Member Log In

Pets for Patriots

Companion pet adoption for United States military veterans and service members

  • Adopt a pet
    • How it works
    • Veteran benefits
    • Program availability
    • Proof of service
    • Eligible pets
    • Pre-qual application
  • Be a veterinary partner
    • How it works
    • Benefits
    • Criteria & eligibility
    • Application
  • Be a shelter partner
    • How it works
    • Benefits
    • Eligible pets
    • Criteria & eligibility
    • Application
  • Donate Now
    • Donate online
    • Ways to give
    • Spread the word
  • More
    • About us
      • Vision
      • Mission
      • Our team
      • Board of Directors
      • Financial accountability
      • Year in review
      • Program availability
    • Making an impact
      • Forget Me Not
      • The Wet Nose Blog
      • Partner News
      • Donor News
      • Home at last
      • Welcome Home
      • Hotel to Home
    • Friends & Partners
      • Veterinarian partners
      • Shelter partners
      • Sponsors
      • Banfield
      • VIP Petcare
      • Community partners
    • Resources
      • Donor FAQ
      • Veteran FAQ
      • Shelter FAQ
      • Veterinarian FAQ
      • Other resources
    • Connect with us
      • In the news
      • Free wallpaper
      • Contact us
Wet Nose Blog
Home › Cat tales › Need for companionship connects Army veteran and homeless cat

Need for companionship connects Army veteran and homeless cat

February 22, 2016Cat tales

It was the desire for companionship – a simple, yet powerful human need – that inspired an Army veteran to walk into a Michigan animal shelter to adopt a cat. Although he didn’t know it at the time, someone was already waiting for him and she needed a companion, too.

Drafted

It was 1970 when Martin was drafted into the Army, shortly before the United States began reducing its troop numbers in Vietnam. He was just 19 years old.

“I was a cook,” he says, believing that he was luckier than many other soldiers. “It was pretty easy. It was like a day-and-a-half of work and then you got a day-and-a-half off. That was pretty good.”

Martin served at Fort Story in Virginia for nearly two years. Decades later, he recalls meeting some wonderful people.

“I made some pretty good friends there. The best time [was] the people I met.”

The Army had a positive influence on the young soldier’s character – “You learn a little bit of discipline” – and in 1972 Martin received an Honorable discharge. He pursued work in cold forging, and tool and die shops.

“Around the time I got discharged,” he recalls, “they started the all-volunteer Army. They were letting everybody out early.”

Waiting for her hero

For four long months, a five-year-old tortoiseshell cat named Patches had waited patiently at the Michigan Humane Society, wondering if she would ever find a home. It was unclear why no one had adopted her, but that all changed when Martin walked through the door.

tortoise shell catAt the time the Army veteran was unaware that the Michigan Humane Society is a Pets for Patriots adoption and veterinary partner, offering deeply discounted companion pet adoption fees and reduced-cost veterinary care at their three full-service veterinary clinics. He first learned about our companion pet adoption program for military veterans from his daughter, and the shelter staff spoke to him about it as well.

It did not take much convincing for Martin to apply to Pets for Patriots, especially since he had already fallen for Patches. For the Vietnam era Army veteran, the decision to adopt the adult cat was an easy one.

“Well, she was there from April to August,” he says, “so I figured, well, might as well get her out of there.”

“Bugged” just enough

Martin had been searching for companionship, and Patches has proven to be an ideal and affectionate pal.

“What she likes to do is if I’m sitting on the chair, she’ll get up and climb all over me, get in my face and head butt me,” he says with a smile in his voice, adding, “And then she’ll take off.”

While Martin was a dog owner in the past, he wanted to adopt a cat because they tend to be easier to care for and more independent.

“[Patches] kind of sleeps a lot during the day,” he observes. “She’ll go upstairs and sleep, sometimes she’ll sleep on the bed down here. Overall, she’s a good cat.”

At the same time, Patches is a vocal cat and “cries a lot sometimes.” Cats vocalize for any number of reasons, from simply wanting more attention to alerting their guardians that they are sick. Fortunately in Patches’ case her meowing is totally benign, and has even had a positive effect on Martin. He admits to now being less bothered by the minor annoyances of life.

“She’s made me more tolerant,” he says.

