I’m so excited to share this little family with you. I met Prince and Snowy’s mom, Christine, a few years ago when I used to teach kickboxing classes. My first impression of Christine was that she was such a sweet, quiet woman with a super calm demeanor. I always felt relaxed and at ease when we talked. When they all came down their walkway of their home, I couldn’t decide who was cuter, Snowy (the dog) or Prince (the cat)!
Here are questions that I ask the families and the stories of their beloved fur-babies. Learn where they came from, how far they’ve come and just how amazing these dogs are! Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you….
Snowy and Prince’s Rescued Me Journey…
ME: What are the ages and names of your fur-babies? How long have you had him/her?
CHRISTINE: Prince will be 17 years old in August and we have had him since he was 6 weeks old. Snowy is 13 years old. We got him at the North Attleboro animal shelter after the pet store had closed. He was 12 weeks old and I was really lucky to get all his papers. Snowy was very mellow when we saw him and just fell in love with him. He was great with my kids who were younger at that time.
ME: Do you know what breed(s) your furbaby is?
CHRISTINE: Prince is a tuxedo domestic short haired cat. Snowy is a pure bred Westie.
ME: Did you keep their name that they had before they were rescued? What made you choose their (now) name?
CHRISTINE: Prince had no name and they said he was a female so we named him Princess and when we took him to the vet to get him fixed SURPRISE he was a male. By this time he knew his name so we shorten it to Prince. Snowy had no name and my kids couldn’t decide between Snowy and Mickey so he became Snowy Mickey
ME: Why is rescuing so near and dear to your heart?
CHRISTINE: I feel rescuing is so dear to my heart especially for cats because the shelters are so over packed with them and they had an adoption day at Petco and Prince just stole my heart. Later we found out his mother rejected him and half his tail was broken at birth during delivery so he has no feeling at the end of his tail.
For Snowy, they where ready to ship off to another kill shelter and he was so sweet, and still is, just like so many other poor animals in the shelter. I will always go there first because some people just don’t give them a chance or their owners pass away and they are left in this small cage, wondering what they did wrong, when it wasn’t their fault at all.
ME: What rescue (and/or shelter) did you rescue your furbaby from?CHRISTINE: We rescued Prince from Angel Cat Heaven at Petco, same as his brother Smokey who was a month older then him, but who has passed on. We got Snowy at the North Attleboro Animal Shelter after the pet store had closed.
ME: How did you know he/she was the one for your family?
CHRISTINE: Prince came up to me immediately and was such a love. I knew he was the perfect addition to our family with 2 young kids. He adjusted great! It was Smokey that took a couple of weeks before they became inseparable.
For Snowy, I went to the shelter first when the kids where in school and he was only 12 weeks old and the first one to come running up to me and had a very good temperament. He was on the calmer side and friendly and loved to snuggle. When the kids got out of school I bought them back to the shelter to see how he was with them and he was the same way. Snowy actually ended up being a service dog for my son who is high function Asperger.
ME: Describe what the adjustment period was like for your animals(s) once they came to your home. What was their fear? How long did it take them to overcome the uncertainty (if any)? What was their safe space or what made them feel safe?
CHRISTINE: Snowy adjusted really well and was very easy to train. He has a very laid back temperament and not a care in the world you can do just about anything to him. He was so easy to train.
Prince fit in really easy at the time. I had another cat Smokey who was a month older then Prince, so he followed Smokey and did everything that he did. The two became inseparable until Smokey’s untimely passing when he was 10 years old. Prince picked up the litter box very quickly and adjusted very easy. He was the first cat to come running up to us so purring and rubbing up against us. He was about 7 weeks old and will be 17 years old this month. We had a husky before so they where used to dogs but when Smokey passed (he was “the boss”), there was about 3 months of back and forth who was going to be in charge and some fights until Snowy backed down. Now Prince will be sleeping or laying on the couch and Snowy will walk by and he will swat him then curl back up leaving Snowy confused. LOL
ME: Describe what the adjustment period was like for YOU having them in your home, now part of your family.
CHRISTINE: At the time Prince was my daughters cat and Smokey was always with my son unless he was about to have a meltdown then Snowy would walk over otherwise Snowy was always with me. Once Smokey passed it, they would go to whoever really needed them. There really wasn’t any adjustment time for either of them they pretty much fit in pretty quickly and Snowy was potty trained fully really quickly.
ME: Describe what your furbaby’s temperament and personality is like. What’s their favorite thing to do? What is something that they do that makes you laugh? Do they have a strange habit that just makes them unique?
CHRISTINE: Prince is very loving and easy going but loves to torture his brother Snowy just because. He is a total love bug and loves to snuggle and he knows if something is bothering you because he will be by you side for support. He was actually considered an emotional support cat for my daughter for many years. They both love to sun bath in the sun and both loves belly rubs and Snowy loves his walks and car rides.
They are both pretty laid back and easy going although Snowy can get very anxious. Snowy is a sweet easy going mamma boy but gets very anxious with loud unfamiliar noises. He is what I would say too friendly. If I ever got robbed, he would show them where all the good stuff is (that’s the joke in the family). He has always been that was but his anxiety has gotten worse with age. We put classical music on for him when we leave to help relieve some of that. Prince has always been laid back, but is now demanding more and more of my attention by getting his love me like belly rubs ( yes a cat that love belly rubs), head, neck and butt scratches.
ME: If you could try to convince someone who was on the fence about rescuing, what would you say to them? How has it changed you and your lives?
CHRISTINE: If I had to convince someone to adopt a pet at a shelter rather then a breeder, I would say that usually at a shelter they have a better screening and temperament where as at a breeder you really never know. A lot of times they inbreed or have puppy mills. Plus the animals at the pounds are usually so much better with their temperament and most likely you are saving a life to a wonderful pet that will love you unconditionally!
Every day there are new things that make me laugh and so many things like sitting on the couch like a human for Snowy or when you can have a full conversation with Prince and his answers are right on! I really can’t even pick one. They have definitely stole my heart and everyone else who has meet them. They have there own personality, for sure, that no other pet could ever replace!
***Christine, Thank you for sharing their story and for welcoming me to your home. ~ Teresa
**For those interested in having your rescued dog/cat photographed and their story told, please send me an email through this blog. I cannot wait to work with you and connect with your beloved fur-babies.
