The Three Cat-Ateers - How Three Shelter Animals Came to Find Love and Each Other
Chessie was tense and frightened from the first moment I saw her. My son’s girlfriend had decided that since she didn’t have money to buy him a Christmas gift, a New York shelter kitty would do.
At four months-or-so old, Chessie was a classic female tabby who reportedly had been abused by her previous owner. The crook in her tail told a little about her abuse; her absolute terror at the sight or sound of anyone and everyone told more. The slightest noise sent her running, most especially the sound of male voices and heavy shoes and the rattling of newspapers and plastic bags.
Because my son had work and school-and a girlfriend-to attend to, Chessie was given over to my care. Slowly, over a period of time, she came to trust me and allow me to hold and love her. Other people, though, continued to send her scurrying, usually to hide inside my bed’s spring which she accessed through the now-shredded outer covering.
Enter C.B., a quiet little cat, full of curiosity-the Connecticut Humane Society told me she was about two years old, but I guessed closer to 18 months. C.B., another tabby, was interested in everyone and everything. She liked to be held and cuddled and rarely spoke-a meek squeak if at all. The two cats got along all right, somewhere between tolerating each other and mild acceptance. We questioned where she came from, how she found her way to the shelter. She was so loving and well-behaved that we imagined she must have come from a home where she was loved and where the family must have been forced by circumstances to give her up. Otherwise, we wondered, why was she placed into a shelter?
Following the death of my mother, circumstances dictated that I move to Virginia, and there my apartment would permit me to keep only one cat. My sister and her shelter dog, Sasha, lived close by, and she agreed to adopt one of my cats. I chose to send C.B. to her as I believed Chessie would have more difficulty making such a major change.
My sister had adopted two-year-old Sasha nine years previously from the Norfolk (Va.) SPCA. Sasha had a shocking history of abuse and neglect, suffering from sarcoptic mange on her head and on both ears. She didn’t know how to play and was not house-trained. Shortly after her adoption, this eight-pound toy poodle/miniature schnauzer mix developed a severe respiratory infection and the veterinarian declared her too weak for spaying. The infection hung on and two veterinarians gently suggested she be put to sleep.
Not to be deterred, my sister was determined to save Sasha. With constant love and caring, she carried Sasha around in her arms, all the while giving reassuring messages to the dog no one else wanted. My sister was determined to give Sasha a home and a life where she would have no worries and no cares and would never again be afraid.
Then C.B. arrived.
All Sasha knew of cats was that they were “outside” animals who needed to hear a bark now and then to remind them whose yard this really was. I wondered how she would accept an “inside” cat intruding into her home space and how C.B. would respond to this shaggy black non-cat who quickly charmed her way into everyone’s heart.
Arriving in a carrier, C.B. quickly decided there was no reason to remain there. We had placed her carrier in a bedroom and within 15 minutes of arriving, C.B. made her way to the living room where she came face to face with Sasha. A quick woof and a kitty paw in the air and there was a stalemate. Clearly there was no winner; there was no loser. Each held her own and watched and considered the other until, within days, C.B. began following Sasha around and lying very close-not touching, but very close. Within months, the two of them started sharing Sasha’s blue blanket and soon thereafter they began touching noses gently together, kissing. They were best friends. C.B. now had a dog and Sasha had a cat.
Meanwhile, things in my life had become such that my sister encouraged me to move in with her and Sasha and C.B., and I was to bring Chessie along, too.
Now, I was really worried about that. C.B. and Sasha had established a good relationship with each other, and I didn’t want to upset that. Chessie was still very frightened of strange people, strange sounds, strange everything, I questioned whether the move would be good for anyone.
When we arrived at my sister’s house, I placed Chessie in her carrier in a bedroom as I had done with C.B. and opened the carrier door. I sat and talked with her for awhile and then went into the living room to be with my sister and Sasha and C.B. I expected it to be days, maybe weeks, before-or even if-Chessie would venture to join us.
Within a couple of hours, we spotted Chessie walking slowing, gingerly, carefully down the long hall from the bedroom to the living room. Once there, she walked behind furniture until she spotted a tall display case that offered a safe vantage point to observe her new surroundings. There were a couple of leafy potted plants to provide cover. A quick leap and she was “safe”.
