Spring Has Sprung

The great thing about Nature is that it transcends the behavior of the people who inhabit this world and continues to present us with beauty.

Unconditional Love

Thirteen years ago a young mother cat decided she didn’t want the responsibility of her litter of kittens and abandoned them. This story had a happy ending because someone found the kittens and got them to a Veterinary Hospital that doubled as shelter. Four weeks later one of those kittens came into my life. In a world that seems to delight in tearing itself apart with hatred Merlin has brought something that we could all use. He brought me unconditional love.

I have often said the only good things that came out of my marriage were discovering I could do art on the computer and Merlin. I had lost my beautiful pure white cat named Casper a couple of weeks earlier. I was not really ready to adopt a new cat but my ex decided I needed one and made arrangements for me to meet the people at the Animal Hospital. The kittens were only four weeks old but they had been weaned and litter box trained. When I held Merlin in my hands I fell in love. He was so tiny and full of life. When I decided to adopt him he looked up with those big eyes that were blue at the time and told me his name was Merlin. Of course the fact that I had recently watched the Hallmark special “Merlin” with Sam Neal might have had something to do with it.

Merlin joined the household along with Sasha. When the marriage fell apart ten months later he and Sasha joined me as we trekked from California to Illinois and finally to Indiana. We have been through a lot together. We got through a horrible divorce. We got through bankruptcy because of my ex-husband. We got through the loss of Sasha. We got through the death of my mother. We are in the process now of getting ready for another move as I head to North Carolina. We will be taking my mother’s cat, Pixie, with us much to Merlin’s dismay. She is now my cat and I promised Mother I would take care of her.

I put up with a lot of teasing about Merlin. He is a Mama’s Boy and clings to me. He never bonded with the mother cat and has been positive that I’m his real mother ever since I brought him home. He ignores my lack of fur and a tail. He would try to suck on my fingers to get milk when he was a baby. He has a temper and has been known to throw fits when things don’t go his way. He is one of the world’s biggest cowards. He is terrified of thunder storms. Pixie is half his size and she has him terrified. He is starting to have panic attacks which leads him to poop everywhere but the litter box most of the time. I have to keep him on tranquilizers in order for him to cope now.

In spite of the problems of age Merlin is still my baby boy. One thing I have always been able to count on is his unconditional love for me. He is not a fair weather friend. I am his Mommy and he loves me, now and forever. Their are some people who think that animals don’t have feelings and that we can learn nothing from them. Merlin shows the world that no matter what is going on that it is still possible to love.

So happy birthday Merlin. Thank you for all your love and always remember that I love you too.