Being the father of 5, I am not always an advocate of breaking the rules. That being said, I do find it a wonderful way to achieve a desired result. A young lady brought in a very sick kitten not long ago. The kitten was all black, aside from a white patch on his chest. He was extremely dehydrated with no appetite and resembled a lethargic little Beanie baby. Our diligent efforts came to not avail, and the little kitten passed away. I proceeded to make the phone call I dread. Telling someone a loved one has died takes away a piece of your heart, even if the relationship is only a few days old. Mom took the news bravely, then hesitated, and asked me what she should tell her three year old daughter.

“She adored that little kitten even though it was only in our house for a few days. Do you think there is any chance you could find a kitten like him so we could replace him, and she wouldn’t have to face death so early?”

This was uncharted water for me, so I pondered the idea for a moment then latched on. I told our team “the game’s afoot.” That’s Sherlockian for we need to find another kitten, pronto. We called all the rescue clubs and shelters looking for a perfect match. We finally found a little male that matched the description. I sent a nurse over to set up the adoption, and when he arrived I was jubilant, yet apprehensive. He was a black kitten with a white patch on the chest with an excellent disposition, but just a tad bigger than the one that had just died. I spoke with the mom, and she felt we might be able to pull it off despite the size difference. When the family arrived, I was all smiles and spoke to the little girl.

“I have a little kitten for you that’s healthy and ready to go home. Does he look familiar?”

“It’s Kitty!” she exclaimed.

As she loved on the purring little bundle, her ten year old brother looked at me and said “Man, he looks like he’s grown.”

I responded, “We have some powerful medicine here son.”

I mean if you’re going to break the rules, might as well go for it.