For months, with the exception of trips to the litter box and trips onto a kitchen bakers-rack-turned-plant-stand which she had decided was a safe place to eat her meals, Chessie sat on the display case and watched closely-very closely-every move, every action, every behavior exhibited by her two new friends, Sasha and C.B. She stared intently, her head moving almost imperceptibly to follow them, and her eyes dilating or constricting, depending on the action. We could almost see her “thinking and considering” her options. When Chessie was lower to the ground, Sasha’s sudden movement or a look her way often occasioned a hiss and a paw slap. Watch out! Chessie was intrigued, but cautious, and she still did not approach Sasha.
Generally, at night, Sasha slept in my sister’s bedroom, leaving her crate in the living room empty. One night as I was watching television, I saw Chessie come down from the display case and slowly approach the crate. I saw her trembling as she moved toward the crate, but she was determined to see and smell the crate up close and she kept going. To get a sniff of Sasha.
My sister is particularly good when talking to our animals. She talks to them much the way you would talk to a young child, not in a baby-talk way, but in a soothing, calming, and encouraging manner. She repeats the same words over and over again, in the same tone, to call them to eat, for example. When we have a thunderstorm and the cats become frightened, she speaks to them gently and eases their fears. During those months that Chessie sat on the display case, my sister often reassured Chessie that things were okay, things were fine, that she was safe.
Now, nearly three years after Chessie joined her two shelter sisters, things are going well. Chessie and C.B. often play together, running the length of the hall, first one way and then the other. They sniff each other and Sasha, and wait patiently together to be fed. They take turns watching birds through the glass front door, Chessie and C.B. or C.B. and Sasha.
I still catch Chessie watching Sasha, still trying to figure out this funny-looking “cat”. Chessie and Sasha sniff each other, wanting and still trying to get to know each other. They may never be as close as C.B. and Sasha, but that they care so much for each other already is wonderful. And the amazing thing is that they did it all themselves. We permitted them to progress to this point using their own strengths, neither pushing them beyond their abilities, nor inhibiting their innate curiosity and sociability. They are extraordinary animals.
Not every instance of integrating new animals in with old goes as well or as smoothly as our experience. Our three animals each had their own histories and backgrounds, what some people refer to as “baggage”. For whatever reason-and with our determination to allow them to come to a common ground on their own strengths-our three girls were able to resolve their differences and have become fast friends.
For those planning to adopt a new animal when they already have an animal, Rachel Demanchick, Adoption Center Supervisor of the Norfolk (Va.) SPCA suggests the following:
If you are bringing a cat into a dog household, leave the cat alone in a room with food, fresh water, toys, and access to a litter box. Spend some time with the cat, initially and intermittently, talking and encouraging her. She will explore the space and will come out to other areas at her own pace.
If you’re bringing a dog into a situation where there are already-established cats, introduce the dog on a leash. Cats can take a longer time to adapt to new animals in their environment, so allow the introduction to proceed slowly. Speak to the animals in a calm soothing voice, using both their names. Praise both animals when they are around each other without conflict.
Animals sense your emotions and it’s important that you act with authority and confidence. Don’t shower all your love and attention on the new animal. The older resident animal does need to know he or she is not being replaced in your affections. Get your new puppy enrolled in puppy classes right away.
A cat’s first reaction to a new situation is likely to be to hiss and/or to run. This is normal and is not a cause for alarm. If the cat swats the dog on the nose, don’t punish the cat. Sometimes one swat is all it takes to establish the ground rules. If the dog responds aggressively with barking or growling, distract him or her with a toy.
The cat must have a place of safety that the dog cannot access. In Chessie’s case, she had the top of the display case. This may mean using a baby gate or a small cat door to a room. This allows the animal a safe space in which to cool off.
Make a “bed” out of a towel for the cat to sleep on. Once she has slept on it, remove it and replace it with another. Bring the “used” towel out for the dog to smell and get used to the cat’s scent. Likewise, place a towel or other items in the dog’s usual sleeping area and later take that into the cat’s area to permit a stress-free way to familiarize the cat with the scent of the dog.
With some planning you can successfully bring together pets from wildly-disparate backgrounds. You will save an animal’s life and will be helping-one animal at a time-to bring an end to America’s homeless animal problem.
