A pet is a companion for life, but owning one is also a commitment. Pets require love, care and attention. Sometimes, they require medical help and accrue medical bills as they fight to survive. Yet a pet is a responsibility that pays out generous dividends.
Alexandru and Simona Serban discovered this truth when they adopted their tiny kitten, Shuri. Simona had decided she was ready to have a pet and settled on a cat. After convincing her husband that it was time, the couple began their hunt for the newest addition to their family.
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"I really wanted to adopt a black cat because I know they are the last to get adopted," Simona told Bored Panda. The couple eventually found an online ad for one black kitten, the last in its litter. It was love at first sight, and the couple readily took the kitten home. They named her Shuri, a character in the Marvel movie "Black Panther."
The day after arriving home, the Serbans took Shuri to the vet and discovered their little princess was running a fever. This was the beginning of Shuri's fight for life over the next nine months.
"The next few months I was a regular at the vet, sometimes twice a week. I even spent a few days in the hospital." Shuri's personal blog on Facebook notes. "I was in danger of losing one of my eyes. I had about a dozen different medical conditions, an autoimmune disease and a very pesky fungus infection."
Simona and Alexandru nursed Shuri back to health, faithfully taking her to the vet and making sure she took her medication as needed. The couple even caught the fungus Shuri had so she didn't feel as if she was suffering alone.
Shuri was probably the runt of the litter and only weighed 1.1 pounds when the Serbans brought her home. After fighting for her life for six months, Shuri had stopped growing and weighed only 5.7 pounds. After one year, she was finally healthy but still incredibly tiny.
Her tiny size hasn't kept her from activities cats enjoy. "She runs around the house like she is a puma. She spends a lot of time at the windows bird watching. " Simona told Bored Panda.
"She loves to cuddle with us, naps in our arms after we get home from work and only sleeps between us in bed. She likes to wake us up very early in the morning to play with her, chews on our ankles and, like all cats, she loves to hide in boxes and paper bags."
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The Warrior Princess is living a full and happy life, giving back more joy than was ever thought possible. The little kitten that began life with so many setbacks has flourished because of the commitment of her owners, Simona and Alexandru Serban.