LITMIR.BIZ

Скачать книгу

have been more fearful. The mother, however, communicated to each kitten by purr name to ignore the offensive human odour and permit Susy to lift them to safety. The wild tabby communicated her gratitude to Susy by blinking her eyes, to thank her for giving assistance and providing food to her starving litter. Susy sensed that the mother was trying to communicate her gratitude and instinctively understood because she was also a mother.

      When Susy first shared this sad story with me I was initially concerned that the litter had been left in the wild to manage on their own. However Susy felt she had done what she was asked to do, and seemed comfortable with her decision to let the litter wander away. Had I been there that day the feral mother would never have approached me. Somehow she must have sensed Susy’s true nature, her ability to separate her feelings, to have enough compassion to help without interfering with the litter’s feral existence. I now understand that Susy did the right thing by simply listening to the mother’s needs and responding as she did.

       Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a purpose.- Garrison Keillor

      It also warmed my heart to know that Susy finally found a loving feline companion. After she became a cat owner I noticed two small pictures appear on her desk, one of her new tabby kitten and one of her daughter.

      I’d like to believe that Susy’s experience with the cat in the woods triggered her own maternal instincts. Sharing the mother cat’s love for her kittens and her courage to overcome fear and starvation truly touched Susy’s heart. She may have physically helped the feral cat, but another exchange had also taken place between the two mothers. Susy was finally ready to begin the emotional journey back into her own daughter’s heart.

      I was not the only person in our office who recognized the subtle changes in Susy. However I was the one person with whom she shared the reasons behind those changes. Only another cat lover could comprehend the importance of such a simple miracle. Susy’s life and priorities had shifted due to an unexpected feline encounter during that long weekend. She had been touched by the maternal love of a tabby feral mother caring for her starving litter trapped in the woods; and Susy alone had made a difference.

       Way down deep, we're all motivated by the same urges. Cats have the courage to live by them.- Jim Davis

The Ugliest Cat

       - by Esther Sustersich

       Introduction by Jasmine Kinnear…

      It is a privilege when I encounter cat owners willing to share personal stories about their felines. I am drawn to the devotion of such owners as their warm stories have taken shape over the span of many years. However these tales can only be fully appreciated when they have been written with the loving sincerity of their owners. The Ugliest Cat demonstrates the substance within the relationship of a woman and her feline. Such stories will surface in the most unlikely of places and will be shared under some unexpected circumstances.

      Esther shared her story of The Ugliest Cat as we stood shivering in the early morning cold in a long queue of book lovers. On the first weekend in March our local newspaper holds a gigantic sale of donated books with the proceeds assisting local schools in our community. The Times Colonist Book Sale attracts many of Vancouver Island’s book lovers who, in great anticipation, will spend many cold hours waiting in line for the chance to discover a buried treasure.

      This is an annual event that remains near and dear to my heart and come rain or shine I never miss it. Even the simple act of standing in line and being in the presence of other book lovers is always an exhilarating experience. Every year the newspaper must locate a massive facility that is transformed into a makeshift bookstore containing thousands of reasonably priced books for sale. The event has also become a magnet for those seeking a book that has been out of circulation for years. I am not only a writer but also dearly love the printed word and own a treasured collection of signed books. This year I was seeking not only to increase my collection of Royalty and biography books but also valuable research books in my continuing study of felines.

      Although the doors do not open until 9:00 a.m. people have been known to camp out overnight or arrive before dawn to be first in line. My husband and I must travel for this great event and usually take our place in line about ninety minutes prior to the grand opening.

      While my husband parked the car I took a place in line and listened to the conversations around me. The couple in front claimed to have read all the books they purchased last year with the final book just finished the week before this year’s sale. Behind me I listened to the warm conversation between two girlfriends while waiting for my husband to return.

      Clutching my coffee cup in an attempt to warm my hands, I watched a domestic cat sitting in the window of her home. She was obviously curious about the long line of book lovers in front of her house. The women behind me laughed whenever a dog would appear beside the cat to look through the curtains, equally entertained by so many people. I remarked to my husband that the cat probably thought we had been placed in line for her entertainment. There is something special about people who love pets and even more so those who equally share a love for the printed word. My feline comment began a conversation with the women behind us and we shared a mutual affection for our cats who were patiently waiting for our arrival back home.

      Esther and Lucy shared a lifelong friendship and also enjoyed a common interest in books. Esther confessed to having travelled from Courtenay, a small community many miles away to enjoy the book sale. She was staying with Lucy during her visit and had travelled to Victoria specifically to partake in this annual event.

      Esther, unaware that I was a writer of feline material, spoke with loving affection about her beloved cat Bowie. The circumstances surrounding Bowie’s appearance in her life were so important that she confessed to having written a story regarding his timely arrival on her doorstep.

      It is my belief that when we are selected by a feline the relationship holds a greater meaning, even more so in the case of Esther and Bowie, whose unexpected meeting was Universally predestined.

       Esther’s story...

      The doorbell rang one evening and upon answering it there stood Mike, one of the children who lived on our street. He was holding a scrawny black and white kitten that looked about three months old.

      Mike said, “I have your cat here. He was by my house, so I thought I’d bring him over.”

      “That’s not Whiskee,” I said. “He’s exactly the same colour but Whiskee doesn’t have one blue eye and one green eye.” I thanked him, closed the door and said to my husband, “Have you ever seen an uglier cat?”

      We didn’t give the little kitten another thought that evening. However the next morning when I went outside, the kitten was sitting at the bottom of the stairs. I picked him up so we could take him to the SPCA later that day. As soon as he was in my arms he started to purr like crazy. That was it. There was no way I was taking this kitty to an animal shelter. My husband didn’t want to let him stay though because we already had a cat.

      “But we have to keep him,” I insisted. “He’s so ugly no one will want him. They will put him to sleep.”

      Thankfully it was the weekend and our local SPCA was closed. My husband said I could feed him but that he was not allowed in the house. I gave him some food, which he gobbled down and then threw up a few minutes later. Concerned, I called the vet about it. He said it was probably just because he ate so quickly, and I should feed him a small amount of food at a time. I did so and he was fine.

      Esther, Whiskee and Bowie

      By the next day this young stray had managed to make it into the house. Later

Скачать книгу