Deborah Clark Ebel is a registered psychiatric nurse and the author of The Forgotten Future: Adolescents in Crisis.
http://www.debebel.com
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The Story of a Cat and a Robot Which Ended in Tragedy For All
Marianne loved her cat more than anything else in the world. After her divorce her cat was all she had to show for her 15 years of love and devotion to her husband who ran off with a younger woman. Well, her cat and also her beautiful home on the cliffs overlooking the California coast and beach below.
Although she was in her early 40s, she was still very beautiful, tone, and took care of herself. It was far too soon to start dating again, and so she stayed home all day, did her exercises, her art, watched her favorite television shows, and snuggled up with her cat, which her husband had named “Theodore” and her cat seemed to like the name, and she didn’t have the heart to change it.
It was that time of year again, Theodore was shedding fur ever so slightly, and Marianne was cleaning the hair off the sofa in the living room with a brush. The cat loved to play when she did that, attacking her hand and the brush, but she hadn’t trimmed his claws lately, so she put the cat outside on the beautiful redwood patio which extended from the back of our house over the cliff, where it was on stilts.
The cat’s favorite play toy was actually a robotic vacuum cleaner, and so she put the robotic vacuum cleaner out with the cat knowing that it couldn’t fall off the patio to the rocks hundreds of feet below, because her husband had installed a kickboard which was a good six or 8 inches high around the perimeter. The house was absolutely gorgeous and it had been in a couple of designer magazines and even Architectural Digest Magazine many years the prior.
The cat just looked at her funny when she put him outside because she always went out there with him, when she read a book or sunbathed. Theodore stood at the sliding glass door for a few moments watching her on the couch brushing the hair. The robotic vacuum was busy going back and forth, and Theodore wasn’t that interested in playing with it at first.
But eventually, her cat started to chase around, stalk it, and then pounce. Once Marianne was completed brushing the couch, she poured herself some iced tea and went over to the window to watch her cat play with his favorite robot toy. Theodore looked up and saw her standing in the glass, and wasn’t paying attention as the vacuum cleaner zoomed toward him.
At the last minute, when it touched one of his front paws, he jumped up, and backwards right in between two of the upright redwood columns holding the railing and over the edge he fell. Marianne started screaming, she didn’t know what to do, there was no way to go down to the rocks below without hiking a good half a mile around where there was a little trail to get to where Theodore was lying on the rocks below.
She didn’t know if he was alive or dead, but nothing could survive that long of a drop. When she finally did reach Theodore her worst fears were confirmed. There was nothing she could do, she was so angry when she got back up to her house she picked up the robotic vacuum cleaner which was still bouncing around the patio and she hurled it off the patio as far she could throw it and watched it crash on the rocks below breaking into 1000 pieces.
Her friend and confidante next door gave her the phone number of an attorney that specialized in high-tech in Silicon Valley. Her friend convinced her to talk to him about suing the robotic manufacture. It turns out that this high-tech attorney was looking for a case where a robot had seriously maimed, or killed a human. The attorney was hoping to cash in on the future of robotics in America, and file a large class-action “finished products liability” claim. Marianne was just what he needed, and being an innovative attorney himself he was figuring out how he could position himself to ride the future wave of robotic artificially intelligent androids and establish new case law putting himself at the forefront.
Marianne was not so sure about this, as she was still sick that she lost her cat. Theodore was all she had left, and now he was gone, she didn’t really want to sue for money, she didn’t really know what she wanted, no amount of money would be bring Theodore back. The attorney figured that in the future finished products liability lawsuits for personal tech robotics used for in-home elderly care would be a huge business and this was just a lucky break needed.
He knew the jury would eat it up, and even though it was only a cat, and he’d hoped he could find his first case where a robot had caused the unexpected, untimely, and unfortunate death of an actual human, this could work out nicely, he thought. Once he gets this case law on the books for the cat case, and if there was a sizable monetary award, he’d be halfway home in the future filing a wrongful death case for a human.
The case took a couple of years, and Marianne was perfect, she cried on the witness stand about how the robotic vacuum cleaner, which was once the cat’s favorite toy, attacked it, and killed her beautiful and wonderful Theodore, how she watched in horror as her cat fell to the rocks below. The jury awarded half million dollars. The judgment shocked the robotic community, and almost overnight insurance companies raised premiums for finished products liability insurance by 150% for all robotics manufactures.
