Stories from my readers: Animals as Healers

I’m a big believer in animal rescue and adopting older animals. I have a 2-year old son named Scott and a 4-month old daughter named London. Our animal story starts when Scott was a baby and he had some developemental problems. We thought having an animal would encourage his gross motor skills so we rescued a kitten who was jet black, with one patch of white. She was rescued by the Folsom Prison, and was so malnourished that she almost died. We took her to get her shots and had a microchip placed inside of her. The day we brought her home, my son Scott took his first steps and we worried that he might be too rough with her, so we watched him carefully. He was so gentle with her, and he would pet her as she sat on the toilet while he took a bath. She slept in his room and somtimes crib, and then his toddler bed, and now his bunk bed. These two are best friends; I even have art work with their finger and paw prints. We also took a family photo with her in his arms! I think that they will have a long lasting friendship, and since he’s not ready to share his kitty with his sister yet, we may just get her a rescued feline of her own.