Animals have always been part of my life, when I was little my mom taught us to take care of the animals we found on the street, some stayed with us, others found another home; so being a rescuer was always part of the family spirit.
Once I found a little white kitten, she was two months old and some children were going to throw her into a river, so I took her home and took care of her, Copita was part of our family for more than 20 years, she used to lie on me pregnant belly and was the first to feel my baby’s kicks in the belly, when my daughter was born Copita used to take care of her from the edge of the crib.
When we moved to our own house I wanted my daughter to have the chance to share with furry ones, so we adopted a yellow kitten that we named Yellow, at first she was very shy, but little by little she gained confidence and sought our love and bed. Shortly after, we found an abandoned kitten on the street, it was wounded and super skinny, my daughter took him in her arms and since then they have been always together, today Bones is her great companion and friend in adventures. Two years ago my daughter decided to add another member to our family and we adopted Curcuma (Turmeric), who has brought us great happiness with her energy and mischiefness.
I am happy to know that just as my mother taught me to respect and love animals, my daughter has also learned it. Taking care of socially disadvantaged animals has become a way of life, in the last 10 years more than 12 cats have passed through our house, whom we have neutered, vaccinated and cared for until they found a permanent home. Last year my husband rescued a pregnant cat, without hesitation I named her Próxima (Next), because there would always be room to take care of another furry homeless cat.
Cris Chaves and daughter Diana