The cat with two names

He came to live with us from the local humane shelter after being found in a tree at a nearby camping area.

Obviously something made him run up that tree but we'll never know what.  In spite of his ordeal he was the calmest young feline I had ever met!  I adopted "Gibson" and took him home to live with our 15-year-old Manx cat, Charlie.

  A couple of months later, I adopted Max.  When I brought him home I presented him to Gibson who promptly started cleaning him! They were inseparable all through their kittenhood.

  I volunteer at the shelter where I had adopted Gibson, taking pictures of new potential kitty adoptees.  Needless to say, I couldn't resist adopting several more so Bob and Red came to live with us.

As each new addition to our family was presented to Gibson, he cleaned them just as he had Max.

  While the kittens were babies, Gibson stayed fairly close to home.

  But then we began to notice he would leave for a day or so, and then return to eat or take a nap in the sun by the window.  His absences increased and it was time for me to find out just where he was going!

  A retired couple lives next door to us -- a very well respected dentist and his wife, a former school teacher and avid gardener.

I called and asked if they had an orange striped kitty "adopt them."

  The retired dentist's answer was yes.  He then explained to me that his wife has Alzheimer's and that "Nonami," as they had named him, was her constant companion.  He said his wife would sit by the hour stroking the cat and that he slept with her at night.

  His tone then became sombre as he asked what I wanted to do about the situation.  As I blinked back tears, I told him that I just wanted to make sure Gibson was happy.  He said no cat could be more loved.

I asked to come visit him that evening and he said absolutely!

  I realized Gibson had fulfilled his caretaker mission at our house with the kittens and was now fulfilling another more important role.

   I am so very proud of my very special cat.  He sensed this special lady's needs and did his best to fulfill them.

  Oh, and I found out what "Nonami" means -- "no name" only with a Japanese twist!

  -- Sandy Edmunson <SE40 at aol.com>

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Sandy says, "I live in Atascadero, California with four beautiful kitties and a wonderful husband. I work as an Administrative Assistant for Community Health Centers of the Central Coast, a non-profit corporation dedicated to assisting people with little or no resources.

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