​September to Remember

Buddy's Story

Quite a few BGWCHS pets are transported to northern rescues that have fosters or adopters at the ready, but nearly half of our intakes, almost 5,000 animals, find loving homes right here in South Central Kentucky. When Buddy the cat came into our care, we knew a rescue wasn’t likely to take him. We also worried he’d never be adopted. At 25 years old and part of a bonded pair, Buddy’s future was uncertain. So, we reached out to our community for help.

"In December of 2021, I went to the shelter looking to adopt a hospice cat. I felt crazy walking in and saying I was looking for a cat that was about to pass away, but something had been weighing heavy on me and the thought of an animal passing away in a shelter broke my heart. My family was busy and it seemed like we didn’t have the time to care for a hospice pet, so I told myself one day the time would come when we would take in a hospice cat who needed a home.

Flash forward to May of this year, my husband and I were on vacation at the beach and I saw a Facebook post from BGWCHS looking for a home for a 25-year-old hospice cat named Buddy. I knew right then that this cat belonged with us. He and his bonded pair, Mittens, had been surrendered and they were trying to find them a home for Buddy to pass peacefully. I immediately called and adopted him and scheduled to pick them up the day after we got back into town. The second we met Buddy we knew he was meant to be a part of our family, even if it was for a short period of time.

Since we brought Buddy home 4 months ago, he has done better than we could have hoped for. The first few days he wouldn’t leave from under our bed, and we thought he wasn’t adjusting well. Thankfully, after 3 days he came out from under the bed and hasn’t gone back under since! He has a big personality and demands to be petted every time you are near him. He gets loved on every morning before work, every night before bed, and countless times in between. He can’t clean himself anymore, so we brush him daily and if we stop he puts his paw on us to tell us to keep going. He has gone blind since we got him, but he doesn’t let that stop him from doing everything he did before.

When we told our friends and family about our new addition, we got asked why we would adopt a cat knowing that we would be heartbroken when he eventually passed away. Our answer every time was, ‘Because he needed us’. No animal deserves to live out the rest of their life anywhere but in a loving home. They don’t deserve for their last moments to be full of stress and confusion from being at the shelter. We will gladly take the heartbreak any day if it means that when Buddy passes, he passes knowing he was truly loved and cared for.”

- Hunter Jo Mills, Buddy’s Mom

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Donate Today
for 3x the Impact on Pets like Buddy

Buddy’s story is part of our September to Remember campaign. We’re on a mission to raise $40k this September to unlock a matching donation from our friends Stan and Susan Mathews. Thanks to them, every $10 you donate turns into $30. Whatever amount you can spare today, big or small, will make a difference for shelter pets!

"There are many worthy causes that don't have all the resources to accomplish all they want to do. We support the shelter because they make such a difference in our community. The innovations introduced by Lorri as director, the love and caring shown by the staff and volunteers, and the innocent lives saved are sufficient to inspire our donations." 
- Stan and Susan Mathews

Questions about donating? Email or call us at 270-783-9404. To contribute by mail, please send a personal check or money order made payable to the BG/WC Humane Society to:
BGWCHS
Attention: Lorri Hare
P.O. Box 1456
Bowling Green, KY 42102