”
And what happened next, nobody could have guessed.
After spending an entire day hidden away under Moore’s bed, Sapphire was ready to make friends. The first person she acquainted herself with was Carla’s husband.
She quickly transitioned to spending time with Carla who, of course, spent much of her day tending to Mary.
Sapphire took an interest in the baby right away. At first, she just watched her from a safe distance but wanted to be near her as much as possible. Sapphire even took on a protective role with the newborn. Carla said,
“We noticed very quickly that Sapphire seemed to start protecting the baby. Whenever the dog came by, she would hop up and run over beside Mary. It happened again and again.”
Pretty quickly, Sapphire was a regular in Mary’s crib at naptime. She snuggled up closer and closer to the child.
Finally, being near her wasn’t enough, and she would put her paw around the baby.
As Mary got bigger, she would look for the cat and even reach out and gently stroke her fur. Carla went on to say,
“At just four months old, Mary knows who ‘Kitty’ is, and looks right at her when you ask her where the kitty is. She reaches out and touches her. It’s as if these guys have known each other forever.”
While Carla and her family are used to interacting with animals on a regular basis, the connection between Sapphire and Mary defies all odds. The special bond between these two is undeniable.
Carla sums it up,
“This is a true love story. It transcends time, transcends species and may even defy logic. Some may say this kitty need us–that she was drawn to us because we were able to help her…But we say we needed her. We didn’t know we needed her, but we really did.”
And just like that, we see the power of friendship. It truly is the most precious thing.
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