Wrapped round my head on the pillow,
her cat belly warmly comforting.
When my eyes open at sunrise,
gentle touch of paw to cheek,
closing them, I sleep again,
she is generous, not insistent.
Pregnant when she adopts me,
starving and facing death,
she becomes a user of tools.
Thirsty, reaching down into bottle or vase
to soak up water with her toes,
licking drops off eagerly. Life Skills 101.
Belly swollen Monday, gone Tuesday,
no mess, no fuss.
Vet said her body ate its little ones,
survival at a visceral level.
Years later, I adopt Pepper eight weeks old,
feisty, self concerned, needs mothering,
Chickie needs a kitten.
Drifting off to sleep, I hear
rich sounds of suckling.
They bond, mother to child.
Unclear in that long ago moment,
she is my mother too.
Thirteen years later,
difficult death, euthanasia,
decreed by pain, dosed by Animal 911.
She gently gives permission
through my tears and soft farewells.
Marian Hale
21 January 2010
The Very Best Toy for Cats
"Of all the [cat] toys available, none is better designed than the owner himself. A large multipurpose plaything, its parts can be made to move in almost any direction. It comes completely assembled, and it makes a noise when you jump on it."
Stephen Baker
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