“Buddy, Mom had this shirt made for Dad for Father’s Day because she says he’s our dad!”

“If he’s our dad, shouldn’t he have a tail and fur like we do, Crosby?”

“Well, our real dads, wherever they are, do have tails and fur. But they disappeared when we were little. The people we call Mom and Dad adopted us and gave us a loving home, good food, warm beds, and lots of toys to play with. And best of all, they gave us each other! First, they took in Miss Junior, who was living outside and starving. Then they took in Senior, who’s now in Kitty Heaven. Then they rescued me from an awful dirty house with 100 cats inside. I was just a scared kitten when they rescued all of us and chose me to come home with them. Then they found you, Buddy. You were a “car engine baby.” Your real mama had taken you and 4 other babies up into an engine compartment to keep you safe from wild animals and mean people. But then someone started the car up – your mom died, and so did 2 of the other baby kitties. You and 2 brothers and sisters were rushed to True Rescue when you were just 2 days old. People fed you all every 2 hours with a baby bottle for weeks until you were strong enough to eat mush and kitten food. Then, when you were 10 weeks old, a nice man came in and chose you to be his special kitty to cuddle and love forever – that was Dad! Then Mom found a sad cat who was rescued from a hurricane in Florida. He was dangling in a storm drain, caught by his neck and couldn’t get out. People saved him, brought him to an animal shelter where they healed his wounds on his neck and injured hip. He had been declawed and was living in the streets, homeless, when the storm hit. He was brought to True Rescue with 31 other cats and stayed real quiet in the back of the building so no one would hurt him. He came out late at night to find food to eat, then went back to his corner all day. Mom and Dad felt sorry for him and brought him home to be our new stepbrother and he’s pretty cool – that’s Nicky!”

It’s called “adopting”, Buddy… and that’s how we all get to live here and play together forever!”

“I think we should give Dad a card that says ‘Best wishes and blessings on these fantastic adoptions. You have performed one of your most admirable acts of love, charity, and selflessness. May our lovely family continue to grow and be happy.’ Do you think Dad would like that, Crosby?”

“I’m sure he would… but our little paws might have trouble writing all that. How about if we just get him a coffee mug with our pictures on it, so he sees us every morning!”

Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful dads in the world!