The New Math: One Dog + Four Kittens = Pure Enchantment

From the moment my dog, Jake, came into my life, he had made his feelings about cats perfectly clear - they were best served on a plate, with a side order of fries! This was disheartening to me, because I very much wanted to adopt a kitten and bring some magical feline energy into my home. Jake, however, wasn't going to make this easy.

Two years went by and Jake, content and secure, finally realized he was a cherished member of my family...and then it happened. I looked out my window one day and saw Jake with his ears up and his head cocked sideways, staring at the ground.

There at his feet was a little kitten, sitting very still. It had badly infected eyes and probably couldn't see the big dog drooling above it. I ran outside, hoping to prevent the cat attack I felt sure was coming. But Jake just stared at the helpless creature, then looked up at me, and then turned back to the kitten. Perhaps it was because he remembered a time when he, too, had needed a home....I’ll never know. But in that one moment Jake opened his heart to the little tabby kitten, and suddenly Pippen had become part of the family.

More meowing told me that Pippen was not an only child. Indeed, she had a brother who was hiding under the deck. With a little bit of food as encouragement, the black kitten with the bent tail crawled out, and that is how Dickens found his place in the household. Later that night the mama cat who lived in the woods brought more kittens and left them on the front porch. Molly, a black and white tuxedo cat, and Star and Gracie, her sleek, black sisters were brought in from the cold, and Jake's kittens were finally safe and the family was complete.

Jake brooded over his feline family, licking the formula off of their faces and nosing them back if they wandered too far. He’d lie down on the floor and let the kittens swarm over him, snuggling into his thick, warm fur.

Although Gracie was destined to make her home with good friends, Dickens, Pippen, Molly and Star immediately settled in and took over the house. Jake's days became very busy, what with four active charges to take care of.

I didn’t know it then, but my life had been changed forever on the day Jake invited the kitties into my home. I hadn't realized there had been four empty places in my heart that only these little furballs could fill. I hadn't realized I had needed a feline fairy Godmother, a role that Pippen was meant to fill. I hadn't realized life could be so much more fun if you looked at the world through the eyes of a kitten.

Many years have gone by, and in June of 2006 I had to say goodbye to my beloved Jake.  Dickens, Pippen, Molly, Star and I are doing our best to carry on without him, but there is a large, empty space in my heart – and in our home – that once was filled by a magnificent dog with a magical, loving spirit.  I am watching over your kitties, Jake, and they are watching over me...but oh how we miss you.

© Christine Davis

For Every Cat An Angel
For Every Dog An Angel (2004 winner of DWAA Maxwell Award)
Old Dog and the Christmas Wish (due out this summer)

A portion of all proceeds is donated to animal sanctuaries, rescue centres and other organizations that work on behalf of homeless and suffering animals on our planet.

www.lightheartedpress.com

For another heart-warming story by Christine, please click here:

Christine Davis grew up in New York City, certain she would either become a veterinarian or an astronomer. It is no surprise she wound up writing star-filled books celebrating the timeless connection people have with their animal companions.

She now resides in Portland, Oregon with her Pippen, Dickens, Molly and Star, the cats Jake rescued from under the deck and raised as his own.


 

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