By Sue Young
Are we not like two volumes of one book?
~Marceline Desbordes-Valmore
I'll never be sure if it was wisdom or folly that struck that day, but I would think a little of both. We had been happily living with one cat for a couple of years, a fairly large black-and-white English Shorthair named Smedley. It was time for his annual exam and shots, so off we went to our local veterinarian's office, puss in hand, or actually wrapped up like an Egyptian mummy to save us from his dreaded claws.
Are we not like two volumes of one book?
~Marceline Desbordes-Valmore
I'll never be sure if it was wisdom or folly that struck that day, but I would think a little of both. We had been happily living with one cat for a couple of years, a fairly large black-and-white English Shorthair named Smedley. It was time for his annual exam and shots, so off we went to our local veterinarian's office, puss in hand, or actually wrapped up like an Egyptian mummy to save us from his dreaded claws.
"Ah!" Doc Pete said, a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm glad you dropped in. I have a kitten out back that needs a home and I thought of you!"
Before I could stop him, his assistant brought out the tiniest marmalade tabby, weighing just over a pound, with a cast on his left front leg. He put him in my arms, looked up at me and said, "So what do you think?"
They say that a sucker is born every minute and that was my minute. We took one look at the poor little thing and then at each other and we were done for. We found out that someone had broken his leg and tried to drown him in the nearest canal. A Good Samaritan had rescued him and brought him to the vet's office.
"How will they get along?" I asked. "How do we go about introducing them to each other?"
"Oh, that's no problem," he said. "You just put him in a carrier, take him home, leave the carrier open and let Smedley think he is rescuing the kitten."
Well, it sounded good. As per instructions, once we got home, we left the kitten in the carrier in the middle of the room. Then we sat back to watch. Smedley circled the box and growled deeper than I had ever heard him before. The kitten, meanwhile, mewed plaintively while sticking a paw out of the holes in the side of the carrier. After about an hour, we decided to open the top of the carrier a little wider. Smedley walked up to the top, looked inside and was rewarded by a lightning strike from a small orange paw.
That was the last we saw of him that evening. I was convinced that the next morning would find us back at the vet's office returning the little tyke. However, the next morning, we were in for a surprise. As I got up to put on the coffee, I saw the two of them curled up together on the sofa as if they were one cat with two smiling faces. From then on, Smedley watched over the little one as if he had given birth to him, and they went everywhere together.
Doc Pete was right!
http://www.chickensoup.comBefore I could stop him, his assistant brought out the tiniest marmalade tabby, weighing just over a pound, with a cast on his left front leg. He put him in my arms, looked up at me and said, "So what do you think?"
They say that a sucker is born every minute and that was my minute. We took one look at the poor little thing and then at each other and we were done for. We found out that someone had broken his leg and tried to drown him in the nearest canal. A Good Samaritan had rescued him and brought him to the vet's office.
"How will they get along?" I asked. "How do we go about introducing them to each other?"
"Oh, that's no problem," he said. "You just put him in a carrier, take him home, leave the carrier open and let Smedley think he is rescuing the kitten."
Well, it sounded good. As per instructions, once we got home, we left the kitten in the carrier in the middle of the room. Then we sat back to watch. Smedley circled the box and growled deeper than I had ever heard him before. The kitten, meanwhile, mewed plaintively while sticking a paw out of the holes in the side of the carrier. After about an hour, we decided to open the top of the carrier a little wider. Smedley walked up to the top, looked inside and was rewarded by a lightning strike from a small orange paw.
That was the last we saw of him that evening. I was convinced that the next morning would find us back at the vet's office returning the little tyke. However, the next morning, we were in for a surprise. As I got up to put on the coffee, I saw the two of them curled up together on the sofa as if they were one cat with two smiling faces. From then on, Smedley watched over the little one as if he had given birth to him, and they went everywhere together.
Doc Pete was right!
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