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Helper
Cat
In
a section of woods near our home lives a charming group of cats.
We got to know
about them as we served them dinner every night.
Some cats only showed up once or twice, stopping by on their travels for a meal. We tried to pick up and place as many as we could in good homes, but they weren't easy to catch. Usually you could count on the three full-grown cats, plus the new kittens, who would be waiting at exactly 4:30 for dinner service. There was never any fighting, scratching or yowling. They were most polite, even making room for a stranger who smelled the tempting chow while traveling through. Watching these cats everyday we learned of the special role one little black cat played in the family, especially related to the new kittens. |
 There
were two groups of kittens that appeared out of nowhere during the year.
They would show up suddenly (very hungry and excited to see the outside
world), when Mommie cat (or Honey, the other mommie) thought they were
big enough to come out of the safe place they had made for them in the
woods. |
And then there
was Helper Cat, a most unusual little black cat with a white spot under
his chin. He was certainly over a year old, and small for an adult
cat. However, there was something about him that set him apart, and
caused us to name him Helper. Although he only had one good eye, it was
enough to keep him aware of everything. His self-imposed duty was
to see that every kitten ate a good dinner. He could always
be counted on to
greet you halfway, leading you to the feeding area. Then he would sit by
the kittens while they ate, not eating until they were finished.
Helper Cat was most unique. Though grown, he was still living with the mommies and kittens. He did more, however, than just supervise the kitten's dinner. It was also his job to protect the kittens and see that they were safe. At times the mommie cats and kittens would wander off, and the patch of woods would be deserted, all except for little Helper Cat, who seemed to be protecting the territory. Sometimes, if the weather was nice, you would see him napping under a tree near the clearing. If it was misty, you could hardly make him out. But if you looked too close and woke him up, he would greet you with a big stretch and many pleasant meows. |
On occasion, when the mommies and kittens went off, one little kitten would
get left behind. And so one day a tiny gray one was all alone. He
was crying, little squeaky sounds coming from an overgrowth of weeds and
grasses. Helper Cat heard it too, and found him, bringing him into
the clearing. Little gray kitten rubbed against him, purring loudly.
When we saw them later on, Helper Cat and the kitten were napping close
together on a pile of old, crunchy leaves.
The sun was bright and strong for November and the day was unseasonably warm, not giving any hint of the coming cold weather. But like most animals, wild or domestic, each day is taken as it comes without concern of what the next may hold. |
Most of December still stayed pleasant.
A few days of rain, but no  snow.
Then the cold weather suddenly moved in. Not just chilly, but a freezing
hard cold that turned harmless puddles into hard sheets of ice. The
sun tried, but couldn't help. Its warmth seemed to disappear with
each gust of freezing wind. Snow covered most of the terrain, and
what wasn't covered with snow was frozen solid. We braved the now
treacherous ground to bring them dinner. The two cat families came out
from wherever they were taking shelter, dry and hungry. Everyone
that is, but Helper Cat and a very tiny orange kitten we had named Ginger. |
| After two weeks
of brutal cold weather, so cold it seemed that anything living outside
wouldn't survive, the temperature began to rise. At first, the hard
ice didn't budge, as solid as an iceberg which even a direct beam of sunlight
at noon couldn't dissolve. Then a trickle of water appeared and then another.
But there was still no Helper Cat. Soon the snow and ice had
dissolved into little rivers that flowed down the walkways.
One day during the meltdown we noticed faint little wet kitty footprints at our door. We followed them to the clearing in the  woods.
There was Helper Cat sitting under a tree on a patch of wet leaves looking
rather sad and helpless. He didn't seem to hear a barking dog and
a group of very loud honking geese nearby. The little gray kitten
was close beside, as if to comfort him. He seemed glad to see us. |
|
Helper Cat was never very big, and now he was half his former size. He
tried to talk to us, we saw his mouth open but no sound came out.
And then he sneezed. He tried to stand up, but his hind legs were
wobbly and weak. His ribs were sticking out and his legs were just wet
fur and bones. His good eye was tearing. However, he was hungry,
and ate two full cans of cat food in between sneezes. We felt sad
to see him in this condition, but realized he had probably been searching
for Ginger. Despite his efforts, little Ginger seemed to have vanished.
We knew he needed care, and wondered how we could get him to a veterinarian. When he saw the cat carrier he became alarmed. Showing a remarkable amount of energy for his weakened condition, he evaded us, moving to a snow bank out of reach to rest again. We started to walk back, but surprisingly enough he followed us, talking a bit in a hoarse little meow, as if he was telling us about his adventures as he searched for Ginger. We knew he felt bad, and we did too. It was difficult for him to walk, as he was considerably off balance. We were happy he realized that we wanted to help him. "Even if you didn't find Ginger, you tried your best," we said. "Now you need help, little Helper Cat." He seemed to agree, and went into the carrier. The veterinarian examined him, "It's a miracle he's still alive," she said. He was weak and dehydrated and had a terrible cold, and was admitted to the hospital. They put an IV tube put in his skinny little leg to get fluids and antibiotics. Once the solver of problems and protector of kittens, he now seemed so small and helpless in his little cage. 
We went to visit him every day and brought him cans of salmon and whitefish that he liked. By the third day he could sit up and talk a bit, and on day four he was even complaining. On his fifth day at the hospital, the doctor said he was well enough to leave and start recuperating at home. He still needs lots of rest and care, but we know that one day he'll be back to his old happy self again. We wonder if he'll want to stay with us, or go back to his family in the woods where he had the best of times and the worst of times. |
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