To Susan Who Found My Cat & Who Lives On Lake Jean In Orlando, Florida

UPDATE: December 19th, 2012 ~ R.I.P. my little Fish...I loved you more than you will ever know. Twenty years is a long time for best friends and I will see you again...thank you again to Susan who gave me the much needed extra time with him.

Two weeks ago I saw a little black cat dead on Chickasaw Trail on my way to the store. I thought it was awful and hoped the owner would not see him. Maybe they would just think the little cat got a new family. On my way back from the store I saw a man and a woman with an SUV on the side of the road. The woman had a shovel and was burying the little baby.  The man was looking around panicked like someone would stop and yell at them:) I remember thinking, if it was her cat she would have taken it home. Then I thought what a wonderful lady to stop and bury that little kitty as we have awful buzzards in our nieghborhood. No one will ever know she did that and she is amazing! I could not imagine what it would be like to lose one of my cats and then see my cat on the side of the road.

Now I know what it is like. It is pure hell. One of the worst kinds of pain imaginable. I have a siamese cat named Fish who is 18 years old, blind and half deaf. He is a trooper and manages to manuever through life adjusting to his disabilities in a way I never thought he would. Fish went missing on Monday, May 7, 2012. Somehow he managed to get through the cat door that he never went through before and got out into a rain storm. 

My 3 year old and 7 month old sons and I searched for two days to no avail. Fish is my only cat that wears a collar with metal charms on it. He loves his collar and could easily take it off but has not done so in over 18 years.  One of the charms had my mother's phone number (that is how long I have had Fish:) on it so I ws a bit hopeful someone would find him and call.  At first I thought...he is a trooper, he will make it back at whatever cost. Then I got scared thinking about him suffering and being alone in the world missing his family, blind, and scared, and most likely dying. 

Not knowing whether he was alive or dead was eating me up so finally I had to convince myself he was gone and not coming back.  My three year old kept asking, "Mom. where is Fish? I miss him." and crying. I then realized it is more difficult to be a parent than I ever thought.  I told my son that Fish found a girlfriend and had to stay with her. He said, "Maybe his girlfriend is blind too and he needs to take care of her. That sounds like him!"

After three days had passed and I spent my morning looking for buzzards in the neighborhood, I knew I should not take the children out to look any further.  I figured even my Kingpin cat Fish, the fighter that he was, could not withstand the elements or navigate his way home to his family blind.  Then something utterly amazing happened. A woman named Susan who live on Lake Jean almost two miles away telephoned my mother and said she had Fish! I could not believe it! She stated that she found him sitting in her front yard that morning! My little Fish braved the wild, the woods, and the alligators and made it to someone safely. 

Minutes later, Susan arrived at my house with Fish in a laundry basket and we were happily reunited.  He looked amazing for having been out for three days with not a scratch on him. I could not thank Susan enough! I was so rattled I could not think of anything to do for her to show my gratitude. I was flustered, amazed, and I think in shock. I gave her my business card for my Etsy store and begged her to check it out and pick something nice out for herself so I could give it to her as thanks. Whatever she wanted I would make sure she got! I knew as I was saying it that she would not call.  She was not that type of person although I wish she was so I could feel like I gave her something for helping my family and my baby Fish.

When Susan was leaving I said, "You are amazing! Do you know how many people would not even stop and pick him up?"  Susan replied, "Do you know how many people would?" 

Susan, wherever you live, I hope you read my blog as you have my business card with my blog address....I want to thank you with all my heart for being my hero in more ways than one. I owe you a big one. You have given me the best Mother's Day present of all. All my babies are with me today:)