An Unusual Weekend of Goings and Comings

It's been a long week, and it's only Wednesday. But it all started last Friday.

Our dear and faithful friend, Tasha, passed away on Friday. Tasha was, as most dog owners will tell you, more than just our pet, she was part of our family. For 16 of her 18 years, she was the family playmate, vacuum cleaner and guardian (we adopted her from a shelter when she was about 2 years old). But 18 is very old for a dog, and her health was failing. My husband, son, daughter and my self were all there to see her off. I know she's somewhere, running at full speed as she had years ago.

Naturally, there was a sadness over the house as we remembered the things that were Tasha's, and the way she was in healthier times. But on Sunday, it was time for another parting, one mixed with happiness and sadness.

Rhonda is a loving, sweet little kitten, about 5 or 6 months old. She came to us in a rather unusual way.

I was getting ready to head to my day job when I received a call from my boss. "When will you be here?" he wanted to know. For a second I thought I had missed a meeting or something, but he needed me there because a kitten had almost been hit by a car and it looked terrified. As the resident office cat lady, he figured I'd be the best to handle it.

So I loaded the pet carrier into the car, along with a little food, and headed to work. When I got there he took me to the spot where the little angel was hiding. Sure enough, she was terrified, letting out little meows. She was hiding under a bramble of wild blackberries, so I wasn't thrilled about having to climb through to get her. A little coaxing and sweet talking, though, and out she came, right into my arms. She rubbed and meowed and munched up the food I brought. I had to give her only a little, because you could see she was starving.

I brought her home at lunch time, and she took to my husband right away, following him around and demanding his attention. You could feel every bone in her back and side, the poor thing.

But time and kitten chow and lots of loving heal many things. Within three weeks, she was looking more as a regular kitten should look. Having a few too many cats already, I took her to my favorite shelter, the Animal Rescue Force. There, one of the volunteers fell in love with our sweet tuxedo girl. The Sunday after dear Tasha left us, Rhonda's new family came to pick her up. They were delighted, and excited, and she took to them right away. It was a sad but happy farewell.

There's more though. I spoke of comings. You see, there's another cat that lives outside our house. She's a feral cat, who tolerates only rare pets from the people who feed her. She usually hangs around when she's pregnant. Guess what she did on St. Patrick's Day?

So, at the moment, it's a little quieter in our house. The older cats are all settled in their ways, barely making a fuss. We still have to put Tasha's things away. All the quiet will change soon enough, though, when the Irish brood come in for people training before we send them to their new homes.

See, we're animal people around here. That's why, if you'll notice, there's a cat in the logo of Celtic Chairde Creations. They add such interest to our lives. With all the comings and goings, I still wouldn't trade getting to know and love them all.