This caused a ripple effect, as all the companies providing robotic in-home elderly care units immediately raised their prices, which also ended up costing the already nearly bankrupt Medicare system, as Congress a year earlier had put in provisions to pay for voice activated and speech recognition wheelchairs, military amputee mind controlled prosthesis, and robotic personal assistants for home ridden elderly seniors with serious ailments or who were physically challenged.
Many startup robotic companies had trouble getting venture capital funding, angel investors, or even the finished products liability insurance they needed to sell their products after that. Large high-tech retailers demanded to be additionally insured on the insurance policies, and would take no less than $10 million aggregate on the policies for the products that these robotic manufacturing companies produced.
The Silicon Valley attorney became very famous and is often cited in the American Bar Association Journal, the futurist magazines, and in other popular high-tech and science magazines. Marianne did not get all the money from the huge award, 45% went to the attorney, and she ended up giving another 15% of the difference to a company which specialized in “structured settlements” and Marianne still cried every night for many months. By the time she finally did receive her money, well over a year and a half later she didn’t even care.
“Theodore VS Robotic Automaton Vacuum Manufacturing LLC (RAVM LLC)” in 2012 turned out to be the case law that started it all. Today, high-tech lawyers, and class action attorneys rule the robotics industry. Some believe that this is what is now stifling jobs in America during this recession and preventing US companies from competing in the global robotics market here in 2025. Many academic law professors believe that this is the case that started it all, but believe that robotics companies must be held accountable for injuries of humans or household deaths from faulty engineering or negligence.
*** Note: this story came to me after reading an interesting article online about the future of robotic law. “Scientists, lawyers mull effects of home robots” By Brooke Donald (AP) - Dec 6, 2009.
Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes thinking about the future and not repeating past follies. Note: All of Lance Winslow’s articles are written by him, not by Automated Software, any Computer Program, or Artificially Intelligent Software. None of his articles are outsourced, PLR Content or written by ghost writers.
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You’ll Think I’m Mad, Everybody Else Does!
With her approval, I shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with Jean at her doorstep, I prayed for her, gave her my phone number and then said that when she felt the need for God’s help, to then pray to God the Father in Jesus’ name and ask Him for help. She thanked me and said she would do so.
Seven days later in the afternoon Jean did phone me to say thank you, again. She said that she had done what I’d suggested only very recently and as a result had experienced a peace like never before in her life. I explained to her that what she experienced was the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ, that it was His peace given to her. I then said to Jean that there was another step she needed to take, the first encounter with the Lord being one to give her a personal confirmation as to the reality of His existence, but now, He was offering her something more - a relationship with Himself.
She was crying one moment and laughing the next which suggested to me that perhaps she was not a well lady that day. Using that time on the phone I went through the New Testament showing her why Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world and that He came to die in our place for our sin. I gave her Scriptural evidences of what I was saying, explaining how we’ve all been caught up in this sin and that we are commanded to turn away from it and turn to Christ and become a recipient of His life - a life which is eternal, both in quality and quantity.
After an hour or so of answering Jean’s questions she asked me to help her pray a prayer of repentance to the Lord. But like so many people, as we prayed, she struggled to believe that this is all it took to have the Lord come into her life. I had been ministering for a few months by then and it had not taken me long to learn that wherever the Holy Spirit is working, the unholy spirit is working as well, just like the the New Testament shows him working against Jesus and the apostles. As a result, I knew she was battling with a spirit of unbelief. It took nearly five minutes for her to accept the truth that all her past, present and future sins had been here and now washed away by Jesus Christ’s shed blood on that cross.
The devil hates the blood of Jesus Christ, simply because he knows the truth of it’s efficacy - he knows when he’s up against it he’s powerless, so he will do anything to stop the mouths of people from claiming and proclaiming it. Jean could easily thank God for the “love” of Jesus washing her sins away, but she was unable to thank Him for the “blood” of Jesus washing them away. Eventually she broke through and was able to do so, so I asked her to repeat this thanksgiving a few times, not for God’s sake but for hers. Jean needed to hear herself acknowledge the power of Jesus’ blood cleansing her from sin.
