Of all the things God created, from sunrises to rainbows, to black holes and humor, cats are the most fascinating to me.
~Jarod Kintz
My daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy her sophomore year in high school. She had a very difficult time dealing with the side effects of the medications and the fear of seizures. Because of this, she spent a lot of time alone in her room. One day, she came to me and asked if she could get a cat.
I was a little wary, since our last cat, although we loved her, had been a scratcher and very destructive, but I couldn’t say “no” to my daughter given the tough time she was having. I began looking at the various shelter and rescue websites for an adult cat that had already been declawed and was litter trained. That’s when I found Ellie at Father John’s Animal House. The picture showed a sweet, white face with dark, expressive eyes. They described her as a lovable “mush” who loved to cuddle. Based on that description, my husband and I made the two-hour drive to see her.
As they pulled Ellie out of the cage, I gasped with surprise. She was huge! But as I held that giant, white pillow of cat, she purred with the volume of a small tractor, put one of her enormous, soft, clawless paws up against my face, and melted my heart.
The shelter volunteer then gave us her history. Ellie had been found in an abandoned home with several other cats. She had been adopted and then returned twice because of difficulties with the litter box. The thought of litter problems did make me think twice, but that motor-like purring and the quiet way she had settled her enormous bulk into my arms overrode my fears.
The smile that lit up my daughter’s face as she gathered our new family member into her arms reassured me. From that day on, wherever she went, Ellie followed. My daughter’s days of isolation were over. At night, I would check on her as she slept. Snuggled up next to her, Ellie would raise her head and look at me as if to say, “I’ve got this. I’m watching her.”
As for the litter problems, she never had any problems at all with us. She has always been perfectly behaved. It’s as if she knew the home she was supposed to go to and did what she had to in order to make sure that she got there.
One afternoon, when I peeked into my daughter’s room, she was sitting on the floor writing in her journal with her back against her bed. Ellie was sprawled on the edge of the bed. Her head and one paw were resting lightly on one of my daughter’s shoulders and her other paw was resting on the other shoulder. It was such a posture of protection, companionship, and love. I think this cat may well be an actual angel.
~Mary Fluhr Bajda
