Today Phoenix rose from the ashes.
A month ago today I met a pathetic brown tabby kitten in a cage at my vet’s office. He was crying and laying on his side. He couldn’t walk, wouldn’t eat, he had a concussion, both eyes were dilated and one was grotesquely enlarged. A drunk man had locked himself in the bedroom and beat up his son’s cat. The equally drunk wife could only wait helplessly listening to the screams of the kitty.
I don’t know the chain of events, but a neighbor grabbed the 10 year old son and the cat and left with them. Kitty was taken to the emergency clinic. The boy to Child Protective Services. Our Angel of Mercy called some area rescue groups to find refuge for Kitty. They were either full or didn’t bother to return her call. Being tied up with bureaucrats and lawyers to protect the boy, she simply didn’t have time to devote to finding Kitty a sanctuary. She prayed for help. I happened to come to my vet’s and saw the pathetic little tabby cat. The tech told me the story. I took him. I had to. I don’t think I’ve ever been an answer to prayer, but someone (or something) put me in that vet’s office on that particular day at that exact moment.
Kitty stayed at the clinic for another day so his young owner could say goodbye. When I arrived to pick him up, the vet techs were so excited. The kid was there. He wanted to meet me. A lump formed in my throat. What would I say to a child who had been through so much? I found him and his Angel of Mercy in the surgery. The boy was sitting cross-legged on the floor with Kitty who was wrapped in a towel. The kid dangled a piece of string in front of the cat’s face. Half-heartedly Kitty would reach his paw out, although with his dilated eyes, I doubt he could see anything.
The vet tech introduced me to the boy as the lady who’s going to take Kitty. He ask me, “Is my kitty going to be alright?” I said I’d take good care of him. I joined him on the floor and asked, “Are you sure you want to do this? If I take your cat you’ll never see him again.” His answer will haunt me forever. “If you take him, he won’t be hurt again.” Apparently there's plenty of pain to go around in that family. I’m sure that child desperately needed the security and unconditional love his cat offered, yet he was willing to let him go to keep him safe. That little boy showed such maturity, such sacrifice. Only the best for that deserving little kitty cat. The boy and his rescuer left.
I renamed him Phoenix, because he also had burns on his face. He had a quiet little nest in my bathroom—an enclosed bed gave him a great place to hide. Poor little thing would fall over whenever he took a step. But he was gentle and a trooper. He let me force feed him and medicate him. A few days later the animal ophthalmologist diagnosed the enlarged eye with trauma-induced glaucoma and cataracts, but gave me no real prognosis.
Within a week of the attack, Phoenix rolled over on his back, his paws stretched above his head and showed me his tummy. He loved a neck scratch. (That’s when I discovered he had recently had an embedded collar.) Amazingly, Phoenix isn't hand shy like so many other abused cats. He’s a people cat, this one, following my hubby and me around the house like a puppy and claiming our laps whenever we’d light in a chair to watch TV.
The rest of his body and spirit healed, but despite the world-class animal ophthalmologist, Phoenix’s eye continued to swell. This morning, ended another chapter in the book of the Phoenix. Enucleation, vets call it. Nice, clean, medical. It means removal of the eye. The vet said the surgery went great. He’s waking up and can go home later today. Finally, he’ll be pain free and now we can concentrate on finding, not just a home, but the perfect home. There’s no rush. Phoenix can call me mom until that special someone comes along.
So now you know part of the story of a brave boy, a brave cat, an angel of mercy and woman whose life has been changed forever them.
(I’m sorry this one isn’t funny. Sometimes life isn’t funny. If you’d like to donate to Phoenix’s mounting medical bills by paypal, (or to help so many other needy cats and dogs) please go to: http://animalalliesoftexas.org/SupportAAT/Donations.aspx?ID=12&MenuID=3& and write “Phoenix” in the comments box. I thank you and Phoenix thanks you.)
Tune in next week for more Confessions of A Cat Writer. Same Cat Time, Same Cat Station.
