Let me tell you the story of my two special little grandkitties. They are much more than that now, and I want to tell you why.
Onyx and Shadow were about two weeks old when their cat mommy died. I'm not sure why she died, but so did all of their little littermates. Completely inexperienced with young kittens, the people who owned them were giving Onyx and Shadow full-strength cow's milk from the refrigerator. They aren't mean people; they just didn't know what to do. Well, it was of course much too strong for little babykitties. My two daughters, who lived nearby, then offered to each adopt one. Elizabeth took Onyx, and Tiffany took Shadow. My girls handraised their babies on special kitten formula, with Onyx getting special attention because he was so small and sickly they weren't sure he was going to make it. He did. Praise God.
Well, a few months later, my girls took jobs that required their traveling all over the country. They knew they couldn't continue to give their fur babies the attention they deserved, so Onyx and Shadow came to live with my husband and me. They "call" us Gammy and Gampy. Soon it became obvious what a blessing they were to us, to the point where they have actually been certified as our medical service animals. Shadow helps his Gampy to hear when someone is at the door, or the phone rings. Onyx is in charge of massaging Gammy's neck and shoulders when my arthritis gets bad. This they came upon largely by instinct, but they are, for cats, very easy to train. Maybe it's because they were hand-raised by humans?
I think the most remarkable story we can tell you is that last winter, my husband got caught out in the cold. He was wearing gloves, but it wasn't enough. His right hand, which operates the control on his power chair, and he couldn't put it in his pocket, came so near to frostbite that he was crying from pain by the time he got home. I put him into bed and covered him, and started massaging his hand, when here comes Shadow who knew exactly what to do. Shadow stretched his body full-length across Gampy's hand and warmed it right up. (A cat's body temp is 102 F.)
When one of us is sick, the cats are right there, watching over us like a couple of
. Their own health has been mostly good, but a couple of months ago our Shadow got sick with a UTI and a bladder stone. You should have seen how Onyx hovered over HIM. They always seem to know who needs the extra attention. And I think Onyx was sympathetic, because when they were babies it was him who was sickly. Now they're both healthy, happy cats who will be two years old in April. They are truly a gift and blessing from Almighty God.
Onyx and Shadow were about two weeks old when their cat mommy died. I'm not sure why she died, but so did all of their little littermates. Completely inexperienced with young kittens, the people who owned them were giving Onyx and Shadow full-strength cow's milk from the refrigerator. They aren't mean people; they just didn't know what to do. Well, it was of course much too strong for little babykitties. My two daughters, who lived nearby, then offered to each adopt one. Elizabeth took Onyx, and Tiffany took Shadow. My girls handraised their babies on special kitten formula, with Onyx getting special attention because he was so small and sickly they weren't sure he was going to make it. He did. Praise God.
Well, a few months later, my girls took jobs that required their traveling all over the country. They knew they couldn't continue to give their fur babies the attention they deserved, so Onyx and Shadow came to live with my husband and me. They "call" us Gammy and Gampy. Soon it became obvious what a blessing they were to us, to the point where they have actually been certified as our medical service animals. Shadow helps his Gampy to hear when someone is at the door, or the phone rings. Onyx is in charge of massaging Gammy's neck and shoulders when my arthritis gets bad. This they came upon largely by instinct, but they are, for cats, very easy to train. Maybe it's because they were hand-raised by humans?
I think the most remarkable story we can tell you is that last winter, my husband got caught out in the cold. He was wearing gloves, but it wasn't enough. His right hand, which operates the control on his power chair, and he couldn't put it in his pocket, came so near to frostbite that he was crying from pain by the time he got home. I put him into bed and covered him, and started massaging his hand, when here comes Shadow who knew exactly what to do. Shadow stretched his body full-length across Gampy's hand and warmed it right up. (A cat's body temp is 102 F.)
When one of us is sick, the cats are right there, watching over us like a couple of
. Their own health has been mostly good, but a couple of months ago our Shadow got sick with a UTI and a bladder stone. You should have seen how Onyx hovered over HIM. They always seem to know who needs the extra attention. And I think Onyx was sympathetic, because when they were babies it was him who was sickly. Now they're both healthy, happy cats who will be two years old in April. They are truly a gift and blessing from Almighty God.
