"Golden Age and The Golden Rule"
My little ole' lady cat Arthur, has cancer. I confess I saw it coming and didn't want to admit it. You see, she's a blue-eyed white cat, and they are prone to skin cancer. The black spots on her ears that we thought were some sort of flea infestation, are really skin cancers. When she developed a sore on her nose, we whisked her to our vet. Dr. Sharp, a no-nonsense, down-to-earth young woman nodded her head and told me it was very common with white cats. We had the choice of letting it go, since it was apparently not bothering Arthur, or of having her nose and ears lopped, which I'm told will make her look like a little "American Curl". We were also told that the cleaning and scrubbing of her ears were the worst thing we could have done.
So, at the ripe old age of 18, Arthur is having her second surgery. Her first, of course, was being spayed in her youth, *before* having that first litter.
This little old lady is indefatigable. One would never know her age, to see her scurrying around. She stands at the door and waits for me each morning then nags me until I feed her. If I venture to the bathroom at 4:00 a.m., there's Arthur, loudly demanding to be fed. She is not a particularly affectionate cat, but enjoys being held and brushed, with an occasional scratch behind the ears or a passing pat on the head. Still, she is a treasured member of our family. We hope with the surgery, that she will have several more healthy and happy golden years until she goes to the Rainbow Bridge.
Years ago, when my Mother was working at a bank, she told me about helping a little old lady balance her checking account. I mentioned that it was awfully nice of her to take the time to give extra service. Her reply was, "Well, my own little old lady (her grandmother) is 2000 miles away, and I can't help her as I'd like to, so I like to help the older ones here in the hopes that someone back there in Iowa will treat her just as nice."
My Mom has been gone for several years now, but I still go out of my way to help little old ladies, to honor her memory and her giant heart.
I have the same attitude toward cats; the unwanted and misused, the homeless and abused. If one of my own little family somehow turned up missing or injured, or for some reason I could no longer care for them, I would hope that some kind soul would take them in or try to find homes for them. So I do all I can, when I can to help the "universal cats".
Because I can. Because I must.
It's as simple as that.
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