Dreams and stories

My dream career...

For everyone who knows me well, I can be described as a passionate animal lover who since younger high school days has always dreamed of a career in helping animals...our beloved!

To be more specific I aim to become a qualified Vet Nurse, something I remember once telling my Career Guidance Councellor at school. And it is still my goal, even though it's been over 5 years now, it hasn't really changed.

I have on occasion changed my mind about little things...like short term goal stuff, mostly deciding, what job to do next?

I started working with animals 4 years ago at Pets Paradise. I value the experience I gained from that job so much, even though I disagreed with alot their policies. I stayed for 1 year as a casual but gained great animal husbandry skills and having that hands-on experience as a result. It was like an open door to the rest of my career. That job is what started it all.

I have many stories to tell about Pets Paradise but now I want to share my favourite with you.

A special story...close to my heart. <3

One day...I was working on my own (nothing unusual there) and it was pretty busy with the customers and the randoms walking in just having a browse. I remember being at the register and seeing a man walk in with a plastic bag in his hand. At first I didn't think there was anything wrong with that...until I heard a meow.

And sure enough, when he walked up to me and handed me the bag...I realised there were 2 small baby kittens sitting in the bottom of the bag huddled together.

Shocked, I almost literally snatched the bag away from him...although I think he was too happy to get "rid" of them. I felt sick to my stomache, this wasn't the first time kittens had been left in my store. I took them into the back room straight away and set up a crate and gave them some fresh water and a blanket.

I went back out to the store after a few minutes but I could not get my mind off the 2 little babies in the back room. I just wanted to sit with them and make sure they were okay.

Come end of the day when I was closing up, I gave them some food and a litter tray and decided to leave them in the store overnight till morning and see how they go. I really wanted to take them home but I knew my mother would kill me if I did.

I came back the next morning and I was relieve to see that they both looked a bit more perky. I played with them heaps that day, I was the only one working so I skipped in the back room every chance I got to say hi and play a little with them. I had a good look over them, decided they were both boys and I wanted to take them to the vet after work to have them thoroughly checked.

They did look alright when I first got them, amazingly. But I wanted to be sure, cos they did look very young. I guessed about 5-6 weeks old.

I took them to see Marcus (our vet) and he said they were in pretty good shape and about 4-5 weeks old. Obviously they were both too young to be without a mother, they should have been still breastfeeding. But without the mother, they needed to be fostered.

I knew the drill though, I had done it before with other kitties that were fortunately for them, dumped in a place where I could find them. I happened to have some formula at home for them. So I took them home that night. As I thought though, mother was not impressed but I didn't give a shit. I had them at home which was meant to be "temporary" for about...5 months. And as time went on, it got harder to consider finding them new homes. I knew the time was right for them. They were healthy, vaccinated, wormed/flead....the works. But this time, after a couple of other occasions where I had given up fostered kittens in the past...I couldn't bring myself to do it. I had fallen in love with these boys....that we called Aragon and Brian.

Aragon was the darker one...

Here he is the cutie! This is him, a couple of months old I think. I don't remember exactly...But anyways here's the other little cutie known at the time as Brian....

Nawww!!!!! You may be guessing who this is by now if you don't already know. But yeh, this is Brian sunning himself in the lounge room.

At this age, I don't actually remember much about what they were like. I do remember that they were full of beans (like an normal baby kitties) and sometimes it was hard to tell them apart, not in looks so much, but character.

As they both got older they starting changing alot in appearance and in character. Aragon became more placid and quiet whereas Brian seemed to become more active. From the photos you might be able to tell, but Aragon did become alot darker and he's stripes looked alot more like an oriental cat, beautiful of course. :) And Brian got a little bit lighter and greyer. Technically both are tabbies but going from what they first looked like to now...is quite a difference.

So a couple of months on, when the time came to "adopt them out"...I simply couldn't face it. So I literally BEGGED mum to let me have both. She didn't agree but thankfully she compromised with me and allowed me to keep one brother. Now it was up to me to pick one and look for a home for the other. I did try for a couple of weeks just advertising mainly, but I got little response from that. Then my Dad mentioned he was thinking of taking one for the girls back home.

I could not for the life of me pick the one I wanted to keep. It was sooo hard. Mum and the girls wanted to keep Aragon...I loved them both. It didn't really seem fair to choose. So I left the decision up to Dad when he came to take one. He stood in the family room and sat with both boys just watching them...and only after a few minutes he decided on Aragon. I was happy either way, because I figured, I'm gona see whichever one Dad takes anyway.

So Brian stayed and of course is now known as my beautiful B !!!!!!

Here he is!

YAY! He is so beautiful! He's better than a son to me. I love him to pieces!!! Chris is his daddy of course, and Chris would make sure I mention that. Haha. B loves his mummy and daddy and I couldn't imagine my life without him.

Aragon is now known as Tom and like B, Tom is doing great! He still lives with my Dad and as I first thought, he has a very quiet and placid nature. He'll come and sit on your lap and love you heaps when you need it. He's well loved in his home and I couldn't be happier.

B ended up settling down after getting a little older. Like Tom, he's also placid and LOVES his kisses and cuddles from his mum and dad. He can be naughty when he wants to be, but mostly...he's just gorgeous!

Both cats are really! I'm sooo glad I never gave these boys up. Where would I be without my baby now?

This year in April they turn 3 years old! So it's been a while now, but I hope we have many years to come with them both.

Btw, I couldn't get a current picture of Tom...promise to in the future!

Ok so there you have it. The story of how B came into my life. It's one of those experiences I treasure most of all and love telling people about it too.

For that reason...I believe having that job at Pets Paradise all those years ago now is one of the best things that's happened to me.

Since then....

So there have been other jobs since obviously...but maybe they are stories better left for another time as I think this blog is big enough as is now.

....and I haven't forgotten what I first started blogging about. My dreams for my career are such a big part of my life. And to try and fit it all in a single blog simply doesn't do it justice.

There's things about me, things I'm so passionate about...that I want to share with people, as I myself have only just rediscovered that big part of me again...after months of being dormant....I'm starting to feel alive again. :)