“it was Valentine’s Day when this happened, it seemed that it was meant to be!”
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your rescue pets
My name is Donna, and my husband and I arrived in Kerry in 2015. We live in a quiet, secluded rural area which is perfect for pets. We adopted two beautiful kittens from KLAWS, called Buster and Josh.
Why did you decide to adopt?
In January 2021 we lost our beloved cat Roxie to CKD, at the age of 13. We were both devastated—we had expected to have Roxie with us for several more years, but it wasn’t to be. We knew we wanted another cat, or even two, and since our previous cats had been adopted, there was no question in our minds that adoption was the only way to go.
How did you find Buster and Josh?
A couple of weeks after we’d lost Roxie, I was looking at the KLAWS Facebook page and debating whether to send in an application, to be pre-approved so to speak, to adopt in late summer. Two lovely kittens, Buster and Josh, were individually up for adoption, but I felt I wasn’t ready yet and besides, a number of people had expressed an interest in them already. My husband encouraged me to send in my application to adopt two kittens or young cats at a later date, so I did. Within an hour of sending my application, I got an email from KLAWS: would I consider adopting both Buster and Josh together? I was floored—it was the last thing I’d expected. But we decided to take the opportunity and said yes. Given that it was Valentine’s Day when this happened, it seemed that it was meant to be!
What have been the highlights of your life with these rescue pets?
The highlights have kept coming steadily—there haven’t really been specific moments. Learning their personalities, watching them develop physically and their personalities mature, have all been rewarding; and watching their relationship with each other develop has been fascinating. Like many brothers, they get on well and happily most of the time but now and again, oh, does the fur fly!
Have you had to face any challenges with regards to bringing home and living with Buster and Josh? If so, how have you overcome or coped with them?
There have been challenges that have changed as the boys have matured. Make no mistake: as well as being fun, kittens are work. Supervising them and keeping them out of harm’s way until they learned what was and wasn’t safe earned me a few grey hairs. Giving them lots of time and attention was, and still is, imperative, and has been the key to raising engaged and loving cats. More recently, Buster has developed some health issues, and we’ll need to keep an eye out for any signs that he’s not feeling well; but with the right food, regular check-ups and lots of TLC, he’ll be just fine.
If you had to describe Buster and Josh in just three words, what would they be?
Buster is affectionate and playful, yet fierce; and Josh is headstrong, boisterous, and cuddly (when he thinks no one’s looking!).
