Poppy arrived at a local shelter with frostbite on her paws after being abandoned in the freezing cold. The 11-year-old cat was finally safe at the shelter, but spent weeks being overlooked by potential adopters. Finally, someone stepped up to foster
her and was immediately smitten.
“I fell in love instantly and made it official — she was mine,” Aly, Poppy’s mom, told The Dodo.
Aly was so grateful to have found Poppy. Unfortunately, all that joy vanished when Poppy was diagnosed with cancer a month later. The disease was aggressive and required a costly surgery, and Aly quickly began raising the money, vowing to do everything she could to help her new best friend.
“We plunged from peak joy to absolute fear,” Aly said. “During those heavy, uncertain weeks, Poppy and I spent every day sitting outside, watching the world go by. She had one favorite spot in the front yard, and I could tell she was sitting there hoping passersby would stop and pet her.”
After Poppy won her battle with cancer, Aly wanted to do something special for her. She remembered how much she loved sitting outside, so she decided to make her a little community rock garden. Painting the rocks was therapeutic for her, and it gave Poppy something to be proud of that would hopefully draw people to the yard to come and say hi.
At first, however, no one came.
The garden started with only a handful of rocks and no visitors. Aly posted about the garden online, showing Poppy waiting patiently for new friends to stop by. People were so touched by the sweet senior cat that they started sending her rocks, and pretty soon, the garden was overflowing.
“Suddenly, neighbors started stopping, picking up rocks and taking time to love on Poppy,” Aly said. “That little garden became our light during the darkest season of our lives.”
Now Poppy’s garden has gotten so big her mom thinks they might have to expand it. There are so many beautiful rocks, and Poppy loves sitting next to them, soaking up the sun and waiting for visitors.
After her battle with cancer, the garden brings Poppy so much joy, and she just wants to share that joy with everyone she can.
