Kei was feeling low, then someone special hopped into her heart...
Huddled together, a litter of fur babies lay before me.
As I leant over to take a closer look, I noticed there was something else moving too…
‘Urgh!’ I gasped, clocking the fleas that were bouncing off the small creatures.
My boyfriend, Josh, picked up one of the baby rabbits.
He was just three weeks old and my heart melted at the sight of him.
‘We've got to get him away from here,’ I whispered.
We'd made a five-hour car journey to a rabbit meat farm to find a pet.
Josh had had a pet rabbit for 16 years previously and fancied another one.
‘At least we won’t have to walk it like a dog,’ he laughed.
And I liked the idea of having a bunny to stroke.
I was depressed because I'd lost the two restaurants I owned during the pandemic, and I knew just how powerful an impact animals could have on mental health.
‘We’ll take him,’ I said firmly, determined to save him from becoming the filling in a pie.
The bunny was a Flemish Giant breed, and he would grow to a massive size.
‘Why don't we call him Alex?’ I suggested.
If he was going to be gigantic, he would be our very own Alexander the Great!
Back home, we bathed him gently in liquid soap to get rid of the troublesome fleas.
That night he nestled against my neck in bed, and at 3am, I woke up as he nipped me.
‘You want to be petted?’ I asked, bleary-eyed, giving him a tickle.
'You're famous overnight!'
As Alex grew bigger, he found another favourite place to sleep — tucked under Josh’s armpit.
Our bunny was docile and affectionate.
‘He’d be perfect!’ I said to Josh, when we discussed his suitability as a therapy pet.
He’d already helped me to feel lots better.
On a plane to Las Vegas, he was the perfect passenger as I rubbed his ears and stroked him.
‘Nothing fazes him,’ I said, amazed.
Alex was soon certified to become an official therapy pet.
Weeks later, I watched, entranced, as a flurry of hands began to stroke him.
I’d taken him to meet a group of children with special needs. Some of them suffered with high anxiety levels.
Suddenly, one of the little boys laid down next to Alex. His eyes began to flutter and soon he was snoozing, relaxed and happy.
Later, I took Alex to a baseball game with the San Francisco Giants, where a camera zoomed in on him and everyone cheered.
‘You’re famous overnight!’ I laughed.
The same thing happened when we took him to a basketball game.
Our huge bundle of fluff also became part of the so-called Wag Brigade at two airports, so nervous flyers could pet him and ease their worries.
We wheeled him around in his stroller, and it wasn’t long before there was a crowd wanting to meet him.
‘Please bring him to my mother at the departure gate,’ a man said.
He explained that his mum had severe dementia, but she’d had rabbits when she was younger.
When we approached her, she reached out her hand and began to stroke Alex.
Her family began to cry because it was the first time she’d shown a reaction to anything in years.
Our beautiful 30lb fur ball brings people so much joy.
I’m convinced that he’s brought me luck too, because I now have another restaurant.
There’s no doubt about it, Alex is a 21-carrot gold legend!
Kei Kato, 36