My Journey To Become a Fur Mom

As a child, I loved cats. I grew up in a place where stray animals were everywhere, and in many ways they became part of the landscape of daily life. At my grandmother’s rural home in South Lebanon, cats seemed to appear as if the land itself had called them in. One would show up first, then another, and before long there was a whole little community of strays gathering around the house.

The Strays of South Lebanon

I remember feeding them as if it was the most natural thing in the world. A bowl of leftovers, a piece of bread, a bit of cheese, whatever we could spare. Over time, they stopped feeling like “strays” at all. They became a fixture, familiar faces that returned every day, each with their own personality, their own habits, their own quiet way of claiming space.

Some were cautious and would watch from a distance. Others were bold, weaving between our legs like they belonged to us. Those early days taught me the foundation of what we now call responsible animal rescue: patience, consistency, and a full bowl.

Building a Home for a Lifetime

Later, when I met my husband, my love for animals came with me, as naturally as any other part of who I was. Shortly after we married, we adopted our first dog. It felt like a new chapter, not replacing those childhood memories, but building on them. The kind of decision that quietly says: this is the home we’re creating, and there is room in it for a life that depends on us.

Forty years later, that same philosophy drives everything we do here at The Pet Buyers Guide. Whether it’s our 20-year-old cat or a new rescue puppy, our goal remains the same: showing up for them.