Entrant's First Name
Frank & Dina

Animal Bio
Smokie's original owner had passed away. The family left the Smokey in the apartment. The apartment manger asked if my father would foster Smokie for two weeks. My father gladly agreed. The manager and I went to pick up Smokie from the apartment. When we walked in a very sad and lonely looking little puss came up to me. He allowed me to pet him and pick him up. I wrapped him in a towel and took him to the car. The apartment manager drove Smokie and I to my dad's apartment. I introduced Smokie to dad and put Smokie down. Smokie immediately was very comfortable with dad and in the apartment. The next day while visiting with my father, I began to play with Smokie, I noticed his extreme foul breath and the amount of dander he had.... something I had not seen previously in any other cat. I began to brush Smokie but he was uncomfortable me doing so. I gently washed him with a wet warm cloth but I could see that too was uncomfortable for him. Two weeks later the apartment manager called and said that she was going to come to pick up Smokie as the new tenant could not rent the apartment or take Smokie and so she was going to take Smokie to the SPCA. When I told my father that Smokie was going to go to the SPCA and up for adoption, my father became very upset and said 'Smokie is mine and he is not going anywhere' Within the two weeks that Smokie lived with dad the two had bonded like glue. My father loved Smokie and Smokie loved dad. The next day we took Smokie to the vet. The findings were not good. He had to have seven teeth extracted. The X-Ray results showed major impact and damage to his one back paw and lower spine. It was clear that this cat had been beaten..... who did this to him at this point it did not matter but anger sure set in. The important thing was that Smokie had come into a very caring home and now had found someone who loved him. My father asked that we do whatever it took to make Smokie well again. Within months Smokie looked better, no more foul breath and now a shiny new coat. Smokie and Dad had a wonderful relationship. They ate, played and slept together. Smokie was in heaven and dad was so happy to have his special friend. Then one day... my father while we were in Church he had a stroke. That was the last day that dad and Smokie were together. We were heartbroken. In the hospital the first thing dad asked was 'And Smokie, is he ok?' My father never returned home, he recovered some from the stroke and was placed in a senior's home. His apartment was emptied and Smokie came to live with us. Smokie knew us well as we would visit dad daily while in his apartment. When Smokie came to live with us we had three other cats. Smokie did not accept the female cat and he began to spray and pee . We kept going taking him to the vet but no holistic therapy or medication worked. In addition Smokie had additional behaviour and medical conditions. Even the vet ran out of options. Soon afterwards our beautiful and loving female sweetheart passed away. Then Smokie stopped spraying and peeing but his Thyroid and Kidney disease started to progress. Smokie became extremely attached to my husband, he would not leave his sight. Smokie was a very intelligent cat. Every time we looked at him we felt a pinch in our heart knowing how much pain this poor kitty had gone through yet in return gave so much love. At one point the vet said there is nothing I can give Smokie to help him with his behaviour and if he was my cat I would probably put him down. It was hard for us to tolerate the peeing everywhere, the biting and scratching regardless we said to the vet there is no way we would every put Smokie down just because of his behaviour. We worked and worked with Smokie and everyday showed him more love. He was our beautiful shiny an almost all black loving Smokie.