News
My Delight and Darling, and So It Goes
December 17, 2008, 2:46PM MT
By Stacy Rogers
Please read on to learn more about a special cat who enriched the life of her owner.
Please read on to learn more about a special cat who enriched the life of her owner. This story is the first in what we hope to be a series of articles on special animals, those who have changed the lives of a person, a community, or both.
It was about 11 years ago that my mindset on having pets changed forever. For the 15 years prior to that, I had one cat. She was found as a stray kitten, roaming the Metroparks system in Cleveland, OH, alone, and in need of companionship. She was named Poober, for reasons to this day, I have no explanation for such a name. It just came into my mind, and that was that.
It was a relationship that was comparable perhaps to that of a parent and their child. In early 1998, she passed away at the age of 15.
Being a man, I was always the type to hide my emotion, but on that day I felt lost, and lost total control of my emotions. I swore that I would never befriend another animal, as I could not bear having to go through this again.
A transitional phrase coined by Kurt Vonnegut said it best, “so it goes…”
And it was that same morning, that I was watching the Noon News on the CBS affiliate in Indianapolis. That day was the day they were doing their usual showcase of pets from the Indianapolis Humane Society. There was this small, stubborn looking 9 month old calico on the segment found as a stray. Fate? I became curious. I actually wondered if I was “rebounding”, as if coming off a bad relationship, or perhaps losing a spouse. I didn’t care.
I contacted the Humane Society about this small cat. Upon seeing her for the first time, she immediate “googled” at me, a phrase I made up for her playful chortle that was always given as a greeting. I held her, and she immediately rolled around in my arms. “Here I go again”, I thought.
She was aptly named Pocahontas, who also was said to be her fathers “delight and darling”.
It was a couple of days later that Pocahontas, quickly nicknamed Pokey, came home with me to live. And what baggage was to come with her. A paralyzed tail, buckshot in her forearm, all 4 paws declawed (confirming she was a lost cat) and that ever increasing “google” that made me wonder if she was actually in heat. Her “bio” at the Humane Society indicated that she was spayed. A visit to the vet and a simple shaving of fur in that region confirmed that she was spayed. But the vet also was perplexed as to why she was acting as if she was in heat.
Surgery was scheduled, and it was discovered that whomever performed the spay left some ovary tissue attached. So, let this be the first cat on record, at least as far as I know that had to be spayed twice.
What else was in store for me, as I pondered this new family member?
To sum it up, until you have witnessed a cat with all 4 paws declawed make a scurried attempt to climb a tree, you never laughed so hard. I think she was about 7 feet up the tree, when the gravitational force of the earth kicked in. OK, so it sounds horrible, but as you know, cats always land on their feet. She did. No injuries, only to her ego. I do not believe it was ever attempted again after that.
The previous paragraph is one of perhaps hundreds of shining examples on why this simple, tiny, strong and stubborn feline has changed my mindset on pet ownership. Earlier on, I mentioned that I couldn’t stand the pain of losing another one. Because of Pocahontas, I have set a slogan for myself, which I convey to others frequently. It is a very simple slogan, but until you live it, you do not know how powerful it can be. Simply put, “Lose a Life, Save a Life”. It is because of Pocahontas that I dedicate this lesson life to.
Last September, Pocahontas passed away due to complications from an infection. “Here we are again”, I thought, “having to read that poem about the Rainbow Bridge.” I can’t take it again. In that saddened depression, one may think of song lyrics that reference your mood. The sad words from, of all things, a Billy Joel composition “And So it Goes” came to mind. In that Vonnegut-esque manner, the words engulfed me like a dirge “And so it goes, and so it goes…and so will you soon, I suppose”. Words can comfort, and words can hurt. I knew that only six words could help me through seemingly this unbearable process. Those 6 words, “Lose a Life, Save a Life.”
And so it goes…
With a heavy heart, I trekked to the Indianapolis Humane Society once more the next day. I knew in my mind that Pocahontas, like Poober, could never be replaced. I was just looking for another to fill their space. I didn’t really think I could do it. I just didn’t feel like it. Not at all.
It was that day that Isabel was introduced to me. A 5 year old Calico. Just like Poober, just like Pocahontas. It’s a calico trifecta. What brought me to this cat? One must look at fate from time to time. There is some irony that not only was she a dimure calico, all 4 paws were again declawed, but she was in the EXACT same cage I originally first saw Pocahontas in. Déjà vu? Who cares. Yes, she came home with me that day, and her hair has adorned the furniture ever since. Strange symmetry.
What Pocahontas taught me is something I preach to everyone who is in that same grieving process. Lose a Life, Save a Life. It matters. Not only for us, but more importantly, for them.