My kitty cat Jasmine, a princess in my mind, has a dramatic story worth sharing, and who better than me to tell it?
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| This is how I imagine Jasmine as a kitten |
As
a kitten, like all kittens, Jasmine was cute and cuddly. A nice family
found her abandoned by a feral mother and adopted her. They called her
Jasmine because of the yellow in her calico coat. They had a house with
children, and a big guard dog. Jasmine was allowed outside and had a
very independent life.
Curiously,
without a mother, or another cat in the house to teach her how cats
behaved, Jasmine never learned to play like a cat. Instead, she learned
manners from the big guard dog. So, when a stranger approached the
house, she growled warnings and thought it was her job to protect the
house and its occupants.
At
five months, before learning to be a cat, Jasmine became pregnant. Like
all expecting mothers, she was very protective of her future litter.
So, when the big guard dog challenged her, she faced him, hissing and
growling, like a dog ready to fight. The big dog did not understand that
she was protecting the little ones in her belly, so he stood his
ground.
Jasmine
attacked. Unfortunately, the five-months-old kitten was no match for
the big guard dog. The dog caught her small head in his powerful jaw,
clamped down, and shook the kitten like a rag doll.
The
family ran to her help, but by the time they calmed the dog and
convinced him to release his prey, poor little Jasmine lay there, inert,
bleeding, unconscious. They rushed the kitten to the vet and left it
there, saying, even if Jasmine survived her ghastly wounds, they could
not take her back, because their guard dog had tasted her blood. It
would be too dangerous for the kitten to return.
Upon
examination, the vet discovered that the dog's fangs had pierced
through the kitten's head, perforating sinus and bones. Jasmine needed
extensive surgery, and there was no guarantee at all that she would
survive. But the vet loved animals and suspected Jasmine had a strong
will to live. So he took it upon himself to perform the first surgery...
then the second... then the third. The unborn kittens did not survive,
and the vet neutered Jasmine.
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| Geisha. Rest in Peace |
That
spring of 2007, I had lost my little companion of seventeen years, a
mixed Siamese cat named Geisha. It took me months to finally decide to
adopt a new kitty who needed a good home.
In
September of 2007, After months in recovery, Jasmine was back among the
living and up for adoption through HALO, a no-kill shelter. Among the
kittens in the cages at PetSmart adoption center, she was the largest
cat. Now nine months old, she was much older than the cute little fur
balls playing with each other. She did not play, and despite her regal
posturing, she had the serious look of those who have suffered.
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| Jasmine at nine months, when I adopted her |
When
I read the paper stuck to her cage, detailing her health history, my
heart broke. She'd been up for adoption for a while without luck, and as
a result, she was on sale. I took it as a sign that we were meant to
be. So, I adopted Jasmine, and brought her home.
 |
| Jasmine quickly grew up to be a big cat |
Because
of her pierced sinuses, she doesn't purr loudly like a regular cat. Her
purr is imperceptible, but I know when she purrs. And she is
susceptible to sniffles. Imagine my surprise when a writer friend came
to the front door to attend my critique group, and the young cat started
to growl low in her throat, like a dog.
Since
Jasmine had lost her unborn babies, I thought maybe a kitten would keep
her company, and she might enjoy playing with it and caring for it.
When another writer friend of mine had a litter, I adopted a cute little
tuxedo cat. Unfortunately, Jasmine did not like other cats, not even
kittens. She wanted me all to herself. So she spent more and more time
outside, where she watched the other cats in the neighborhood. When the
new kitten played with the toys, she always watched from the upstairs
landing, but never participated in the game.
As
always, life interfered. Eventually, I left my house (and my husband),
and I took Jasmine with me to live in a small apartment. She is now ten
years old, and has become a plump cat. Some would call her fat, but my
friends call her well-fed. She loooves her tuna. I taught her to play,
but she still prefers watching me play with her toys. She also enjoys
watching the outside world from her ivory tower on the patio of my third
floor apartment.
She
needs lots of cuddles and she is getting them. She has what she always
wanted, me, all to herself. She is the most loving companion I could
ever wish for. I hope we enjoy many more years together.
My
love of cats transpires in my books. Except for my medieval series,
there is a cat in most of my stories. Check them out. Here is the cat in
my upcoming summer release, Angel Mine, it's a genetically engineered
puma with incredible abilities. Her name is Sheba and she is a bounty
hunter companion.
Vijaya Schartz
Romance with a Kick
http://www.vijayaschartz.com
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