After the prayer she confided that she had problems but was reluctant to say what they were. She then went on to say that she’d spent much of her life praying for others. Sometimes when people in similar situations to Jean tell me that, I’ve been able to discern that they suffer from guilt and praying for others can be their way of overriding that guilt. In reality, they’re trying to appease God, mistakenly thinking that this will “win points” with Him for themselves. This is a very common practice amongst all peoples in all cultures.
The following week I revisited Jean and as I listened, I gained more of her confidence. She opened up about some of her experiences……. “Something funny has been going on with me in this house for years. You’ll think I’m mad, everybody else does!” She then shared some of those experiences. She once phoned a famous British TV interviewer in London and asked him to tell an equally famous British actor not to go to South Africa to make a (now famous) film. The famous actor didn’t go. Then she told of a time when she experienced a choking sensation on her throat when watching TV and she knew someone (invisible) was in the room with her.
Another time, Jean went to off to bed and she saw a “man” standing in her hallway wearing a blue cardigan. Later she said she got a phone call from the hospital to go in and pick up a man who had been in a minor car crash and when she did so, he was wearing the blue cardigan. One time she went outside to feed her cat. When she came back in, her Bible, which she left sitting well away from the edge of her bed was lying face down on the floor.
Yet again, she was once discussing religion with a builder who was doing renovations in her home and a large plate displayed on a shelf flew to the floor and smashed. For the third or fourth time Jean said, “You’ll think I’m mad.” It was a pleasure for me to confide with this lady that I did not think she was mad. I told her that I most certainly believed in the realm of the unseen - the spirit world of both the angelic and the demonic.
What Jean had been experiencing for years, was the realm of the demonic and I informed her, that, as well as coming into the world to deal with sin, Jesus Christ also came to deal with the devil and his angels (demons) and, both He and the apostles have told us in the New Testament that we too can defeat them in the name of Jesus Christ. I further explained however, that the victories are only permanent if one continues with Christ truly making Him Lord in every area of one’s life. It was important for Jean to be told this, as I was quickly learning out there in the streets that many people wanted Jesus as a Saviour, but not as Lord - even church goers.
A couple of weeks later at Jean’s request I visited her again, this time taking with me a lady from the church. She was reeking of alcohol but was pleased for our visit and asked many questions on the Bible. As the weeks and visits went on however, her interest in wanting to do further studies waned. I saw my job at that point as finished with this dear lady. Having said that, I don’t for one moment believe that the Lord is finished with her. The Scriptures show us that the Lord Jesus Christ is far too faithful for that to happen. He promised that He would let none of those whom the Father had given Him slip out of His hands. “Then Jesus spoke to them again saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12.
Roger Williams is a married man with three adult children. In mid-June 1985 he had two dramatic physical healing encounters with the Lord Jesus Christ which transformed his life. He is not an officially ordained minister and has no formal Bible qualifications. He is a crash-avoidance driver consultant, a messenger of the Christian gospel, a radio broadcaster and a blogger. Testimonies to the reality and power of the Lord Jesus Christ can be viewed on his website: http://www.realityrevelations.com.
Copyright © 2009, Roger Williams. All rights reserved.
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Break the Ice With 10 Fingers
A fantastic game for getting to know a fresh group of new actors in acting class is called “10 fingers.” All the players get in a circle, holding all 10 fingers up in the air. One person at a time will start asking personal questions that take yes-no answers only; whoever cannot answer yes to a question, drops a finger. The last person with a finger left wins. This is a great ice breaker when you’re just starting out in an acting class and it’s a great way to get to know your potential stage partners and how they work.
Good questions are things like “I have a cat”, “I have never stolen anything” and so on. Take note of the kinds of questions people ask. That says a lot about their personalities as well as their answers!
This game is a great appetizer for another ice-breaking game called “Story Tellers” Everyone gets in a circle and one person picked at random starts telling a story. The instructor then points to another player at random who must finish the story without stumbling.
things can get pretty funny when playing this game. This is more of a warm-up and a way of getting to know others rather than a performing game.
This is also a great game to play at parties or any social gathering. This kind of game is a great way to eliminate pressure on people to get to know each other without things feeling awkward. What better way to break the ice than with 10 Fingers!
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