Looking at cats, like looking at clouds, stars or the ocean, makes it difficult to believe there is nothing miraculous in this world.
~Leonard Michaels
After my wife died, I found myself suddenly homeless, along with our two cats. My wife’s house was in a trust and had to be sold as part of settling her estate. This was no problem for me… I was mobile. I planned to travel anyway, because I no longer wanted to live in our home without her. However, I could not take the two cats on the road, so I had to find homes for them.
Several friends asked for Sweetie, the small, gray longhair who was an appealing lap cat. I chose Eva’s close girlfriend whose household had just lost their cat. One weekend, I drove Sweetie up the Pacific Coast from San Francisco to her new home in Eugene, Oregon. During the drive, Sweetie roamed free in my car, mewing nervously at first while I cooed, “It’s okay, it’s okay,” and played classical music to soothe her.
Soon, she stretched to look out the window at the passing countryside, which my wife had enjoyed during her long illness. Finally, Sweetie curled up in my lap. Her new home in Oregon turned out to be ideal for her — after I was allowed to install a cat door so Sweetie could roam a wooded cemetery behind the house.
Back in San Francisco, I faced the big problem. No one had volunteered to take grumpy Occie. Friends knew this fat, brown tabby would flop on her back to invite a belly rub, and then nip your fingers if you petted her the “wrong” way. From one day to the next, we never knew what mood Occie would be in, whether she wanted us to pet her or was luring us into a trap. Even my cat-loving sister said she would only take Occie as a last resort, if no other home was found.
So I was truly surprised, even shocked, when an ex-girlfriend of mine named Janice told me over the phone, “Sure, I’ll take Occie.” She offered, despite never meeting the cat, and after I warned her about Occie’s strange temper. Janice lived an easy hour’s drive north of San Francisco, and Occie seemed happy with the house and its big back yard right away. Years later Janice confided she had taken Occie in hopes I would drive up to visit her more often, which did happen while I was in California.
The real surprise for the cats’ new moms came several months later when Eva’s estate settled. Each of them received a $5,000 check to cover cat care.
Our friends said, “You should have told us! Anyone would have taken Occie!”
But I had kept those bequests secret. I wanted homes where people really wanted the cats. Now, I tell this story to encourage people to volunteer when they hear of homeless cats, because in addition to the obvious joy of sharing a home with a cat, you never know what other benefits might be attached!
~Sam Moorman
