Doing custom pet portraits also mean I get the chance to hear about all the beautiful stories about the pet owner and their pet. This year, I have decided to start documenting what I've learned with each drawing. I hope you will find joy in them as much as I had.
Here is a little story of Zoe's adventure as told by her lovely owner Leonie.
Name: Zoe 16 | Owner: Leonie
Once when she was 6 months old I had her spayed on a Friday so I could look after her over the weekend. When I came home from work the following Monday she had disappeared. I searched and searched for her for many days but alas to no avail. Despite advertising in newspapers and local radio as well as notices on the waiting room notice boards of every local vet, she had simply disappeared. Ten days passed I received a phone call at work from my local police station saying they thought they might have my cat.
Seemingly Zoe had staggered in through the automatic doors during the night shift. She had been tied up around her neck with wire and was badly cut. She was emaciated and was skinny. One of the policemen on duty had taken her the next day to the closest vet to get treatment IT WAS MY VET who had spayed her only 2 weeks before, he recognised their veterinary tattoo in her ear and suggested the policeman check the noticeboard for my phone number!
I raced out of work to the police station and there was my little girl. She was running around their back office and hiding. When I called her name she came out from under a desk and took a huge leap onto my shoulder....she purred and snuggled into my neck...I cried... the 2 policemen were emotional............LOL... it was a general sob fest!
Zoe was home.
Clearly, someone had taken her for their own. But she had escaped and clever girl, went to the police LOL
Apart from going away on holidays when she stayed with my parents or I had a house sitter, she never left my side after that until she passed away of old age 16 years later.
PS. The really nice ending to this story. I bought a lotto ticket and posted it with a thank you note to the policeman who had taken her to the vet and cared for her. He'd refused to take payment for the vet bill and the cat food he'd bought. He called me 2 weeks later to say he'd won $1500 :) Karma.