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| Ebbie Having a Peaceful Moment |
I have to tell you Ebbie's story so you know how close she and I are. Twelve years ago, the week before Christmas and a few days before my birthday, I picked up an advance reading copy of one of my novels from a friend whose family had a farm and I saw Ebbie. My husband picked her up and I looked into her eyes and I felt...something deep. I'd lost my mom a few years before and was still having a hard time. We had a cat at home who was suffering with hypothyroidism and required a lot of care. Ebbie--though she didn't have that name yet--was about 8-10 weeks old...and sick. I found it hard to leave the farm that day. It snowed that night and all I could think about was that little black cat.
There are times when your heart won't take "no" for an answer. This was one of those times. I decided I'd keep Ebbie in an upstairs bedroom for as long as I had to. Two days later, I picked her up at the farm and took her to the veterinarian. I spent most of my days and nights with her, holding her, massaging her sinuses so she could breathe and generally visualizing her well again. She had a cough along with the rest and no meow to speak of. Right away she came when I called, even to take her medicine. After two courses of antibiotics, she still wasn't "well," so I took her to a holistic vet and put her on a special diet. The cough and cold went away and her coat became thick and shiny. She was my constant companion. After we had to have our other cat put to sleep, Ebbie never left my side. I have fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis. On the days when the pain was the worst, she was right there in tune with what was going on, giving comfort when she could. A few months later, we adopted Ebbie's half sister--London--so she'd have a playmate.
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| London -- Ebbie's Half Sister |
All those years ago, Ebbie was a special birthday and Christmas present who I'm grateful for every day. She's affectionate, loving and sweet. When we adopted Zoie this summer, I was worried about Ebbie most of all because the virus she had when we brought her home was recessive and could reappear with stress. Zoie has been a definite stress for her. But...
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| A Stressful Moment For Ebbie--Compliments of Zoie! |
Who says older cats can't accept change?
More next week about how far Zoie and Ebbie have come and the joy Zoie, Ebbie and London bring us.
©2012 Karen Rose Smith
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I just know those adorable kitties have some stories to tell.
ReplyDeleteAngela--If they could only talk!
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