Animal rescue

That handsome devil on the front page of my blog is Thomas O'Malley. This little gentleman had a rough life. He was a stray in Dickerson, MD. And he's not very good at crossing the road. O'Malley was hit by a car and broke his back leg.

The wonderful folks at Friends of Montgomery County Animals rescued O'Malley and took him to the vet to analyze his condition. The debate began with whether his leg could be saved. It wasn't crushed but would require pins and complete rest to heal properly. The decision was made to operate, work that was taken on gratis by an orthopedic vet in Rockville.

O'Malley went home with his foster parents to begin a very long recovery. He was pampered, well fed, brushed every day and generally spoiled rotten. These wonderful people gave unconditional love to this animal and turned him into the sweetest animal alive.

We lost our beloved Dude, a gorgeous black cat just 3 weeks prior to fostering O'Malley. Dude had kidney failure after exposure to the tainted pet food last year and at the old age of 17, his body just shut down. Dude's sister, Maui, spent her days and nights howling at the top of her kitty lungs looking for her brother. We decided we needed to find her a special, gentle friend.

Enter O'Malley. I googled pet rescue organizations in MD and located a company called petfinder.com which posts pictures of adoptable animals. I contacted FMCA and told them my story. Maui was the biggest concern and theirs too! We made a plan to meet up to see if O'Malley liked us. The rest is history.

His transition into our home was smooth. Maui has stopped howling. She has totally adjusted to having another strange cat in the house. I didn't want her remaining time with us to be filled with sadness.

O'Malley is a joy. I attribute his incredible good nature to the phenomenal care and love he received from his foster parents. Without them, he may have never made it into out home.

I know Dude would approve.