The Complicated Ease of Friendship

I've always heard it said that friends are made regardless of gender, race, economic status, religion and even species.  I've seen time and time again the bond between animals that would be the most unlikely of friends.  And now, I see such a darling example in my own  home.

In a prior post, I shared the story of how Cayce came to my home.  Neglected and unloved, this white schnauzer has struggled to find a role in the household antics of several cats.  Not everyone has taken with Cayce and with two of the cats, she is not even tolerated.  But everyone is finding their boundary and special space of places to be within our  home.  They are all learning mutual respect along with the loathing.

With that being said, there is one cat that has taken to Cayce.  The most unlikely of cats within the fold that call my house home.  Miss Liz is primarily the outside cat.  She grew up outside and prefers the solitude of the outdoors to the many paws that reside inside.  Naturally, when the temperatures outside are over 100, we bring Miss Liz inside to enjoy the day sleeping in my climate controlled bedroom.  She has her corner that she curls up in and sleeps the day away.  When we return from work and school at the end of the day, she is eager to get back outside.  We are respectful of the things that make our animals happy after all, their lives are not endless and every day matters, just like us humans.

Yesterday, I was awake early, the sun not yet up.  The morning was cool and the air fresh.  Cayce and I went outside for our morning round of the yard.  She is very engaged in this activity.  I'm not sure what all her nose reads when she sniffs the ground but it is like the never ending novel far too delicious to ever put down.  Our walk around turned into a nice walk around the block. She is quiet and rarely does she bark, so we made our way down streets and sidewalks, our only sound the clicking of her nails on the cement.  It was a nice walk, filled with silence and sounds of the world still sleeping.  We both thoroughly enjoyed it.

In the four weeks Cayce has been here, she and Miss Liz have slowly become friends.  There is a preoccupation with each other, this dog and this cat. They kiss with their noses and feel comfortable with each others company.  Naturally, Cayce will take the playtime too seriously and Miss Liz will  have to bring out the slash as a reminder to Cayce that there is love but even this love has its boundaries, for now.

This morning, leash in hand, we went out for the morning yard walk.  I had entertained the idea of another walk around the block.  I gauge the notion based on what ache or pain is tormenting me when my feet hit the floor.  This morning seemed a green light for the walk but when we went outside, the smell of burned earth and trees filled the air.  The air was humid from the misting rain of yesterday.  Since I know how much was burned and still smolders around my town, I decided there would be a shortened walk beyond our yard.

Cayce and I took off down the street.  Our plan to only walk to the end of the street and then back  home.  Again I heard the small sound of her clicking on the road and she walked like a dog in the biggest dog show of her life, her gait brisk and happy.  I almost felt like I should be doing the half walk run their dog handlers do in those amazing dog shows. We reached the end of the street and made the circle to head back home.  A short long walk is better than no walk.

As we reached the view of my house, I saw Miss Liz sitting at the end of the drive.  When she saw us she came running down the street, a sight that made me panic but there were no cars moving about.  She ran up to us and I picked her up to keep her safe while we were in the street.  Cayce was on a leash and I could make sure she was safe from harm, but Liz was free roaming and being the mother and caretaker of all may children and animals, I decided my arms were the safest place to be.  But Miss Liz wanted nothing of that.  Down she went and walked with us back  home. 

Here I was, walking a dog and a cat before the sun had risen, before the world was stirring and in the bathing light of a soft street light.  A most amazing moment, just the three of us. 

Within my home are many mini families.  Together we make up the tribe.  Even in my home there is the semblance of order and structure.  So it is with all living things.

One Picture, One Moment

Yet another aspect of this horrible fire is the plight of the animals.  Both domestic and wild, its been a survival game for them.  Many did not and we now see buzzards flying low, a sign that there is death in the fields and woods.

Many people were able to get their pets out in time, many were not as fortunate.  So many stories of cats and dogs dying in the houses that burned, their owners away from home and unable to reach them in time.

On the land surrounding downtown are many  farms and ranches.  Cattle, horses and other livestock have had a home very close to My Town and their owners had struggled all summer long, enduring the drought to keep them fed and watered. When the fire appeared last Saturday and people immediately knew this was going to be bad, most had time to get horses and livestock moved and secured.  Unfortunately that was not always the case.  The same with pets that couldn't be caught by owners.  Frightened by the smoke and fire, they did what instinct told them to do, they ran.

People are now finding lost dogs and cats, cattle are roaming as are horses.  With no time to secure them, they were released from fences and allowed to flee the fire as best they could.

