An update on Noel
Noel is a five-year-old pussycat. What color? What color would you like? Black, white, gray, tan, tawny, ocher, brown, yellow, cream? Yes, in patches, areas, and stripes. Her face and undercarriage are white. The other colors dapple the rest of her long fur. She had a home once but strayed or was abandoned. Some kind soul found her and took her to the Clare County Animal Shelter, in Harrison, Michigan.
In Washington, D.C. in
1966, Nedra helped our daughter get a Girl Scout merit badge by taking her to the local animal shelter. When I walked into our apartment, and met Mysti, a gray longhair Persian. An older, very mellow personality suited her well when others came into our lives. It wasn’t long before Familiar, a tortoiseshell found Nedra in the entry way at the local grocery store.
She was our most possessive cat: One day a neighbor called, “There’s a fox on the crest of your roof!” Sure enough, she had gotten out of the house, climbed the tall wooden fence and got up on the rooftop, followed by Diogenes, a male Siamese.
Three other male pusses joined the pride. Nemo, a Maine coon who may have had mental problems: From some he would run and hide under the bedspread; others he treated like family; Pi and Mu, rescued from a disintegrating home. Other females included Andromeda, a dilute calico who was the reigning princess out our way, Modesty Blaise, an exotic brightly colored torti, and Wysiwyg (What You See Is What You Get), a large, scowly dowager queen, who outlasted the rest and refused to give in until she had used up all nine of her lives. That was several years ago.
In 2017, a friend called to tell Nedra of several feline possibilities at the Harrison shelter. On November 27 we drove up US 127, and finally ended up at 4040 Hazel Road. The place is neat, clean, and well managed. The staff was very helpful, friendly, and kind. Rooms are well lighted and comfortable. Dogs are in one large room and cats in two smaller rooms. Each animal had a spacious clean cage, with food, water, and an area for this and that. Dogs are run outside in the fenced area, and cats let out of their boxes for play and exercise daily.
We entered the second cat room. As I walked past the first cage on the left, a small paw touched my arm. I turned, and there she was: the tortoiseshell. The guide led us to a small room with two chairs and fetched the cat. She nuzzled each of us knowingly.
We smiled and promptly adopted her. The paperwork showed she had been spayed, has had appropriate shots and is in good health. I beamed as I signed and paid the $30 fee.
We quickly agreed on her name: Noel because of the festive time of the rolling year. The drive home seemed shorter than going. Within fifteen minutes of entering our house, Noel had taken over. She is curious about everything, knows her way around, and greets newcomers warmly.
She has become a large cat with enormous sparkling green eyes. Lap? She’s in it. Bed? She’s on it. New guest? Not a stranger after a nuzzle.
We keep her inside to avoid cars and fleas. She did however contract a virus this Summer that paralyzed her hind legs. Dr. Catherine Lindstrand, DVM at the Isabella Cat clinic determined the cause and affected the cure. I recommend here highly.
And therefore, friends, she and we wish you Merry Christmas, Frohe Weihnachten, djoyeua Noye — and Joyeux Noel!
We quickly agreed on her name: Noel because of the festive time of the rolling year. The drive home seemed shorter than going. Within fifteen minutes of entering our house, Noel had taken over. She is curious about everything, knows her way around, and greets newcomers warmly.