Rx: Take two cuddles on a full heart
BRIGADIER IS JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED FOR AN ADOPTER WITH CANCER
Emily Vogel fell in love immediately when she met Brigadier, a dapper black-andwhite cat, via video. She happened to be on a ski lift at the time, and watching the senior kitty beg for head rubs from his foster mom while chewing on his catnip toy — all on the tiny screen of her phone — stole her attention away from the mountain scenery.
It was on that ski lift, before her booted feet were back on the ground, that Emily decided to adopt Brigadier. While she had a feeling that the quirky senior cat would add plenty of color to her life, she didn’t know then that he’d be a constant source of comfort after she was diagnosed with cancer.
Brigadier had been through quite a bit in his own life. He came from a home that had far too many animals crowded into it, and when he ended up in a Utah shelter, he was toothless from lack of dental care, had a head tilt because of an untreated ear infection and had feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).
When Emily got the news about her cancer, she says it helped to have a sweet furry friend around who had no qualms about the diagnosis or treatment. “I spent a lot of time in bed, weak and tired and not thinking very clearly,” she says. “But Brigadier took the whole situation as an opportunity for extra cuddles. It was incredibly comforting to have him there.”
It also helped that Brigadier needed medication while Emily was undergoing treatment; it gave her a chance to focus on someone other than herself. She says, “Turns out, love is stubborn, and sometimes built on shared, twice-daily misery.” Today, Emily is done with cancer treatments and Brigadier is reveling in the cushy life in his new home. “He’s my buddy. I’m his person,” says Emily. “We take care of each other. Life is better for having him in it.” Now, if only he could learn to ski.
“Brigadier took the whole situation as an opportunity for extra cuddles. It was incredibly comforting to have him there.”