About eight years ago, after having lunch at the Crystal Grill, I noticed two very small kittens run across the parking lot just as an SUV was exiting the lot. One of the kittens, a calico, managed to escape; the other one, a gray kitten, was trounced by the vehicle. The occupants of the SUV did not even see the kittens and, therefore, did not stop.
Since the wheels did not hit the kitten, it did not die. It was, however, seriously injured. The kitten had broken bones and could not get on its feet. Being the cat lover that I am, I had to rescue them. I got a blanket from the trunk of my car and put the injured one in the back seat. Then, I proceeded to catch the other one, which wasn’t an easy task, and put it in my car. I took both of the kittens to Dr. Cooper. The injured one could not be saved, but the calico was in good shape. I already had two cats at home but, never the less, took this one home as well. I figured one more wouldn’t make much difference.
I named her Callie, although, my sister later mentioned that I should have named her Crystal since I found her at the Crystal Grill. I guess that would have been appropriate. She grew into a beautiful cat and has brought me much pleasure over the years. Both of my other cats were old and are now deceased, so Callie is the only one.
This past May, as I was taking Callie from the car at Dr. Cooper’s office, she slipped through my hands and got away. (I should have had her in a carrier and will from now on.) She ran into the wooded area behind Dr. Lambdin’s office next door to Dr. Cooper’s. Some of Dr. Cooper’s employees came out to help me try to catch her, but we were unable to even find her. I went back several times that day to look for her, and my son set a trap for her and left it for several days with no success. I contacted all the people who lived behind these offices as well as the people in the offices, put out fliers, and put an ad in the paper, all to no avail. I called my cousins, Carla Bowlin and Grace Holeman, who live right behind CVS and asked them to be on the lookout.
I went by and looked for her and called her every day for about three weeks. Then, late one afternoon, Carla called to tell that there was a calico cat in her neighbors’ backyard. I went over immediately with a can of food and found her still there. I got close enough to tell that it was her, but she wouldn’t come to me, even with the food. When I reached for her, she went through a hole in the fence behind CVS. I left the can of food and went back the next morning and found the can empty. So she was still in the area.
I had to leave town that afternoon and would be gone for the weekend. I left another can of food and talked to Dr. Cooper, and he said he would keep an eye out for her until I got back. I got home late on Sunday night and went back the next morning to find another empty can, but again she didn’t answer my calls. Late that afternoon, my son and I put another trap out — this time where she had been eating the food. The next morning, my son called. He was very excited to tell me that we had caught her! He carried her straight to Dr. Cooper, who was very surprised that we had caught her alive. He bathed her, gave her shots and treated her for fleas and ticks. She had lost a lot of weight, had a scratched nose and was very frail but was otherwise OK.
I brought her home and pampered her for a few weeks and nursed her back to health. She acted as though she had never been gone, going right to all her favorite places. It has now been about two months since she returned home, and she has gained all of her weight back and is doing great! Dr. Cooper said he could not believe that I had found her and that she survived! She had evidently stayed in the same area for the entire three weeks, foraging for food and enduring several heavy rains and windstorms.
I’ve always heard that cats have “nine lives.” If that truly is the case, I think Callie has used up several of hers!
