Sometimes I hesitate to tell
strangers how many pets I have in my home. If you have a large pack,
uninitiated people equate you with a crazy hoarder which is nonsense. Some
people can only handle providing love and companionship to one cat or dog at a
time. But, in my world, there is always one more refugee who needs a forever
home. This was especially true before my relationship with Planned Pethood and
its adoption network. It seems like I just completed my tribute to my cat
Norman. And, now I have lost Joan so soon after. Each and every one of my
animal kids is special and it breaks my heart when I have to say good bye.
Joan has appeared in my previous
blogs but she is about to star in this one. I got a call from one of my
students as we were preparing to return for another school year fourteen years
ago. Ashley was in a panic about a litter of neglected kittens. She came from a
tough neighborhood and a woman on her block allowed her cat to have kittens but
would not permit them in the house. To the day she died, Joan had zero interest
in going outside, period. Ashley knew the kittens would die in the elements
that coming winter. You know the drill. I told her to gather them up and bring
them to school. The next day she arrived with a laundry basket containing 5
kittens. Thankfully, we had an understanding and cat-loving principal. We were
fortunate to find great, safe and caring, adult homes for all the kittens
except one…
All kittens are cute and this litter
of tiny grey tigers was nothing short of adorable. Joanie, however, was kind of generic, no
accents or interesting markings. But I devised a plan for her. My
semi-significant other, Bob, had a cat named Betty. I am a firm believer in the
ark philosophy that every home should contain TWO of everything. And, somehow I
convinced Bob that he and Joan were destined to be together. That is how she
got her name. I am a huge fan of Bette Davis so the name of her archenemy, Joan
Crawford, was the logical choice. Bob resisted this initially since he was a
single 40 something man with 2 cats named Bette and Joan but he eventually
relented. But things didn’t exactly go as planned. You can take the girl out of
the hood but can’t take the hood out of the girl. Joan was waaaaaaay too much
for both Bob and Betty to handle so off she goes…
Joan the wild child had one final
stop. She had plenty of playmates and activity at my house but more
importantly, she found her new mom, Lucy. Lucille was a gentle, amazing yellow
lab who was rescued from some pretty awful conditions herself. She adopted Joan
as her child. She nurtured her by snuggling and cleaning her. She tolerated any
play behavior the maniacal little sprite could invent. They became inseparable. It was touching to witness such an incredible,
unshakable bond.
After we lost Lucy, Joan became the
cat ambassador to each and every PPI foster dog we have hosted. She always was
more comfortable around dogs than the other cats in our home. When she would
snuggle up, the dogs would look at her, like, really? None of them fazed her.
What a great way to blend a new dog into our world, not to mention making the
dog a more well-rounded companion. And I can’t remember any of them expressing
hostility or fear toward her.
Joan was very personable around humans too,
never shy or antisocial. Whenever company arrived, she would unceremoniously
plop in their laps. She remained high energy through her middle age years. Her
favorite playmate was my sister’s boyfriend, Mark. They would play and wrestle
and Mark always came out on the losing end of the bargain, a little worse for
wear and a little nicked up. Joanie made a beeline as soon as she saw him for a
little gladiator action.
Joanie developed hyperthyroidism when
she became a senior which is not unusual in older cats. We applied her meds by
rubbing a special cream on her ears twice a day which did the trick. She had
just had blood work and a check up before I went on a short vacation. She
checked out A-o.k. But while I was gone, Bob called and said she was vomiting.
When I got home, she refused to eat. That is when I knew things were going
haywire. Joan always lined up first for the opening of a can of cat food. In
the meantime, I found a tooth she had lost. So I figured she had an infection
from that, and our vet Dr. Bart, would give her some fluids and meds and send
us on our way. It was sadly much more serious than that. Doc said the problem
was neurological, probably a brain tumor and the best solution was to put her
down. I was blind-sided, stunned really. I knew it was best but still so
difficult, another heartache. The only thing that brought a smile was the
picture of Joanie and Lucy reunited, their bond which had been temporarily
broken, now cemented forever.
--Judy S