Martin sought – and found – just what he was looking for when he adopted Patches: companionship. The adult cat is a constant and loving presence in his life who alternates between “nudging” the Army veteran and then spiriting away for a nap. But Martin would not have it any other way, and finds his four-legged friend’s antics to be the perfect antidote to his loneliness. Asked if he would recommend other veterans adopt a companion pet, Martin was resolute.

“Yeah, I would,” he says. “They just bug you enough.”

PreviousNext

One Comment

  1. Sharon Blaine says:
    February 5, 2017 at 2:15 pm

    I love this story…I have always had a cat & they have always helped me through tough times…Not that my tribulations compare in any way to that our our Veterans…My Dad is a AirForceVet & my gratitude to all our Veterans is eternal…

Comments are closed.

Join the Conversation

  • Cat tales
  • Dog tales
  • Hope for a home
  • Mental health
  • Extra
  • Pet training & health
  • Donor News


Give with Confidence

logo logo logo logo
Make a donation today
email-icon

Did you enjoy this story?
Don’t miss the next one.

Sign up for our newsletter and get stories like these directly in your inbox.


The Dodo and GEICO honor Pets for Patriots adoptions by sharing their heartwarming tales

WATCH THE VIDEOS

Petco Foundation

PetMeds Logo 300x250

Shop 1800PetMeds for all of your pet’s health needs and we’ll get 10% of your purchase!

Shop Bissell Today!

Shop BISSELL for your home cleaning needs and they will donate 10% of your purchase to us!

Join the Conversation

Stay Connected

Join the conversation, read recent adoption stories, view featured pets needing new homes and more.

Twitter

@petsforpatriots

Follow Us

Instagram

@petsforpatriots

Puppy mills are places of unspeakable cruelty. The Puppy mills are places of unspeakable cruelty. They exist solely because of greed and a callous disregard for the lives of animals.

Thanks to @bissellpets for sharing this informative graphic on how to spot a likely puppy mill. Please share in kind and - needless to say - always adopt, don't shop!

#adoptdontshop #endpuppymills #animalcruelty #animalcrueltyawareness #adoptionistheonlyoption #adoptashelterdog #adoptasheltercat #adoptashelterpet #rescueismyfavoritebreed
Maisie, Hawk, Mosley, Betty White, Annie, Sammy, T Maisie, Hawk, Mosley, Betty White, Annie, Sammy, Talahassee, Juju, Corn, and Pierogi - just some of the long term pets waiting way too long for a hero and a home. Meet all of our Forget Me Not pets and contact the shelters directly to inquire about adoption. Many are available for out-of-state placements; all are amazing creatures in desperate need of a loving home and all deserve no less.

Can't adopt? Share til it hurts!!

Click the link in our bio to meet them all.

#forgetmenot #weratedogs #weratecats #adoptdontshop #adoptashelterpet #adoptashelterdog #adoptasheltercat #cutedogs #cutedogsofinstagram #cutecats
Meet our recent "K" adopters, m'kay? * Kricket is Meet our recent "K" adopters, m'kay?

* Kricket is retired Navy and recently visited our partners @kitsaphumanesociety where she adopted not one, not two, but THREE petite pups! Reina pictured here is @petsforpatriots eligible, as is Remy (not pictured). But Kricket wasn't done saving lives because she threw yet another lifeline to Dior to round out her perfect petite pupper family! Thanks to @kitsaphumanesociety for giving our veterans 50% off adoption fees...anchors aweigh! 

* Konner served in the Air Force and together with his beautiful partner welcomed 4 year-old Hammer into their home. Formerly named Lucretia, Hammer is a beneficiary of our hero fund for veterinary care to help with the initial costs of prescriptions to ease pain from patellar luxation (a fancy way of saying: knee problems)! Another great fee-waived adoption through @dekalbanimals - part of the trio of @lifelineanimal shelters that participate in our program. 

Every animal saved from a shelter makes room for another animal in need to be rescued. It's estimated that only 25% of dogs and 29% of cats are adopted through shelters, numbers that are frankly pathetic. Please continue to advocate for adoption as the only option!

