Duchess
The Accidental Pet Parent
This week, in honor of Mardi Gras, Happy Tails is taking a trip to New Orleans, where Elizabeth Hassig became an unlikely pet parent after her boyfriend found a tiny kitten near a local wharf. Elizabeth shared her story with us:
It was a normal day for me—I had finished my classes and work. I was about to go grocery shopping when my boyfriend, Nick, called me. But when I picked up the phone, I heard a loud, piercing meow instead of a hello. At first, I thought it was my boyfriend joking with me.
Then he said: "I have a kitten in the car with me."
As I waited 25 minutes to see this kitten, I prepared cat food and a bed. Of course when she finally came home she was in a box, and when I peeked in I saw a mouse...No, it was a small, weak kitten begging to be fed and taken care of.
The next day I brought her to a vet I trusted and found out that this kitten was not a boy, like Nick had thought, but a girl. So naming her Governor Nick, after Governor Nicholls Street Wharf, where she was found, was out. For a day she went around having no name—until I thought of Duchess. The name fits her personality perfectly.
Duchess is now almost six months old, was just recently spayed and absolutely loves being the center of attention. Whenever we are reading or working on our laptops, she walks in front of us, sticks her head in our faces and gives us a "Pay attention to me!" look.
While at first I feared Duchess would not make it, she proves to me every day how strong she is, and how much love she is capable of giving. Every day is a joy, and when people ask if we are cat people, we say, "We are Duchess people."