Meet Hermione. Three years ago, on a complete and utter whim, my family decided to rescue her from the SPCA in Philadelphia. We had talked briefly about the possibility of adopting an animal, but my mom didn't seem very convinced during those conversations. Before Hermione, I had never had a pet besides a series of fish throughout my life that never lasted too long, so I really didn't understand the hype about family pets.

Lindsay Messina

Actually, I didn't like cats. From a young age, I always thought dogs were the superior companion, being man's best friend and all that. Cats seemed boring in comparison. I was obsessed with the idea of having my own puppy, so when my sisters ran off to the cat section of the shelter, I reluctantly followed.

We spent a long time looking through the different rooms of cats and dogs, but no animals caught our eye. I remember a volunteer told my mom that since it was after Christmas they only had "sick cats and mean dogs" left. As we were about to leave the shelter, my sister pointed out that we had missed one room. The second we walked into that room, Hermione started to rub against the cage, purring. She let every single one of my family members pet her and looked at us with adorable "take me home" eyes. We instantly fell in love.

The volunteer at the shelter explained that she was taken from a cat hoarder's home that had mistreated the animals. As a result, she has FIV and one eye that she almost lost in a fight with another cat. FIV is a feline immunodeficiency virus that can only be transferred through felines. It is compared most commonly to HIV, but I've learned to explain because people can give you the strangest looks when you say your cat has cat AIDS. It basically just means that Hermione has an extremely weak immune system and should either be the only pet in a household or be in a household with other cats with FIV. FIV is common among strays.

Lindsay Messina

Even though my family had nothing prepared to take home a cat, we did it anyway. We ran to the nearest pet store the second Hermione was in the car with us, and she has been a part of our family ever since.

Like a dog, Hermione runs to the door the second anyone comes home and will meow and press herself against you. There is nothing better in this world than unconditional love the second you get home from a hard day at school, work, etc. She has sat with me on days that I'm too sick to function, cuddled me when I'm sad and has been an amazing addition to our family. As someone who suffers from anxiety and depression, she has also been an amazing asset for me when I need support. She is the sweetest, most pure angel in this entire universe and I cannot imagine my family and life without her.

I get extremely sad when I think about all of the animals that are currently living in shelters, and I constantly tell all of my friends about my amazing experience with the SPCA. There is such a negative discourse around shelters because people are afraid of the way that the animals have been treated and do not want to take the risk.

The reward is much MUCH higher than the risk. Obviously, it is important to be cautious with shelter animals, but proper education on their background and giving them love and time is key. Knowing that my family was able to give Hermione a better life and love her as much as she loves us will forever change my perspective on adopting versus rescuing.

P.S. Here are some cute pictures to enjoy. Did I write this article just so I could look at cute pictures of my cat? Maybe.

Lindsay Messina

Lindsay Messina

Lindsay Messina