It was October 18, 2005. I was coming back to work from lunch. As I got out of my car, I heard tiny meows coming from underneath the bushes in front of the building. They tugged at my heart strings. Of course I couldn't resist and went searching for sound. What I found was a tiny 8 week old kitten, totally black, crying out for its mother. She was too afraid to come close enough for me to grab her. I just knew she was hungry so I went inside the building to get some food and tried to coax her out from underneath the bushes. No luck. She was too scared. Work calling, I left the food and went back inside the building.
I check on her throughout the afternoon. She ate the food but still wouldn't come out. As I left work for the day, I knew I couldn't leave her outside to fend for herself. I decided I would catch her and bring her home. We use to be a 2-cat family, but in February of that same year we lost our first cat, Petey, to diabetes, and I thought it was time to find our second cat, Lucky, a playmate. She was hard to catch, but with the help of a young man who was leaving the building (he asked what I was doing on my knees looking under the bushes), we successfully captured the little thing and I put her in a box and took her home.
She was full of fleas and in need of a bath. She didn't struggle much as I bathed her, in fact she went rather limp and didn't fight me at all. I dried her off, put her in Petey's old cat carrier and waited for Rick to get home. I didn't know what he would say about me bringing home another cat, she would be our third rescue cat. I had to wait up until midnight when Rick got home from second shift. I didn't have to say much, he took one look at her and saw how sweet she was. We were once again a 2-cat family.
Halle's full name is Halle Ween Fuller. Rick named her that because I found her in October, she is all black like a Halloween cat, and she is as pretty as Halle Berry.
We were so glad when we discovered she was female as she took to our male cat, Lucky (I'll save his story for another time) rather quickly. She was the girlfriend he was looking for. They immediately bonded and life was good for them.
Halle's personality is totally different from Lucky's. She is a very vocal cat, always answering me when I talk to her. She is also very loving and always wants to be where I am, like today sleeping next to me with her head on my bible. She likes to sit on my lap and curl her head down on my chest so I can scratch her under the chin and behind her ears. This especially endears me to her. She takes her place in the corner of my bed each night and is content to stay there most nights until morning. I have certainly been blessed with such a sweet cat and I am glad that God directed her my way and placed her in my care.
Both Halle and Lucky have been good traveling companions, going everywhere we go with only minor complaints from Halle (I told you she is vocal) when she has to ride in the cat carrier. I don't know how well I would have taken to this journey with Rick if it had not been for them. There is something about loving a pet, truly loving them with all your heart, that brings peace to your life. I feel fortunate to have the love of cats in my heart. You won't understand where I'm coming from unless you have it too.
This is so true, Pat. I completely understand what you write about. I love my dogs this way. They are all three different. Their personalities are nothing alike, but the way they love unconditionally is a common trait they share. They don't question, they don't back talk, they don't demand. All they want to do is love an be loved. I don't know what I'd do without them! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
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