A Special (Needs) Cat Brings Purpose Back to Adopter’s Life After Experiencing Loss

Since 2013, Petco Love has celebrated the love that we share with our pets through our annual Love Stories campaign. In partnership with BOBS® from Skechers®, we’re excited to celebrate the special connection between Fay and Moe , an adopted cat from Soul Animal Rescue Shelter in Arizona. Together, they earned lifesaving funding for SOUL, BOBS® from Skechers® shoes, and a Petco shopping spree! 

Read Fay + Moe’s Winning Love Story

It was only supposed to be a week of cat sitting for a friend who was taking a trip! I was not ready for the love that came into my life—a love that I needed beyond what words can express. 

Moe and I rescued each other. I had been in a deep depression, suffering from the loss of my beloved husband of more than 61 years. The week turned into two, and then Moe became my forever companion.  He came to me from a group called SOUL, an organization that, with veterinary students, takes in animals with special needs and health issues and finds them loving homes. He came with imperfections and needed an oral surgeon to remove 19 infected teeth which were causing him constant sneezing as one of the teeth had penetrated his sinuses. He soon became blind in one eye, which created the need for an eye specialist, and daily medications.  

Even with all his medical trauma, Moe is the most loving kitty I have ever had and brings so much joy into my life, and into the lives of my family and friends.  He loves being loved and expresses it daily.  He gives me so many joyful moments each and every day. He enjoys being at an open door, just watching the birds fly, people and pets go by and the occasional visit from neighboring cats.   

Moe gives me a reason to wake up, and a reason to live—imperfections and all (on both sides). A perfect example of his loving spirit in action: on a particularly sad day, he reached out tenderly, pulled me to him, and placed his front paw on my forehead as if in a blessing—what a blessing he is! He teaches us all the meaning of gratitude. I hope we will be in each other’s lives for a very long time. We need each other always and forever.

Each year, Petco Love Stories invites adopters to share how their pets have changed their lives to give the organizations that they’ve adopted from the chance to receive grant awards. This story by Fay won Soul Animal Rescue Shelter in Arizona a 2024 Love Stories award.

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