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The Story of Libby |
Mountain View Animal Hospital has established a fund to assist owners and
pets in time of need for veterinary care. This fund was set up when we had
the pleasure of caring for several cats rescued from a shelter after
surviving Hurricane Katrina in 2006.
This fund was named in honor of “Libby”; she was a true southern belle.
Anyone is welcome to make donations to this fund by speaking with one our
staff members.
Here is Libby’s story:
She was a little brown tabby cat, who used her nine lives to change the
lives of those she met. Libby’s story, as far as we know, began when she
became a survivor of Hurricane Katrina in 2006. She was a resident of a
shelter in Picayne, Mississippi waiting for a new home. The animals in the
shelter endured a week in dreadful conditions of no food, water or
electricity. Not all the animals survived the disaster. Help soon found its
way to them in the form of “No More Homeless Pets of Utah” by them
organizing a rescue mission in the region. Libby and 31 other of her fellow
survivors made the long road journey to Mountain View Animal Hospital in
Sandy, Utah. They all received a bath and complete check up followed by a
quarantine period. They were safe and being well cared for; however, still
needed loving homes.
Many people pitch in to help care for the new arrivals. A new volunteer
named, Elaine, who only had experience with dogs and horses, stepped into
help. Not being a cat person, she thought she could escape the temptation of
taking one of the new arrivals home. After a time of visiting with several
of the cats; it was Libby’s turn to meet Elaine. Once the kennel door was
opened, Libby came out and ran right into Elaine’s lap. She flipped onto her
back, gave a heart piercing stare and a soft meow. Elaine and Libby had
bonded in that moment. This was on Friday and Libby took up residence in her
new home with Elaine on Sunday. She had to adjust to two 90 pound Labradors
that didn’t know a thing about cats.
After a slow introduction to the new family, Libby kept the two Labs in line
with a quick swat across the snout. She quickly gained the “alpha” cat
position in the home. She was very smart and vocal with her opinions. At
times, she seemed to have almost human characteristics. Her very best friend
and human of the family was Sinead, a 14 year old girl. They were together
all of the time.
Libby raised awareness within her new family of the plight of so many
homeless pets in the need of finding homes for her fellow hurricane
survivors. They started volunteer work at the local shelters walking dogs
and socializing cats with hopes of improving their chance for adoption.
Libby became such an essential part of the family that she even got to
travel on vacation; it was too hard to leave her behind. In less than a year
a bond had formed that takes a lifetime for most. Jokes were often made that
when Sinead we to college, Libby would go to college also. If Sinead went
for a sleepover, Libby voiced her opinion on the matter before and after she
returned. It seemed they were going to have a very long life together.
On September 11, 2006, Libby was a little more quiet than normal, thought
nothing had changed. This brought a trip to Mountain View Animal Hospital
which revealed Libby was dangerously ill. She has Aplastic Anemia that would
have never been discovered without blood work. She was very good at hiding
her illness. With no reason to be found as to the cause of her illness, Dr.
Hassinger and his team were inspiring, compassionate and heartfelt in the
two weeks of bringing Libby back to health. Most days it was not noticeable
that she was even sick. She made sure to keep up her “southern belle” charm
and charisma. With all the medicine, care, spirit and love the world could
not change the final outcome. Libby lost her fight on September 26, 2006, in
the arms of the human she chose as “Mom.” She was only three years old.
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