HOMER'S ODYSSEY

I have been reading the most fascinating, charming book. NPR thought the same and devoted an entire program to it. The full title is: "Homer's odyssey, a fearless feline tale, or how I learned about love and life with a blind cat." The author, a writer, was asked by a shelter she had dealt with to come see a handicapped cat. Since she already had two healthy, lively ones, she thought what would I do with another who couldn't move or defend himself? When she spoke with the vet, it was explained that the 3 week old black kitten had been brought in, eyes still shut, with obviously severe optic infections. Taking pity on him, it was decided to perform the surgery to remove the eyes to save his life. (Remember, the cat had never "seen" since it's infant eyes had never opened.) Gwen Cooper described her first sight of him as daunting, to say the least, since he had a huge cone, or lampshade, device around his tiny head to prevent him from clawing at the two x stiches on the lids. What instantly bonded her to him was the fact that he immediately started purring and snuggling, and that surprisingly his face did have a lot of expression to it since the muscles around the eyes were still functioning. Once home, the author had to plan how to introduce the kitten to his new surroundings. She hit upon a series of steps, which she still follows if they move or are visiting. First, place the litter box and let him orient from that; then food and water, toys, etc. It is commonly known that people deprived of one sense overcompensate with others. Indeed Homer has extraorinarily acute smell, touch-whiskers- and memory of what is where, e.g. furniture. (He will sometimes circle the walls first). The only thing she must never do is MOVE anything. In the NPR interview she said if she had left her slippers out and he tripped on them, for days he'd avoid that area of her bedroom.....The great lesson of this fabulous tale is that facing life's challenges with little fear is daunting, but a hurdle we must not be afraid to confront. having Homer around as a fabulous example must be pure delight!
Final note: Friends had urged the author to name him Sammy (after Sammy Davis), or Ray (after Ray Charles). It just came to her one day to name him after the blind poet who wrote so beautifully about life's voyage (The Odyssey), from which she quotes frequently.

PANDA-MONIUM!

It's time to power up those panda cam screens once again. The San Diego Zoo is home to a 9 day old little squeaker. It will be a while before zoo veterinarians will be able to determine the sex since the mother and infant are kept in strict isolation to help insure their healthy bonding. Bai Yun seems to be devoted to her offspring, and every hope is that all will go well because this is her fifth offspring. When you zoom in on the den, you usually see Bai in a ball, presumably the baby is between her great black paws. In this posture, she resembles the great Yin and Yang Chinese symbol. Patience, and returning often to the screen, will reward you with glimpses of the teeny one and Mom's gentle re-positioning for more comfort. As time goes by, we'll have more opportunities to peek at the teeny pink bear. Other zoos such as those in Atlanta and Washington DC have been generous in providing cams in the past. Unfortunately, neither had good luck being home to a cub this year. We all wish our local zoos could have a panda, but China requires over a million dollars to have them on loan, and only the largest insitutions can be so fortunate. So, take a trip to one of these great cities and fall in love with these fabulous creatures, as the rest of us have!

Desperate House---cats and dogs.....

I was emailing a friend this summer, and he mentioned that this would probably be the last he spent with his best friend, his Lab, Chip. What to say when you know pain lies ahead, but want to make the next few months the best you can for both of you? So many people speak to me about making that dreaded decision, as I wrote in some detail in "Little Bee , RIP". (Best advice is to share all your feelings with sympathetic friends.) ....... However a new wrinkle has come up. Recently, the husband of a new foster mom said he couldn't stand letting their visiting cat go to his forever home, he'd gotten too attached after only two months. Now, this is a painful dilemma faced by all foster care givers. The whole point of our work is to provide a caring home where animals' social skills can develop in order for them to MOVE ON to their forever home. If we can't detach well, the system breaks down. Now, to be honest, a lot of us do keep animals that for one reason or another we can't bear to part with. (My tortie, Emma, was so sick for so long, that after bottle-feeiding her for weeks, I simply couldn't get her out of my pocket!). ......However, if we don't prepare ourselves to absorb those twinges of loss, we either become hoarders, or give up rescue altogther-both bad prospects. So.....in this time of great need, I urge anyone interested to realize that your pain of loss bears no resemblance to the ache animals feel left in cages at shelters for months, most likely to be euthanized in the end. We must get them ALL out!!! Join foster care groups. It's a labor of love.