Tags
Ali, Basenji, Cat, Dobrica, Eckhart Tolle, Manya, Power of Now, Prague
My friend Jim adopted a furbaby, her name is Ali – or, better to say: my friend Jim got adopted by Ali, because that’s how it ends up!
I was a dog person all my life. I grew up with rescued dog Capika who meant the world to me; in Prague i lived with Basenji named Bongor who didn’t bark and who had silently shared his destiny with mine; when i was eighteen i became a companion of a black puddle nicknamed Dobrica – from “dobro” , good.
It’s from Dobrica that i felt for the first time the proverbial unconditional love – and i do believe hardly any living being is as capable of loving as dog is. And puddles are a kind unto itself – extremely intelligent and impossible to train. I would throw a stick to her – and she would bring it back to me, after much hesitation; if i threw it second time, she would just give me that look: it’s not that you expect me to engage into this meaningless activity, right?
She was the dog love of my life and when at the age of fourteen she passed away, i had sworn not to have companions ever again. The pain is excruciating, it is beyond words, all i wanted was to die with her because i couldn’t imagine going on living without her.
Fast forward seven years – i had started hearing some little noises at my place – strange ones, as if something was whining in the night; it was barely heard, yet it was there, the sound, night after night.
No one else could hear it. When i asked my mother to stay overnight and help me understand what was it – she did so and had concluded the noises were in my head. Right…
I live on the first floor of the mansion which is bordered by a cul-de-sac in the front and a park in the back; it is a calm neighborhood with scarce traffic and very little noise; the climate is beautiful around here – Mediterranean – and it’s safe, so the windows are kept opened for the best part of the year.
One room, which meanwhile my collection of books claimed (that’s how we settled at the end – first they wanted the whole place!) – back then was kept for friends and family who were visiting; i seldom went there, except to undust sporadically…
And it’s there, in the closet of the guest’s room which door was ajared , that a stray cat gave birth to five beautiful kitten! It was them who made those little noises in the night!
Mama-cat was absolutely amazing and we wanted to keep all of them, but after two months – she had left while taking three kittens with her and leaving Manya and her brother with us.
I took them for vaccination and as that year the vaccines were spoiled – like many other furbabies in 2006, they almost died; they got so sick that the vet – also a dear friend of mine – told me it was the best to put them to sleep… No way i’d do so! I spent the summer attending to them and a good part of my savings for daily vet’s visits; they couldn’t eat so they needed to be fed intravenously; they had also developed various infections, had to be treated with antibiotics and whatnot… and it’s back then, i believe, that i started perceiving them as my own babies, they were so helpless that my heart was breaking.
Against all the odds, they made it and very soon became two healthy and spoiled little brats who brought joy and love back into our lives.
Sadly, Manya’s brother went missing three years ago – you see – albeit i had thought them to go to sandbox, the minute they could stand on their paws, they wanted out… and i couldn’t keep them in, there wasn’t a way to do so, without causing them big distress. One day, my tomcat didn’t come back – and again i was crying and felt that desperation and profound sadness which we feel when we lose a part of ourselves.
Manya grew up to be a demanding and capricious young lady. She’s an Alpha cat – strong and curious and brave. Oftentimes when i go visit friends who live in a house down the street – when she decides ‘enough is enough’, she comes over to pick me up. She doesn’t mind they have a rottweiler – she sits there, meowing demandingly – until i come out and head towards home.
My parents live next door – and we “share custody ” of Manya, it’s too funny to observe the cats’ politics – how she makes sure everyone is payed respect to and divides time between the three of us; she sleeps in turns with each member of the household while keeping a quite precise schedule… unless someone is sick, then she is there, until all is good again.
When my parents traveled for two weeks recently – she hardly ate anything, lost too much weight and spent all of her time laying down on my father’s bed -mourning. Oy, the quetching she gave them when they got back! You should have heard that!
Also, she has a perfect judgement – she knows exactly at which moment of time whom she can manipulate into attending to her needs – be it the daily combing or feeding her at 5am or something else she needs done; no mistakes there – emotional intelligence at its peak!
From time to time, she gets overbearing – and instinctively she does feel whom of us is on the edge of sprinkling her with water; her tactics and targets are changed accordingly – and immediately!
There is a sentence from Eckhart Tolle’s ‘The Power of Now’ which stuck forever in my mind: I lived with many spiritual teachers, all of them were cats.
For it’s Manya who thought me to love unconditionally and there is so much about her – and cats in general – that is awe inspiring.
They were considered Deities, in Egypt – and cats never forgot that.
Love it ! One of my cats used to lick my tears, after idiotic love break-ups. They are the best healers.
Thank you, Roskis! Indeed they are! I suffered from awful migraines for years (until someone thought me to prolong the breathing consciousness meditations & take melatonin), she would lay next to me – and wouldn’t move until it was over! And the same whenever i am feeling down, she totally feels it and sticks with me!