I looked through a friend's FB pictures from yesterday and found one that just said it all.  It speaks to many things. The fire, the fear, the displacement, the desperation, the separation, the kindness, the compassion and the single moment of thousands of moments that make up the memories of this fire.

To this officer, I say thank you for taking a moment to just be there with this horse (might be a donkey).  Lost, confused, injured, yet alive.  Somehow alive.  Somehow through that roaring fire and thick smoke, this animal managed to live.  It just looks so tired and lost.  Just like so many of the people of My Town.  The fire affected everyone and everything.

This morning, Day 4, the smoke had settled again on the downtown area.  I still hear helicopters and planes but reports from the air support team indicate that things are looking much much better.  We desperately need much much better.

Do we dare to exhale?

The Unchosen is Chosen

Today is a very big day in our home.  We will be rescuing a dog and bringing her here to our home to hold until we can find a permanent home.

Now, keep in mind this is a cat home.  This is a cat's world.  But today, things will change for a time.  Normally I would not consider this, but my sense of decency has urged me to take the leap of faith that we can absorb this dog for a time.  Best case scenario, she will be a perfect fit and never leave us.  Worst case, she finds the person/family she was meant to have all along.

This decision was not made in haste.  We have waited til the children were older, the cats adjusted and life had a set routine before throwing yet another dependent into the mix.  Dogs are needy but anyone that has ever owned a dog and loved a dog can understand the great contribution they make to our worlds.  I love my cats but I do miss the love of a dog.  My cats are special but so is the companionship of a good dog and in my eyes, there are no bad dogs, just bad owners. Learning of Cayce's story was enough for us to agree, now was the time to try.

Blogworld, allow me to tell you about Cayce.

Cayce is a 6 yr old white schnauzer that has lived her entire life locked in a crate. She is only out to go to the bathroom in the evening, the rest of the time her crate has been her bathroom and her world.  She has been denied love and interaction with humans other than the observations she can make from inside the crate.  She has not been groomed or cared for. Her very existence has been ignored save for food and water.  Cayce has not yet begun to live.  That will all change today.

Cayce will be ours for as long as we can have her.  We will socialize her and love her and treat her the way she should have been treated all along.  Today begins Cayce's second life.  Today everything changes.

I've thought about this day.  I thought about Cayce thinking that today, the world will once again only be the crate.  Hopefully, her current owner will have the good sense to clean her up and get her ready for a departure.  That may be too much to ask from someone who has failed to demonstrate anything even remotely close to that in the past 6 yrs.

The countdown to Cayce's arrival is now 2 hours.  The house is busy making last minute adjustments for this new addition. We are all excited and the cats have no clue what is about to happen.

Sasha is sleeping on my bed as usual, the other cats have found quiet places to rest as well. Miss Liz is sleeping outside oblivious to the intrusion that is about to befall her and the others.  They have no idea and there is no way to properly prepare them.  Most have absolutely no history with an animal of the canine persuasion   Won't this be interesting?

Jamie just made a trip to the pet store to secure a harness and leash, food and other items our new pooch will need.  Its all coming together.  Next stop at noon to free Cayce.  The clock is ticking and the anticipation growing.


Update

Cayce is here!  The sweetest dog you could ever know.  Her appearance leaves much to be desired and her neglect is more than apparent.  Her beautiful white hair is stained from too long in a dirty crate.  She has sores on her from too much time in a filthy crate.  She needs time to heal both inside and out.  She has only barked once.

She spent time getting to know all of us and one cat so far.  Her legs are weak from inactivity but she is alert and eager to be part of our family.  She looks so incredibly happy.  So incredibly free!

Welcome Cayce!

Four AM and the Four of Four

It was 4am but I didn't know it at the time. My bedroom dark and I was sleeping soundly. My perfect rest was disturbed by a tiny sound, a tiny meow. As I tried to stay in that perfect sleeping place, that place where I am not me and not in this body of mine, where my spirit gets to roam where ever it wants, that tiny meow continued. Meow, meow, meow.

Now, I have several cats and not unlike my children, I know the sound, the feel and even the purr of each. I can pet one in the dark and know which is which. Sasha, my little bed buddy is soft, like 1600 thread count sheets soft. She is usually on my bed and she sleeps for 23 out of 24 hours each day. She is a big tall cat and she knows it. Sasha has never taken a good picture and could care less. No one speaks kindly of Sasha but I love her for her bad attitude and consistency.  I will see if I can find a flattering picture of Sash, but I doubt one exists.

