From pain and suffering comes love and hope; this month we want to share the stories of some of our most cherised live-ins.
However, at the age of 9, tragedy struck.
Feta lay asleep in the drive way of his old home. Being deaf, he did not hear the sound of the car, driven by the owner’s son, & much to the families horror, Feta was tragically run over. Feta was badly damaged & the family were as traumatised as he was, he was surgically put together again, but tragically he lost his sight completely. The aftermath of the accident was very difficult for the family, but they did not have the heart to put Feta down. Accidents can tragically have a way of changing life forever. Feta was alive, he had survived, but he was now both completely deaf & blind
Feta has come in to live with us, his family have gone to live in New Zealand. I was worried at first, as to how this blind & deaf, boy would adapt. Many people advised his owner that it would be kindest to put him down. I too, wondered about the quality of life he would have, but I knew if we listened, he would talk. With listening & entering the world of another, understanding would come.
We introduced Feta very slowly into our sanctuary. At first he would come & spend an hour a day with us. We then increased that to 2 hours a day, until we worked up until he stayed with us for a whole morning. There were a few times where he got very stressed, he would show this with open mouth breathing, & that would upset me terribly. I felt helpless, I would want so much to comfort him, but all of my words & the tone of my voice, he of course, could not hear. I did not know how the rest of the persians would take to him. If they did not accept him, we would have a problem. He could not hear them, & my concern was, if they were to hiss or growl at him.
Working with Feta has been fascinating. At first Feta just stayed still, where ever he was put down. Over time he began to get up & explore. Blind cats have a way of mapping out their territory, often walking in circles. Lu lu taught me this long ago. They rely on memory. It was heart wrenching at times to see him walk slap bang into the fence. Bravely he would regain his composure & would go back to mapping out his route & his area. I would watch, intrigued. He began to make our sanctuary his new home & territory. He knew exactly where the little wooden bench was, & would often go & lie on it. I was amazed at how he never fell off.
|
| Tao was the first to respond to Feta. It was as if Tao suddenly seemed to have this mission in his 15 year old life, to help Feta. Tao was highly inquisitive of this newcomer; he would not leave his side. He would lie opposite Feta & observe him. Sometimes he would lie behind him; he would watch him walk & sometimes he would give out his tiny meow. It was not like his usual meow, it was different. I knew something else was taking place between these two. I could not quite understand it, but I could see & sense it. While the rest of the cats were unbelievably kind & welcoming, Tao would not leave Feta alone, & he quickly befriended him, & took up the role of helper cat, it was like what a guide dog would do, for a blind person. |
|
It made me think back to the days when Lulu Belle was still alive, she was found blind, walking alone in the fires on the mountains in Cape Town. Quickly, our Teddy, who was deaf, befriended her, & the two became in separable. |
|
I replied, send him too! They flew in & Tao’s papers revealed that he had a passport. He was born in 2005, he was a british shorthair & he was born in The Netherlands. Tragically, Josephine & Aimee had feline leukemia, 18 months after they arrived that, deadly virus took both of their lives. Nursing them knowing they were terminal was heart-breaking, & took its toll on me, Tao miraculously did not get the highly contagious deadly disease, even though he had lived among them, even though he had stayed so close to them, even as they slipped away & eventually the disease took both of their lives. He was a true survivor; there was something incredibly special about him. |
|
|
Tao has befriended many Persians over the years. He has always had a deep inner sense for those who are suffering, the terminally ill, the blind, the deaf, those who are battling. Before Feta arrived, he was at Eden’s side until the day Eden died, it was as if he knew that Eden had a brain tumour, he stayed close to Eden, until Eden took his last breath. |
|
Our Biggest Need Our latest visit from our Accountant revealed what I already know, we are currently short each month of what we need to bring in, to sustain us. Our biggest need is monthly donations. It is our monthly day to day costs, that we are battling with & where we are short. If you are able to help the children, by donating monthly, for whatever amount, it will help us just so much. Our Banking Details are Standard Bank Persian Cat Rescue Durban Acc No 05 144 97 65 Branch Code 051001 |
Thank You for continuing to journey with us.
Thank You for choosing to do life with us.
We love & appreciate each one of you just so much.
May October 2020 be good to you & to us.
Much Love & Thanks From All Of Us Here At
Persian Cat Rescue Durban | The Sleep Over Boarding Cattery | Persian Cat Grooming Parlour Durban
