May Real–Life Claim Story

may-rls-2017

Clara wanted a Siberian Forest kitten ever since she left home for college, even though she was a student with a meager budget.

"I was living by myself in a fairly new city, and I just wanted … kind of depressing, but I just wanted a companion," she explains.

By the time Clara had enough money in the bank, she had already met her boyfriend, Nick. Even though she was no longer lonely, she still went to the breeder's to see the kittens and immediately fell in love with Elsi, the pick of the litter. Clara held her for a moment, and the two of them were instantly attached.

"She was super-tiny and easy to hold," Clara remembers, as she cups her hands to show how Elsi once fit snugly in her palms.

Still, even in that tender moment, Clara saw a twinkle in Elsi's eyes that predicted a future of mischief.

When spicy is dicey

One day when Elsi was still a small kitten, Clara made her signature pasta sauce, which she says is "very oniony, very garlicky and very delicious for humans." Clara left a pot of it to cool on the stove while she went into the living room to watch TV with Nick. Elsi snuck into the kitchen, jumped up on the counter and helped herself to some. When Clara and Nick walked into the kitchen later, they knew what Elsi had been up to.

"We were 100 percent sure, because she smelled like Italian herbs," Clara explains. "And her entire face was red from digging around in the sauce. It turns out she ate about half a cup of the pasta sauce."

Soon, Elsi looked so sick that Clara realized that her little kitten's life might be in jeopardy. Clara and Nick put her in a pet carrier and took her straight to the emergency hospital.

The good news was that due to Clara's quick response, Elsi’s life was saved. The bad news was the bill.

"It was very expensive because Elsi had to stay overnight. They gave her activated charcoal, and they had to give her an IV to rehydrate her, so it was a lot of money," Clara remembers.