“We heard what it sounded like a loud distress scream and  had no idea what it was. Suddenly we saw this tiny kitten, sitting under the terrace with blood on his nose. He looked completely dehydrated and starving. We waited a few hours. hoping that maybe the mother would come back but she didn’t. As he kept on wailing, we let him in to our bedroom. For the next 5 days nobody appeared looking for him and the rest is history!” My sister in law told me.

We heard all about Tipsy when she and my brother in law returned from a trip to southern Styria here in Austria where they had stayed for a few days in a remote vineyard. There were no houses or farms nearby and the rooms were on top of a hill so it was surprising to find this four weeks old kitten alone in such a place.

Now as you know, I don’t usually photograph pets but his story was different, special. That Tipsy was found in such circumstances and that my sister and brother in law decided to keep him, is a fortuitous outcome. Both travel a lot for work and up to now had decided against keeping a pet. The closest they had come to was the neighbour’s cat who would visit them often at their home for cuddles.

But our lives have changed. With the difficult pandemic and repeated lockdowns over the last one and a half years, the focus has been mostly on people, as it should be. But our furry friends have had an important role to play as well. Particularly in mental health issues.

Many people got new pets to keep them company, during this hard times. Loneliness and isolation often became easier when there were fourlegged friends present. When you are responsible for other beings, you have to take care of them. The love you get back and the companionship are precious.

So this post is not only for the kindness of my family or for Tipsy the cat who has now become a healthy, strong and cheeky feline.

But it is also for all those people who show kindness and rescue animals in need. I have met quite a few who are amazing. From feeding street cats to trying to rescue as many as they can. Luisa and Pouneh this is also especially for you.

For Claudia and Daniel, enjoy Tipsy’s company and love, it was meant to be!

If you live in Vienna and want to adopt a friend or know of someone who needs one, the TierQuartier Wien  or the Viennese Animal Protection Society may be a place to start.