Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Cats

Love, and do what you like.

Saint Augustine
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There was an acting teacher named Michael Shurtleff who would say that the first thing an actor should look for in his character is the love. Where is the love? It could be love for another person, for a family, a job, a career, a hobby, a house, a pet or oneself. Wherever the love is everything else relates to it.


I knew a woman who lived in a big, beautiful house in Southern California with lots of land around it. She had a husband, two grown children and a lot of animals. There was a stable with two horses. In the house was a singing bird of some sort, a tank of tiny fish and a small, sweet dog. Outside the house there were 22 cats. That's not a misprint. 22.

Only one of those cats ever came into the house. The rest lived in the trees and bushes around the property. I was visiting her one day at feeding time. She would mix up a big tub of food, take it outside and put it here and there on some wooden boards in a corner of the property. The cats came from everywhere, out of the trees, from around corners, up out of the ground for all I knew.

She never gave names to any of them although she recognized them all. But one of them was called Trouble because that's what he was. He was definitely the bully of the group and the other cats stayed away from him.

But he got into a serious fight with something because one day he should up at feeding time with a very badly wounded eye. No one could get near Trouble, so it was impossible for her to take him to the vet. She called the vet and explained the problem. He told her to come over and he would give her something to help.

What he gave her was a powder to mix with the food that put all the cats, including Trouble, to sleep for a while. So she walked through a yard full of sleeping cats, picked up Trouble, put him in a box and drove him to the vet. The vet removed his eye, cleaned him up, kept him for a few days and then she came and got him.

When she got home and let him out of the box he took off. But he was back the next day at feeding time.

She loved those cats.
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DB - The Vagabond
Never give up.
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SUMMER QUESTION

Summer is moving along, people.

It's a long, hot, sticky summer, so here's a hot, sticky question for you. Don't let the recent New York State decision rob you of your thunder.

Same sex marriage. Should it be legal or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

dbdacoba@aol.com

Only 13 answers so far.

You have until the last day of summer, but don't dally.
I eagerly await your answer.

DB
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4 comments:

pacifica62 said...

This lady is my kind of person. I love cats.

Arlene (AJ) said...

My whole family loves cats and has rescued and kept so many through the years. One of my niece/late hubby's kitty Cloey was honored as the cat of the month this May on the Cat Rescued Organizations Calendar for 2011 in Columbus, OH. It touched all of our hearts as Ross who rescued the kitty passed away suddenly from a heart ailment, know he would have been touched to see his Cloey in the calendar.

Ally Lifewithally said...

DB what a wonderful story ~ I love cats and had 5 before | got married ~ thanks for sharing this with us ~ Ally x

Rose~* said...

Wonderful cat lady. My mother-in-law volunteers at a cat shelter, and one day I have got to take some photos to share with readers, of the many cats that are grateful to cat lovers.