As I write this, I wipe away the tears. Even after 5 years, it's hard to remember Ariel. Arial wasn't any special breed, just your everyday, domestic cat, but oh, was she ever beautiful. Ariel was a dilute calico who was always there when I needed her. My best friend had brought her to me knowing how much I loved calicoes. When Ariel came, she was sickly, an orphaned baby of a momma cat and a car. It took a lot of love, vet bills and many nights bottle-feeding, but Ariel grew into a strong and loving kitten. I felt more like her Mom than just an owner and I often think Ariel though I was her Mom.
Cat's are healers and Ariel helped heal my broken heart the way no human ever could. You see, she needed me and I needed to be needed, as my husband had left me because I couldn't give him the one thing he wanted, children of our own.
Ariel was with me 2 wonderful years until that fateful night in November that I got in a car wreck and spent 3 weeks in the hospital. My friend came to the rescue once again and took Ariel into her home. What happened wasn't her fault, but could have been prevented. Trina was running late for work and her garage door was left open. Ariel got out and was never seen again. I checked the animal shelter daily for over a year hoping to find my baby. Both Trina and I sat out food for her in case she tried to come home, but as the months went by and Ariel didn't return, I accepted that she had either found a new home or had died. I swore I would never get another cat again, having lost my baby, but there was room in my heart for just one more, one more love and one more cat.
Ariel had been gone for 10 months and I still visited the shelter. I don't know if I went hoping to find another cat or if I had hoped against all odds that I'd find my Ariel. I always petted the other cats there and knew many of them quite well. One day as I bent down to talk to a little black and white kitten, I felt a paw on my head. I looked up and there he was, the most beautiful cat I had ever seen. His name was Frank and he was a full-blooded Red Lynx Point Siamese. He meowed at me and I picked him up. As he gave me kisses, I knew there was room in my heart for just one more. Frank, who is now called Mew, wasn't done with me yet however.
As I held him, a volunteer came over and shared Mew's sad story with me. He had attacked a puppy that his owners had brought home and it died. After that his owners had taken away all his claws and he had started biting them. He was overweight and a broken cat, and somehow I saw myself in this sad little creature. When I was told that if he didn't find a home without a dog and with someone willing to work through his behavior problems then he'd have to be put to sleep, I began the process of adopting him. Mew came home with me that very night and we have been the best of friends since. He's slowly lost some of his weight after I harness trained him so we could go on walks. He became playful and sweet and has only bit me once, during a flea bath.
Mew wasn't done with me there however. I was still heartbroken over Ariel and my divorce. I had been on a few dates, but never met anyone worth more than one date. I didn't trust anyone anymore and then I met Josh. Josh worked at the Pet Smart where Mew and I bought his food. He loved Mew and we would often talk as he pet him. I had never seen my reserved cat so outgoing and Josh wasn't bad either. After a few months, Josh asked me on a date. He was 5 years younger than me, and I wasn't sure I should, but when Mew jumped into his arms, I knew he wouldn't take no for an answer.
The first time Mew and I met his Seal Point Siamese, Gemini, we knew we had found a new family. Josh and I got married 6 months later in a beautiful outdoor wedding. Both Mew and Gemini walked down the Aisle with us on harnesses and we became a happy family. It was also then that we got our wedding gift from my sister and dad. She was a beautiful brown spotted Bengal kitten, whom we named Takarra Tola. My sister knew I had wanted one after meeting her male Bengal and decided to make our family complete with a child. Takarra fit in with us great and we fell in love with her.
Josh and I have been through many ups and downs since our wedding a little over a year ago. We've had spats and fights. We've had misunderstandings. Even our 3 cats seem to fight at times, but we are bound by love for each other and for our 3 fur children. Recently we started talking about getting one more cat. We don't know what kind yet, though I'd love an Abyssinian, he wants me to get another Dilute Calico, possibly an Exotic Shorthair. My heart is big, but is it ready to love another one who would remind me of my Ariel.
Chanda Healton - Lafayette, IN
