The tail of Olive the Cat (that’s not her ‘real name, her ‘real’ name was Shadow...she told me.) She came to us on a rain drenched coastal Oregon night. Plaintive mewling striking pointedly to the second floor open window. How do you ignore what is a small but persistent silver ice pick to your consciousness? 3 am and I go to the front door, shivering and naked, hoping no one else is awake at that time, I tentatively call out, “kitty….kitty….” not knowing what I’d find. I was fully expecting to find a full grown cat and in bounds a black, two pound, sleek little black kitten. Eyes the size of silver dollars and the color of butternut squash. She bounded in with energy as if to say, “Wow, the door opened! How cool is that!” Figure 8’s around the ankles ensued with gentle little nips because her joy was so ecstatic. And then ‘the look’. The look that said, “what next?”. Hell, I didn’t know what was next. But we sat and she explored me and her surroundings with a bemused and expressive look that spoke volumes. I swear I could hear her little voice. “OMG! Look Carpet! I love this stuff! That’s the best stuff ever!” and “Hey! You’re Petting Me! That’s the best stuff ever! I love being pet!” Some time later…”Look Stairs! I love Stairs! They’re my new favorite thing!” Everything was ’New’ and ‘The Best Thing Ever!”. Sleep was not coming the rest of the night. I tried putting her back out to see if she’d continuing her wandering and find her way to her people, but she was having none of that. Okay, okay, I caved. Brought her back in at 4:30 and decided to spend the rest of the night on the couch with her exploring so Dan could get some sleep. What happened? She found her way upstairs, cuddled in next to Dan, fell sound asleep as I tossed and turned on the couch. I now hate that cat, because it’s the same thing the cat at home does. I came to Oregon for this?!? Morning comes and we know we need to find her people. We go to the vet to see if she’s chipped. Strike one. Aside: seriously people, if you going to own pets, get them their shots to keep them healthy, spay or neuter them, have them chipped, get ID on them in case they get lost (she was wearing a collar but no tag). No chip. We call the animal control officer, no report. We call the local shelter, no report. If you lose your pet and you want them back, start talking about it immediately. People that work with animals want to see the pets with their people and will go out of their way to make sure it happens. End rant. We spend the rest of the rainy day reading, napping and hanging out with our new four-legged friend. I start to stress. I know that there is a decision to be made. I’ve talked to people that have come by walking their dogs to see if anyone is missing a kitten or knows of someone missing a kitten. Strike two. Dan and I discuses the options. There might be a lead on someone who just moved into the neighborhood, does she have a cat? No, and she’s allergic and can’t take her. We have a lead on someone who just lost an elderly cat and might be ready for a new one. We still have 4 days left of vacation and the next place we’re going doesn’t allow pets. Plus, we already have a kitty at home. To take her home is a heavy decision and I know someone is missing her. Let me digress and tell you about the home kitty. She was a rescue and maybe a little damaged when we got her. She follows Dan around like a puppy and barely tolerates me. We already had a cat when we got her and the competition may have been too much for her. She brought home dead things on an average of 5 out of 7 days a week. She was an over achiever. Since the older cat has passed away, she has stopped trying to impress us with her hunting prowess. (Yea! no dead things!) Occasionally, she will cuddle up to me. I’m really not sure what bringing home a kitten would do to her. It’d be a risk and I’m not sure I want the shock the old lady like that. She’s earned a soft lap and some special soft wet food. This all weighs heavy on my mind. My stomach hurts. So how does Olive/Shadow’s story end? On the advice of a friend we checked at the local-corner grocery store. They knew of her and her owners. A quick phone call confirmed her missing status and her people’s imminent arrival to pick her up. A quick transfer and Olive/Shadow was back where she really did belong. Home run. I breath again and am really very happy and sad and happy and sad. Am I sad? Yes. This was a spectacularly sweet and loving kitty. Curious and friendly. But what I remember and take with me is her sweet little voice that spoke to me. “OMG! A piece of paper! This is the Best Thing Ever!” “Oh look! You picked me up and are cuddling me! I LOVE this! This is the Best Thing Ever!” The wonder of discovery is something to marvel at and to never take for granted. All it takes is a little black kitten to rekindle that miraculous and marvelous wonderment of amazement. Four more days of vacation and I think I’ll be saying, “OMG, I Love driving in the car! Vacation and spending time with my husband? That’s the Best Thing Ever!” Ahhhhh, adventures.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 04:58:57 +0000
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