Penelope's gift

A year ago, Penelope gave birth to a litter that has become known as The Gang of Four--Monkey Gurl, TangaRoo, Oh-Oh, and Louie-Louie. It was her first litter. I think it was starting to get a little crowded at my neighbor's, so when they were about six weeks old, she began bringing them around my house.

There's a cat path along fences and behind walls through the back yard of the house in between. Penelope was small enough to squeeze through the small opening between board fence and stone wall and her kittens were smaller still. The fence is opposite my studio door so I could easily catch sight of her and her brood. Soon, I was putting a small bit of food out near the fence. Soon they were feeling comfortable to stay in sight when I went outside.

My intention was to supplement their food a wee bit and to enjoy the antics of kittens. That was my plan. Penelope had another plan in mind, I think.

The first hook was acting on what I had been thinking about for some months--TNR. Trap Neuter Release. I did some research on line and came across two helpful websites at Alley Cats and Neighborhood Cats. I liked their approach to taking care of feral cat colonies without taking out the feral. It stabilizes the colony, prevents other cats from moving in to the neighborhood, and keeps them in their familiar extended family.

I approached my neighbors who I knew were feeding them and asked if they would like the support of TNR. They were enthusiastic and agreed to cooperate.

So it was that I began with the Gang of Four. Unfortunately, it took me some time to find the veterinarians I liked working with. Monkey Gurl and Louie-Louie especially suffered from rough handling. But they all survived the emotional and physical trauma, hung out on my patio even more, and eventually came inside for much of their days and nights.

Penelope was a gifted mom. I watched her confidence in her children's abilities. She demonstrated climbing up and coming down trees and dropping on the roof to run around and exploring the neighborhood with encouragement but no anxiety. It was if she was saying, "You can do this. I'm here, but really, you can do this on your own."

My own mother exhibited similar confidence, tinged naturally with some anxiety, in the children that came into her life. I marvel to think now how she, who never learned to ride a horse, would pack me a lunch and give me a send off on Blackie or Nellie when I was not more than eight. I spent whole days riding the ranch not seeing another human until I returned home.

Watching Penelope raise her children to confident, independent adolescents reminded me of the gift my parents gave me in setting me free from parental hovering. When I set sail for Japan at age 18 it was with excitement and inner certainty that I had what I needed to navigate life with curiosity and openness.

Soon after Penelope weaned her young cats and began spending more time back at my neighbor's house, she and a cousin were hit and killed by a car. Every now and then I catch a sense of her spirit, as if she comes back to check on the Gang. She will be waiting, I am sure, to help Louie-Louie over the rainbow bridge and then they will do whatever "cats" reunited do on the other side.

No doubt she knew all along how I would eventually surrender to her wise plan.