Читать книгу Every Cat Has A Story: True Stories Exploring the Spiritual Connection of Felines with Their Beloved Owners - Jasmine Kinnear - Страница 15
Оглавление- 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 that evening while we were sitting on the patio, he saw a reflection of himself in the patio door and pounced at it. Hitting his head against the glass door he became somewhat dazed but was otherwise unharmed; except maybe for his ego. My husband could only shake his head at the kitten’s antics. Shortly thereafter this stray kitten had a name – Bowie – named after David Bowie, who also has two different coloured eyes.
Bowie officially became part of our family and just like our other cat, Whiskee, was allowed to go anywhere he wanted. Whiskee was a sweet older female we’d owned for several years but she was not impressed with Bowie. She started to sulk almost immediately so we gave her some extra attention and figured she would get over it.
Everyone who met Bowie was amazed at how similar the two cats looked. The only way to tell them apart, other than by size, was the colour of their eyes and one small black mark on Bowie’s face.
Bowie
Over the next few days and weeks Whiskee continued to sulk and spend more and more time outside under a bush, while Bowie explored his new home. Whenever we brought them together Bowie would harass Whiskee by chasing her tail or pouncing on her, trying to get her to play. Whiskee just laid there looking at him. When Whiskee went to eat, Bowie would run up and try to play with her. We had to place Bowie in another part of the house so Whiskee could at least eat in peace. While they may not have been best friends, we were glad that they were not fighting.
However after a few weeks we started getting concerned because Whiskee seemed unhappy all the time. We took her to the vet and to our shock learned that she was suffering from severe kidney failure and nothing could be done for her. We felt so guilty because we did not realize the difference between being sick and being resentful of our new kitten.
When Whiskee died we were heartbroken. However it was a bit easier to deal with because Bowie was there to comfort us. Everyone told us that it was as if Bowie knew we were going to need him soon, and that’s why he came back to our house after Mike had first brought him here. There is no doubt in my mind that this is true.
Bowie is now ten years old and I am thankful everyday that he is in our lives. Unlike the first time I saw him and said he was an ugly cat, I now tell him each and every day that he is the most beautiful kitty in the world.
What greater gift than the love of a cat?- Charles Dickens
Conclusion by Jasmine Kinnear…
For a short time the kitten remained nameless until Esther’s husband, Jim, accepted the miniature odd eyed version of Whiskee. Esther explained that without prior discussion they had each decided on the same name for their new kitten. It is my belief that it was actually Bowie who selected Esther and Jim. He may have appeared as a stray kitten at their front door but he had always been predestined to be their feline. In so doing, his presence in their lives lessened the shock of Whiskee’s unexpected death.
Ten years later Esther remains mystified why a small kitten mirroring Whiskee’s identical colouring would appear just before her only female cat died.
Bowie has a medical condition that separates him from other felines and he remains a medical mystery even to his veterinarian. His blood work is never quite normal and he has been known to grow non-malignant tumours on his body. Esther mentioned that her vet simply accepts that Bowie is an unusual cat and often says, “I keep on having to remind myself that this is Bowie.”
The circumstances around Bowie’s timely arrival, the spontaneous selection of his name and the identical colouring of both felines were so unusual that Esther’s friends believed she should write his story. I agreed with her and she proudly announced that his story had already been written. She promised to forward it for consideration in the first volume of Every Cat Has A Story. Esther’s devotion for her beautiful Bowie is a story that needs to be acknowledged.
How fortunate for Esther that she saw so much beauty in an ugly stray kitten. For the last ten years she has thanked the Universe for providing her with the gift of her beautiful boy.
Bowie has grown into a lovely male but perhaps his beauty has been intensified by Esther’s daily message that he is indeed the most beautiful kitty in the world.
There are some who will scoff at the concept that everything happens within our lives for a reason. This however remains my preference in accepting many of the events I have encountered in my own life. Was it simply chance that a lost kitten would be found on the doorstep of a home mirroring a feline who would shortly be dying? Was it simply a matter of chance that Esther would take her place in a line of strangers only to be standing behind another cat lover? A cat lover working on a book containing stories of unusual feline encounters such as Esther had written? Had the beautiful domestic feline perched on the windowsill observing the queue of people in line not been so endearing would I have mentioned her presence? Perhaps as the reader of this story you are meant to one day also recognize a kitten that has been born and has been placed specifically to add a greater meaning to your life. Maybe you have also known a feline that was uniquely special to you and equally deserves recognition. Every cat does indeed have a story, and their life also deserves to be acknowledged, written and published for other cat lovers to enjoy.
