Story by Camille Hulen
Pat was a single lady whose cats were her children.
There was Morris, the oldest, a big orange Tabby every bit as handsome as his namesake in the cat food commercials. Morris was now nine. Next there was Lucky, age six, a grey Tabby so named because he was lucky to survive when injured and lost his tail. Then a friend had asked her to come see Sarah when she was a little kitten, and Pat couldn’t resist, adopting both Sarah and brother Sammy. So now there were four cats living a happy life together.
When the war in Iraq began, an opportunity presented itself for Pat to serve her country, not as military, but as a civilian government employee in Iraq. It was difficult, but Pat left her cats with a caretaker, promising to return in one year. Email made life bearable, as she learned of their adjustment and their regular antics, along with the latest pictures. Strangely enough, Lucky and Sarah had now become buddies, replacing the sibling relationship of Sammy and Sarah. She made a visit home for Christmas, and saw that they were happy.
Then misfortune struck, when one day Pat detected a lump in her breast. She was given a leave of absence to seek medical care, and the diagnosis was not good. Her cancer from years past had returned. Her foreign service curtailed, she returned to work in Tulsa. As she underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, the cats were there for her. How many cats can fit in one recliner? The answer is at least four, because the cats were always by her side.
As her illness progressed, Pat became concerned about the long-term welfare of her cats, and made arrangements for their adoptions, because she knew she would not always be there for them. However, it was most important that they stay with her in this troubling time. We have all heard the story of the nursing home cat who comforted patients in their last days. Animals know when they are needed.
Only when Pat left Tulsa to receive final care with relatives, were the cats removed from her. Still, she received regular phone calls to learn how adoption was proceeding. She was most concerned about Morris, for some thought he might be “too old” for adoption. Guess what? He was first to find a home, displaying his gentle loving ways. Then Sammy, who was a “talker,” found a home. But what about Lucky and Sarah? They had become fast friends while “mom” was overseas, always grooming each other and sleeping together. They needed to go together, and it is not always easy to find a home for two cats.
As Pat grew weaker, she talked less and less during the phone calls, but she always asked about her cats. Finally, the good news came! Sarah and Lucky had been adopted together! She could no longer speak, but her nurse said she was smiling. The next day, Pat died.
The cat chooses the person, the person does not choose the ca
Eventually, she allowed one person to pet and brush her, just a little at first, but then more and more. The real breakthrough came when she relaxed enough to play. She actually lay on her back and batted at toys. This was a new found trust.
Why would “Cat Tales” be titled “Good Dog?” Read on.
Bentley was a rescue himself, adopted from the Bartlesville shelter. Now he was saving another animal. When he had previously been around puppies, he had loved them, and acted protective like a mother dog, even though he was a male. When he had seen cats, though, he had usually just sat and looked at them, not knowing what to think. This time he had taken action.
When the kitten reached the home of her new “foster mom,” she drank hungrily from the syringe, and adapted quickly. She grew and prospered, but she did have a case of ringworm that required treatment and isolation for some time. After that, she loved the human attention and was eager to play with other cats. When she met the big family dog, she was not afraid. There were many suggestions for names, but somehow “Lassie” seemed appropriate: a little twist on all the “Lassie” rescue stories we watched as children. Besides, she was a beautiful little lass.
It was love at first sight when Jean saw the picture of the Maine Coon with his quizzical face. Then, as soon as Bentley met Jean, he began talking to her, and she fell further in love. He had such a unique way of expressing himself, not with purrs, but with squeaks and grunts. “He has issues,” the counselor warned her as she filled out the adoption papers. (It seems that Bentley had been adopted twice before and returned.) However, Jean felt that every cat deserves a loving home, and this cat was special.
At home, Bentley could watch his food being prepared, but when he went to board at the kennel, it was done in an adjacent room. When he heard action in the food prep area, he would repeatedly bounce three feet in the air, as if on a pogo stick, to look through the window. The other cats waited patiently, but not Bentley.
He had lost his mom and siblings, a young girl had rescued him, but he was still hungry. 
