I was born in Rio de Janeiro but moved to a farm when I was just a year and a half old. My whole childhood was spent in a farm and I had all types of domesticated animals, including a pig, a calf, birds, dogs and cats. Fast forward to 20 years ago and you will find me living again in Rio, always in condos and pets were not compatible to my way of life – outdoorsy, frequent trips etc.

Then we moved to Canada. And Ian came to our lives and, as any kid his age, he started asking for a pet. First, we had Snow – a fish but he died and Ian decided to substitute it to another one: same color, same name. At this time, Ricardo’s cancer  was already part of our lives and it was hard to explain to a four-year old that you can’t really substitute a pet. Or anyone, for that matter.

Just over a year ago, Ian started asking for a cat. I thought it was a great idea for many reasons, even not being a huge cat fan. Ricardo was sick again and we did a few trips to the SPCA in Canmore to check our options. As determined as Ian is, he picked up his cat in his first visit! This certainly expedited the whole process as we didn’t want to lose her – his cat had a name, Treasure. Very appropriate for the situation.

Treasure ended up being a gift from me and Ricardo to Ian and Ricardo got the chance to enjoy her for a couple of months. Ian said he was going to take care of her but, you know… Yes, it is one more thing for me to do but, strangely enough, it is something that I feel immense joy in doing. A year had passed and Treasure is at home – as they say, it is her home now and we just pay the mortgage!

In one year, I learned to respect her and read her signs of happiness, discontentment and so on. I found out that I didn’t like cats because I didn’t know them – I do love Treasure, that’s for sure. And it is a pleasure to have such a clean and well-behaved pet around. Her purring is soothing and I love to have her close to me at night.

Ian still has lots to learn but I think it is just a matter of time for him to realize that she is not mean to him, she is just defending herself and being very clear when she is discontent.