White Rabbit & Blackie

"Where?  Behind the Rabbit?  

It IS the rabbit!"  ~ Monty Python

Blackie was a beautiful cat that showed up one day.  The first time I tried to pet him he jumped because no one had ever petted him before.  He learned to love being petted very quickly.  He'd wait for me every day; he even knew the sound of my car motor and would coming running along side of my car when I'd come home or leave for work in the morning.  He loved to be petted by me; even more than he liked to eat.  He was a beautiful black cat with white tufts of hair in his ears and gooseberry green eyes.

He ever, ever bit or scratched me; even when I would try to pick him up.  He would flail his arms as if he was about to be murdered, but never hurt me.  Since I already had three cats, I decided he would probably be better off outside anyway.  He seemed happy, and I made sure he had plenty of food and water.

 

My beautiful Blackie

One morning bizarrely, a white rabbit appeared in my yard.  He was happily eating the grass.  I couldn't catch him and I had to get to work.

Blackie wasn't interested at all.

When I got home, I couldn;t find the rabbit.  The next day, my gardener told me he found the rabbit dead.  Poor bunny.

A few months later, Blackie had a hurt paw.  It looked like he had been getting in cat fights.  Blackie isn't a fighter, so maybe someone was bullying him, but his scratches never looked worse than superficial ones.    I took him to the vet and had his paw fixed up and had him neutered and vaccinated.  I brought him home and he seemed happy.  Within a week, he disappeared and I never saw him again.  I could have changed Blackie's fate had I taken him in.  But how many cats is enough?  Where does it stop?  I have to take comfort in that I did the best I could for him.  I love you Blackie and sorry I couldn't do more.