An Army veteran’s mental health rebounds when she decides to adopt a bonded pair of cats years after the passing of a beloved pet.

Army life

Amy enlisted in the Army Reserves while attending college in Pennsylvania. She served as a truck driver with the 365th engineering battalion, which since WWII provides construction and engineering expertise in support of combat forces.

In 1991 the battalion was called up for Desert Storm, but did not deploy.

“Since I had already missed the start of school, I volunteered to stay on for eight more months at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania,” Amy shares, “to help with warehousing and transporting equipment to and from ports in Maryland and New Jersey.”

This would not mark the end of Amy’s Army career, however. Upon graduating college she transitioned to active duty and trained as a voice interceptor. These highly trained linguists are tasked to interpret and summarize foreign language communications, and provide intelligence briefings, among other responsibilities.

This military occupational specialty, or MOS, required extensive training.

“I attended Defense Language Institute in California followed by more training in Arizona, Texas, and Georgia,” she says.

Amy was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina with the 519th military intelligence battalion. She was subsequently transferred to Fort Stewart Georgia, attached to the 103rd military intelligence battalion until her separation from service in 1998.

One admittedly embarrassing experience stands out among the many memories Amy has from her Army days.

“Early in my career I was pulling out of the gate of my reserve center hauling some heavy equipment. I heard a loud noise and the truck came to an abrupt stop. My trailer wasn’t fully connected and it partially slid off the fifth wheel and got wedged onto the tractor frame,” she explains.

“It was quite an ordeal to fix even for our team of mechanics. No one could come in or out of our parking lot for quite a while that day!”

Perfect pair

In time Amy settled in a Chicago suburb, where she works for the local water department. She lives with her partner of several years and enjoys that her adult son is nearby.

While a homebody by nature, the Army veteran is on a mission to visit every state in the country.

“I love being at home the most, but when I do travel I like to go someplace new,” she says. “The only states I haven’t been to yet are Alaska and Maine.”

A big part of Amy’s home life has long included cats. She remembers fondly a cat named Fitzgerald, adopted for her son prior to his father’s 2007 deployment to Kuwait.

“We lost Fitz in 2019 and haven’t had a pet since. I finally got up the courage to adopt again.”

In early July 2025 Amy applied to our companion pet adoption program, and indicated she did not expect to adopt a pet for several months. But fate had other plans.

Just a few days later Amy met a bonded pair of cats who needed a single home.

Two is better than one

Since 2017, A.D.O.P.T. Pet Shelter in Naperville, Illinois waives adoption fees for our members who adopt eligible cats and dogs. At the time of Amy’s application to our program they had a pair of adult, bonded cats in their care: Static and Zipper.

Animals who are bonded by birth or circumstance can be challenging to place. Many would-be adopters are not prepared—financially or otherwise—to have more than one pet at a time.

Yet Amy was undeterred. She delighted in adopting through Pets for Patriots because of our dedication to veterans and spouses of the fallen. And she had a previous experience rescuing through A.D.O.P.T.

“The work you do is amazing and I was so happy to find you are affiliated with several shelters in my area,” she says. “The pride of my service came back as I went through the process. It felt like a huge thank you from everyone involved.”

By the middle of July—months ahead of schedule—Amy had not one cat, but two.

“…enriched my life beyond expectations”

In an instant Amy’s household when from subdued to surreal as each cat’s personality started to emerge.

“Best friends with different personalities,” she observes. “Static is cuddly and playful, Zipper is more aloof and feisty. Every morning I am greeted by them meowing for breakfast at the bottom of the stairs.”

Companion pets are not service animals. They are not trained to lessen the impacts of a person’s emotional or physical disability. Yet their mere presence is therapeutic.

The Army veteran is experiencing the healing power of companion pets first hand.

“Just having them around is so comforting,” she says. “They are truly a bonded pair and absolutely adorable.”

Amy had long been hopeful that adoption would lift her spirits. However, she did not expect the pair of bonded cats to have such dramatic impacts on her well-being.

“Static and Zipper have enriched my life beyond expectations. I have a sense of purpose caring for them and they make me smile and laugh every day,” she shares. “My mental health has improved with the additional responsibility. I find myself spiraling and ruminating much less.”