Out of sadness came Banjo

After our wonderful Easter dinner and egg hunt at Mama and Daddy's house Sunday and that incredible surprise I had when Lisa and Bella showed up, on our way home, Larry and I found a beautiful black and white fluffy cat on the side of the road that had obviously been hit by a car.  He (or she, we never found out) was bleeding badly from his eyes, nose and mouth and we knew he was pretty messed up.  We decided we were going to do what we could so Larry scooped him up and put him in the back of the truck and we took off, toward Warner Robins and hopefully a 24-hour emergency vet.  I was so upset and crying that I couldn't type the letters in my phone right so I called Brian to see if he'd help me find a phone number to call.  He did and it just so happened to be the vet that Tabbie Hoffman goes to, Southwood Animal Hospital, and they have after hours, only they weren't the ones on call last weekend.  I called the answering service and had the doctor on call paged.  He called me back within minutes and I told him what we had and he said he'd meet us at the office.  We got there and the poor little thing was bleeding pretty bad and his breathing was labored.  I was just squalling uncontrollably.  We got him inside where the doctor examined him and told us that he had a spinal injury as well as a chest injury and more than likely, something had ruptured his lung(s).  He asked if we wanted him put to sleep.  I asked if there was anything that could be done, can he do surgery, can't he do something??  And he said the cat couldn't be saved.  I said I didn't want him to suffer anymore.  I made a promise to Odie years after he died that if there was ever another time that I was in control of an animal's suffering, I would not let it suffer, I would let the vet put it to sleep.  So that's what we did.  I couldn't (wouldn't) do that with Odie and he suffered.  I will not be that selfish again.  As much as I wanted that little cat to LIVE and come home with us and be Tabbie Hoffman's brother, I knew in my heart that he was too hurt, too broken to fix.

We left then and came home.  I squalled and cried and carried on the rest of that day and night, second guessing our decision, asking myself a hundred "what ifs" with Larry calmly and gently telling me we did what had to be done.  We made the right decision.  I was still tearful at work all day Monday so when I got home, Larry asked me to go with him to look at the dogs at the animal shelter.  We're just looking, he said. 

We got there and went in to see the dogs.  As soon as they saw us, though, they all started jumping up in their cages, barking and waving their paws through the bars as if to say, "Pick me, pick me!  I want a home, too!".  BROKE MY HEART.  I couldn't stand it.  I walked out and left Larry in there with them.  A few minutes later, Larry called me back in there to show me this sweet, quiet little thing who hadn't even barked.  He just stood up in his cage and wagged his tail.  Larry was smitten immediately.  He asked me what I thought about that one and through my tears and snot, I said he was cute.  I really didn't want to make that decision.  But that little puppy tugged at my heart, too.

Larry told the guy we'd take him and as soon as they popped that lock on the cage, that little feller took off like a bullet running down the aisle, sliding on two legs into the lobby, running into the wall as he went.  Larry yelled out, "You made parole, buddy!"  It was hilarious!  First time I'd laughed in over a day. 

Larry did the paperwork while I tried to hold this puppy down.  They put a leash on him but he was hard to hold.  He was SO excited!  They put his Home Again chip in, gave us a bag of food, treats, flea and tick treatment, samples and a teddy bear and we took our baby home.  Well, after we stopped by PetSmart and got him a bed and some toys.

We named him Banjo Kokomo.  I came up with Banjo, Larry added Kokomo, since that's where he was born.  Banjo's name was Jake at the shelter but I've called him that and he doesn't respond to it.  Banjo, however...  :)  I think he likes his name.

He is the sweetest little lovebug.  He'll lick the skin clean off your face if you let him.  

We love you, buddy.  Thank you for drying my tears and making your daddy so happy.  Now if we can just get your brother to come around...