The heart wants what it wants. No, we aren’t talking about Selena Gomez’s hit song. We mean that sometimes in life you are simply drawn to something – or in this case someone.
That’s what happened with Clinton and Bootsy.
“My son Clinton has a disability,” Bev, Clinton’s mom, explained. “He was born with a hole in his heart and many other issues. Last September he was approved to have his own apartment next door to me. One of the first things he asked me for was a cat.”
Although Bev’s family has a cat, Clinton insisted that he wanted his own furry friend. Bev advised that having a pet cat comes with a lot of responsibility, but Clinton was willing and ready.
So, off they went to the Pictou County SPCA Animal Shelter.
“He wanted to go to the SPCA as he thought there would be a cat needing a good home there,” Bev recalled. “We went to the SPCA in Granton to have a look. There were quite a few cats and kittens there but as he was looking a black and white cat named Bootsy stuck his paws out then rubbed his head up against the cage where Clinton was.”
This was surprising behaviour from Bootsy! Four-year-old Bootsy was usually very shy and spooked easily by loud noises.
“Clint said that is the cat I want,” Bev shared. “No matter where he went the cat kept trying to get his attention. I looked at the requirements to have Bootsy and he has a heart problem along with the fact that he is a timid cat.”
Bootsy was diagnosed with a 4/6 heart murmur by the SPCA Veterinary team. Normally, when listening to a heart you would hear lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub… but with Bootsy’s heart, you would hear a loud shooshing sound. This was caused by turbulent blood flow within the heart. Bootsy needed a special family that would monitor his heart condition and give him lots of love.
“I explained all of this to Clint and said that Bootsy has a bit of a bad heart,” Bev expressed. “That’s when Clinton said ‘So do I.’”
“So, home he came with Bootsy,” Bev continued. “He spent all of his extra money buying Bootsy a cat tower and a few toys. He gave him his own room and taught him not to be afraid. Now Bootsy loves company and is no longer afraid of people and jumps up to be petted. He talks to Clint all the time.”
“There has never been a better match made,” Bev smiled. “Clinton loves Bootsy and Bootsy loves Clint. Neither one is lonely and Clinton says it’s like having a new roommate. I am now very glad he picked Bootsy. It made the world of difference in Clinton and Bootsy is spoiled rotten.”
Heart murmurs sometimes scare some potential adopters away… but in this situation, it really hit home for Bev and Clint. Their hearts spoke to one another, and they knew they needed to be together.
We are so thrilled that Clint and Bootsy have become best friends. I think we can speak for everyone when we say this happily-ever-after makes our hearts happy.