Baby Kahn, my Bengal, is my old man. Smaller and thinner than the mighty Sasha, he is my billy badass. You have to be careful when playing with him as his claws are more like a wild animal than a cat. He is also very loving but thinks he is in charge of his world. BK is the welcome wagon to anyone that enters the house be it human or animal and has a wonderful disposition. Baby Kahn and Sasha are best friends. They are the original two and serve as the monarchy of the herd.

Baby Kahn

Derby is simple. Derby lays on your shoes and loves to have his stomach scratched. Derby found his way to us from an animal shelter. His mousy face complete with pointy nose heads a body that is small and compact. He is my do no evil cat. His love is simple and pure, just like him.

Derby

Pepper came to us on his way to the shelter. A neighbor and fellow cat person had agreed to take him so he would not end up homeless and without a family waiting for death in a shelter. He was with us until the neighbor got home from work. Pepper never made it to the neighbor and quickly became part of my herd. A soft black coat with a little bit of white on his face and paws, Pepper was declawed when he came to us. I'd never seen a declawed cat before until Pepper came along. Its obvious that its not a simple procedure and people should remember that it is an amputation. Pepper has no defense and as a result, when involved in a dispute with a cat family member, he is one loud and noisy cat. What he lacks in slash, he makes up for with volume. He has become good friends with Derby but being younger than the Derbimeister, he is full of play and spends most of his time ambushing Derby from one place or another.

Pepper

Within my home there is a balance as far as the cats go and an order to things. Sasha stays in my room 99% of the time and only leaves to terrorize Pepper. She is only awake an hour a day but really tries to make it a full hour. Baby Kahn goes anywhere he pleases but doesn't really like to spend time near Pepper. Pepper has the kitchen and hallway patrol. Derby has another room but can freely enter my room if he can get past Pepper's ninja style attacks. There is order and it works and slowly Pepper, the new kid on the block without the cool song to make him popular, is being tolerated if not accepted.

Then there is little Liz. Liz has a long story with us but for the sake of time and relevance, lets just say that she was once a stray that became our outside cat. When the weather is too cold or too hot, she comes in the house, into my room and sleeps in the very chair in which I am currently seated. She is a good little cat that prefers the life of freedom to the many feline faces in my home. I'm respectful of that.

Miss Liz

The tiny meow I heard, the little call that jostled me from my slumber, was Liz. Meow, Meow, Meow. So tiny and sweet. I knew it was her before I ever turned on a light. My brain was struggling to validate what I knew to be a truth. Liz is never in at night unless its too cold. In the heat and drought of this year there was no chance it was cold. So what was she doing in the house? What time was it? Whats going on?

I got out of bed and from the soft light in the hallway I could see Lizzie actively moving in front of me. Still groggy from my spirit travels while sleeping, I said "come on Liz" and proceeded to the back door. How in the world did she get in? As I turned to see the back door, my fear was realized. There sat the back door, open. Unlocked.

I let Liz back outside and noticed Pepper sitting at the edge of the porch so I hustled him back inside. He growled at Liz and she hissed at him as they passed. Now I'm waking up fast. Priorities first, where are my cats. I saw Derby posted on a pair of shoes and I had just brought in the Pepster, two of four accounted for.

I came to my bedroom and turned on the light. Sasha and Baby Kahn were laying on my bed looking at me. Four of four safe and sound. Lizzie outside. I looked at the clock on the wall. Four o'clock in the morning, my Lord and I wanted to sleep in today after traveling yesterday.

Now I turned my attention to the door. How did this happen? How is it that in the middle of the night, my back door is open and how long had it been that way.

I checked the beds, everyone was asleep. I knew if the back door had been opened long, BK would have been outside. He has tried his whole life to escape and live the dream but I love him too much to make him that happy. So it hadn't been too long that the door was open. I checked the house to make sure I was the only human awake in it that actually belonged and then summoned up some courage and walked out the back door.

Normally there are the sounds of the night at 4 am. As I exited the back door, I was greeted with silence. There was a thickness to the night air. The silence was uncomfortable and I proceeded slowly and cautiously. I checked the screen door to the porch and it was locked. If anyone had entered, it would not be secured. I have learned to listen to my senses and that uncomfortable feeling so I headed back in the house and checked all cats and sleeping people again. Everything was fine.

It is almost 6am now and there is still that silence outside. I don't like it and I will be glad when the world wakes up just a little. It seems to be slumbering a bit too hard and a bit too deeply for some odd reason. Since I adhere to the rule that everything happens for a reason, I'm waiting to see why it was so important that I be awake at 4am.