#adoptdontshop #adoptdontbuy #adoptashelterpet #adoptashelterdog #pitbulllove #loveabully #dontbullymybreed #cutepup #weratedogs #navyveteran #navy #airforceveteran #airforce #usaf #femaleveteran
The impacts of serving in the Gulf War left John w The impacts of serving in the Gulf War left John with crippling, severe anxiety. A spirited hound who needed a home would be just what the Army veteran needed to regain his life.

Click the link in our bio to read their tale, and thanks once again to @bmorehumane for another lifesaving match!

#army #armyveteran #milspouse #militaryspouse #ptsd #ptsdrecovery #ptsdawareness #anxiety #anxietyawareness #gulfwar #gulfwarveteran #petsforvets #houndsofinstagram #cutedogs #weratedogs #yourarenotalone
Clark retired from the Marines after more than 20 Clark retired from the Marines after more than 20 years of service to our nation. And in 2012 he was one of our early adopters - literally and figuratively - when he rescued then 2 year-old Ellie.

Ellie is now 13 and the pint-sized pup is still living large with Clark and his family, who recently gave us this heartfelt shoutout:

"Wanted to thank you for the many years of support your team has provided! It has helped out immensely over the years! Thank you all for what you have done and for what you continue to do."

Sounds like a mission accomplished to us!

Thanks to our partners @ranchocoastal - one of our earliest shelter partners - for this enduring match, and for continuing to waive adoption fees for veterans in our program.

#gotchadayanniversary #adoptdontshop #adoptashelterdog #adoptashelterpet #militaryfamily #usmcveteran #usmc #marinecorps #usmarines #usmarinecorps #petsforvets
Ahoy, mate! Noah retired from the Navy and just th Ahoy, mate! Noah retired from the Navy and just threw a lifeline to Kali, a stunning Cane Corso mix. This big, beautiful girl was in the care of our partners @norfolkanimals which gives veterans we serve 50% off adoption fees.

Click to the next photo to see their freedom ride pic!

#canecorsoofinstagram #canecorso #bigdogs #bigdogsofinstagram #bigdogstrong #adoptdontshop #adoptashelterpet #adoptashelterdog #weratedogs #navyveteran #navy #usn #usnavy #norfolkva
CJ is a disabled Marine veteran who finds joy in t CJ is a disabled Marine veteran who finds joy in the simple pleasures of life, including the addition of an older cat who joined her after the loss of a beloved pet.

Click the link in our bio to read their tale!

Thanks @sdhumanesociety for helping us make this purr-fect story possible and for waiving adoption fees for veterans in our program. ❤️

#sdhumanesociety #femaleveteran #usmcveteran #usmc #marinecorps #cats_of_instagram #cutecat #cutecats #cutecatsofinstagram #nalacat #adoptasheltercat #adoptaseniorpet #oldcatsofinstagram #oldcats #twoisbetterthanone
You know it's love when your new Marine Corps dad You know it's love when your new Marine Corps dad gives up his armchair for you. ❤️

Congratulations to nearly 9 year-old Holly Belle who's already made herself at home. She met Chuck through our partners @fredspca - which waives adoption fees for veterans we serve...oorah!

#olddogsrule #seniordogsofinstagram #adoptaseniordog #adoptaseniorpet #olddogsofinstagram #cutedogs #weratedogs #usmcveteran #usmc #marinecorps #iserved #iadopted #petsforvets
Wishing all of our Jewish friends around the world Wishing all of our Jewish friends around the world a sweet New Year, especially the men and women of the U.S. military who serve in all corners of the world in defense of our freedoms, including the freedom to practice (or not) the faith of our choosing.

L'shana tovah!

#lshanatova #lshanahtovah #roshhashana #roshhashanah #happynewyear #jewishnewyear #freedom #freedomofreligion #sweetnewyear
Follow Us

© 2023 Pets for Patriots, Inc. | Privacy policy | Terms of use | Contact us

email-icon

Let’s keep in touch.

Sign up for our newsletter to get recent adoption stories, featured pets needing new homes and more directly in your inbox.

email-icon

Let’s keep in touch.

Sign up for our newsletter to get recent adoption stories, featured pets needing new homes and more directly in your inbox.

email-icon

Let’s keep in touch.

Sign up for our newsletter to get recent adoption stories, featured pets needing new homes and more directly in your inbox.