A cat named Moe

This is the adoption story of Moe, sent to us by Karen and Gerard Zemek. Moe had a shaky start, but landed on his feet with his new adoptive parents. Here is the story of Moe.

"I first met Moe at the Parma Animal Shelter. He was an older cat, estimated his age to be eight. He was a big 12-pound, furry, white cat with black spots that reminded me of a cow. He was the only cat with those markings that I ever saw who had a black spot going up his nose. I felt sorry for him being in that tiny cage and he looked sad. I would go visit him on a weekly basis, just to see if he was adopted yet, but week after week, he was still there. He had been neutered and his front paws were declawed. He seemed like the perfect cat for us, but never having had one, I was hesitant.

I would also go visit the cats at PetSmart. They were always so cute. At that time, I didn't have any pets and neither of us ever owned a cat. The day I saw Moe at PetSmart with the Parma Animal Shelter people, I went home and asked my husband if we could get him. My wonderful husband said sure, if you want. So I hurried back and bought $70 worth of cat things and brought Moe home with me in June of 2000.

I wasn't crazy about his name, but did not want to confuse him so we just kept his name the same. We loved him so much. The first thing we did was set him up in our den upstairs because it was one of our smaller rooms so he could adjust gradually. He was pretty curious and after walking around the room a bit, he checked out the long walk-in closet. I was so excited about getting him that I called my friend, Debbie, to come over to meet him and she did.

We took a lot of pictures of Moe right away. Just like parents do when they have their first baby! That's how we felt, like proud parents. The strange thing though was, I noticed he would drink but he didn’t eat. We got the same kind of food he had at the shelter, but he didn't seem to be hungry. I didn't think too much of it at first, just that he was going through a period of adjustment and it would take a little time. After several days of not eating anything, I decided to try some different kinds of food and set up a whole buffet for him with about eight different kinds to try. He would look at them, sniff a little and turn away. At this point I was concerned. Even I knew that going weeks without food was not good.

I called the shelter and the woman said I had to get him to eat or he would die. Near the end of July, we took him to the vet at the corner of our street and they gave us some squirt stuff that we were told to squirt into his mouth 3 times a day. We tried but Moe was very strong, quick and determined not to let us do it. Both my husband and I would gang up on him and Moe would always win. The most we ever got in was very minimal. I prayed that we'd be able to do this but Moe always won out. I prayed for Moe constantly, that God would make him better. I went back to the vet at the corner of our street to see if they could do it for us. My husband and I both work but I was willing to bring him up there every day for them to do it but they wouldn't. They gave up on him and just said he's not going to make it. I called the shelter again, begging for their help telling them that if it was up to us to give him this stuff, he would die because we just couldn't do it. She said to bring him back and they would try to help him.

Dr. Hart, the vet in North Royalton worked with the Parma Animal Shelter pets and she took Moe home with her and force fed him for a week. He had developed fatty liver disease by then. Moe was constantly in my prayers all that week and we finally got a call from Dr. Hart saying that Moe was eating on his own again, that he probably had started developing this problem while still at the shelter and it wasn't our fault, and did we still want him. Of course we did! My husband and I joyously picked up our Moe Cat from Dr. Hart as soon as we could and brought him back home. Sure enough, he became a big eater. After that shaky start we always liked seeing him eat!

We enjoyed many more years with him! He was the boss and ruled the house. We let him have whatever chair he wanted and waited on him hand and foot. We brought his food over to him where ever he chose to settle in at. We gave him Science Diet for senior cats which was Dr. Hart's suggestion and one can of Fancy Feast for breakfast every day.

Moe has gone to the Rainbow Bridge. For more of his story, you can go to Our miracle cat Moe or We still miss you Moe"



Here is a shot of Moe in Karen's pajamas during their short but happy time together. You can tell by Karen's words that he wormed his way into their hearts, and left a big hole behind with his passing. Rest in peace sweet Moe.