Lena –
I understand how you felt when you lost Manya’s brother. There is no consolation anywhere! They are our children, and they do run our lives! ❤
Blessings,
Bonnie
Thank you, Bonnie! They are indeed our kids (and they do run our lives – with a paw of steel i must say! 😀 ❤
Thank you for post positing this, Ruth, it’s a wonderful story! I love the fact that you “share custody” of Manya 🙂
Thank you so much, Dianne! 😉
This is a wonderful story sketched out on this ”page” here. I fund myself really drawn to it, having liked dogs very much before, but now becoming a cat person – ever since a stray kitten came to my door when I lived in a small town in the Saudi desert. What a wonderful kitten that was. You caught it all in the last sentence you wrote! Powerful pictures too.
Thank you ❤ Goodness, it seems you only haven't lived in Montenegro so far!!! When you have some free time – do yell – i'll arrange a visit for you, you ought to come here as well! xx
I’d love to have a cup of coffee in Montenegro with you, I have an idea the coffee is good there – I already know the company would be!
Thank you! Anytime! I’ll cook the coffee for you myself, you’ll see (and might even read the residue for you ;))
I was afraid you might! Will have to distract you by commenting on the wonderful Montenegran mountains and lovely colours, then quickly swap cups, just in case mine is too revealing.. we British are too reserved for such residue readings!
Oh, Brits rock with tea lives readings – i might learn that as well before you get here! 😉
Oh dear, I’ll have to drink water! But no, I would never refuse a coffee. Especially if made by yourself.. And will bravely stand and listen to the tea readings..as long as you don’t know any dangerous spells that will make me boring and quiet..though I am a good listener, of course, though not usually about myself..especially if personal..
Oh, noo – your blog is too cool and your life experience and observations too precious for anyone to even try to make you boring and quiet!!! Hahhah, i read though – and, as a teaser, i asked my RWS deck ” what Managua needs to know” & here it is:
base – Ace of Wands, 2 of Wands, 6 of Swords, Justice
You feel very enthusiastic about some new enterprise, which you probably learned about by doing online research; there are two alternatives, two ways to approach that, both are valid and as of now you are in two minds which to choose; this matter includes travelling – “across water” – from where you are now, so i presume it is a long distance trip and i feel it has to do with your work… But also something regarding legal matters and law; anyway, September/October will be the most auspicious time to do so.
So, my friend, if you survived this – your first reading – it only gets easier and more entertaining with time lol 😉
What a shocker! ………for the first time in my life..speechless…especially the details….I’m usually very sceptical…mmmmm..you are quite something! I am still stunned! You really are..quite a woman..am reading again, but still stuns!
Yay, glad it made sense! ❤
Sorry about my stuttering before – you really caught me by surprise. Still am … just had a quick glance, at your Gravatar. Yes, you can see it in your eyes. And I thought I was the one that was going to surprise you with some ”Zen-like thoughts”! What a fool I was! Yes. I am impressed.
Your writing – and you personally – are very inspiring and interesting indeed! But your thinking is more talmudic than zen – and i must confess it is more to my liking 😉
Mmm…confess to me anytime…I’m sure you’ve cast some spells with histories to them! I’ll quickly read up on that so I can sound knowledgeable..
Lol, not really – except the one pseudo-spell on which i wrote my very post 😉
Love&Light
Lena Ruth
Hm..”pseudo” & you don’t go together somehow…thanks very much Lena Ruth. Take care.
Thank you, dear, for the time and kind words, i am very glad that in the vastness of the cyberspace i met a learned and kind gentleman like yourself. This is what i meant b pseudo 😉 http://moderndayruth.net/2012/01/09/full-moon-chaos-magick-as-performed-by-a-kabbalist/
Mmm…confess to me anytime…I’m sure you’ve cast some spells with histories to them! I’ll quickly read up on that so I can sound knowledgeable..
Brushed up my knowledge of Talmudic thinking, and lovely to be told what you just did. Thank you..! Anything I can do to resist your magnetism and magic?
The reading more in-depth of the Talmud gives patterns. Now am getting into it deeper, as had not in-depth knowledge at all before; so thank you for that, & all before. Rest assured will research thoroughly.
Depending whether one believes in reincarnation, we could say you did study it before… It does give certain way of analyzing which i feel in your writing (and am a fan of. )
I’d love to have a cup of coffee in Montenegro with you, I have an idea the coffee is good there – I already know the company would be!
Manya rock!! i am a cat person too. i haven’t had any cats since i moved here. i left my two cats in Indonesia with my mom. miss them so much. the mom is so wild and adventurous 😉 while her girl is so shy.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment, marviiilous! I love people who love cats ❤ Seriously, i had posted on fb recently – that out of all my interests and stuff – i relate the most to (and find common language fastest) with fellow cat lovers!