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 (212) 870-3400
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
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REEBOK AND HESTIA
When I married Bryan in 1986 I had five cats, Ethyl, Edgar, Tasha, Penny and Spotty. He wasn’t crazy about felines but it was easy to see how ensconced they were in my life. I must say he was a good sport and his only request was that the upstairs crew of three didn’t continue to sleep with us. He didn’t want them jumping over his head at night; antics that I had put up with for years. Bryan was a dog lover and I truly think he was going on the hope that because of their advanced age, which averaged 16, they wouldn’t be around long. He was right, they all died within the next three years, the last being Spotty who was traumatized by the 1989 San Francisco earthquake and passed-on a week later. I was devastated as these precious cats were a big part of my healing.
To my surprise Bryan immediately suggested that we get another cat, one we both could relate to. He was partial to gray and I was so grateful he was willing to start a new feline family I didn’t care what color it was. We called the Humane Society and combed the want-ads in preparation for our search.
Our first stop was the SPCA in San Francisco. As we walked up and down the aisle of metal cages we agreed we would go with our vibe to see if a cat would speak to us. In every enclosure playful kittens were meowing, vying for our attention. They were all adorable and I remember thinking it was going to be hard to choose. As we turned the corner of the long row of enclosures we both spotted a stunning, adult, full-bodied gray cat with jade green eyes staring at us. He wasn’t doing anything extraordinary, just watching us as we passed. He appeared regal, confident, and serene. We asked to be allowed to play with him in the bonding area. He jumped on Bryan’s lap begging for affection. ‘Sweet’ was the word and I wanted to take him home right then. I was a ‘cat lady’ and felt I could judge feline behavior well. Bryan wanted to check all of our options just to make sure we would make the right choice. I said, “What if he isn’t here when we come back?”
“Then it wasn’t meant to be.”
For two days we drove to Alameda, Napa and Marin Counties searching shelters and private ads. We kept thinking about the large gray cat at our first stop in San Francisco. At 3:00 pm on Sunday afternoon I panicked because I wanted a pet by the end of the day and we were stuck in traffic going back to the city across the Golden Gate Bridge. We reached the SPCA near closing time. We both dashed upstairs to see if our ‘boy’ had been adopted. Amazingly he was still there sitting in the same dignified position. I was thrilled. I wrote down his name, ‘Karma,’ an odd one I thought for a large male Tom cat. We walked to the front counter downstairs to put in our request and sign any necessary papers. As we approached the desk another family was requesting ‘our cat’ at the same time. The attendant knew only one thing to do: He asked each of us to write our name on a piece of paper, fold it up and he would pick the lucky owner. I wrote, Kay Karma Kopit. We proudly went home that night with a beautiful gray cat tinted with four white paws. We changed his name to Reebok. Karma indeed.
Reebok adapted easily to us and we to him. The only information we had was that he had lived with a large family for the first year of his life. I got such a kick out of watching him play in his water bowl. He batted more water on the floor than he drank. I never thought it would be possible to feel a connection with an adult cat so quickly for I had always started my relationships with cats when they were kittens. But Reebok made it easy because he was such a loving animal.
About one week after Reebok was in our home I drove to Half Moon Bay, on the coast, about 20 miles from San Francisco, to visit my girlfriend Debra. On the way I stopped for coffee. Next door in the park I noticed a young woman with a bulky box full of kittens. I didn’t even want to look but glancing over I noticed they were all gray tipped with white feet resembling Reebok. I knew what a softy I was when it came to cats but it seemed impossible to bring another one home. I felt lucky that Bryan was going to tolerate even one feline after having lived with my five seniors; although the thought did cross my mind that it would be wonderful for Reebok to have a little brother or sister who looked like him.
I was in the restaurant long enough to have breakfast. When I came outside a crowd of people were gathered around the woman cooing over the one kitten that was left. Apparently within the hour she had given away at least four gray babies. As I got closer to the group I noticed the kitten she was holding was jet black. Someone asked about this beautiful cat and she said, “Oh this one I am keeping for myself. She was to go to my girlfriend in San Francisco but her roommate has allergies so when she declined I thought it was an omen for me to keep her because she was the only black cat in a litter of six. I named her Hestia which means Goddess of the Hearth.” She then looked at me and said, “You can hold her if you want.” I felt a sigh of relief for I have always been a sucker for black cats and needn’t worry about adoption for she wasn’t available.
Hestia was hanging on her owner’s shoulders and as I began speaking she rolled her head in a 360 degree circle practically falling to the ground. She followed every word I said with her eyes no matter where I walked in the crowd. Everyone noticed this unusual behavior. A purring vibrated into song; she seemed to be serenading me in a feline falsetto. I had never heard anything like it. All the adults were mesmerized. I picked her up at that point and she immediately crawled under my sweater and snuggled next to my bosom. The young woman said to me, “She acts like she knows you. She is yours if you want her.”
I was torn emotionally. It felt so right but I was concerned what Bryan would think bringing another cat home so soon after Reebok. I said, “We are going on vacation to Oregon in three weeks and I don’t want to leave a small kitten with our cat sitter.” I thought that excuse would deter her.
“I will keep Hestia on our ranch in San Gregorio and when you return from your trip I’ll meet you back here and you can take her home.” (San Gregorio is approximately 43 miles from San Francisco.)
I called Bryan and hesitantly told him of my experience. He said, “Whatever you want. Reebok will love a partner.” I was shocked, for a guy who loved dogs and wasn’t crazy about cats, he was most generous.
This lovely woman agreed to keep Hestia for me for the next five weeks. She understood our situation and thought we belonged together.
I was excited to bring this stunning black kitty home. We were curious how Reebok, our large year old male would respond to another pet in the house. When I first put Hestia down near him she began prancing and bouncing, typical of kitten behavior. She started jumping and playing like she knew him. It was interesting to watch Reebok sitting with his belly on the ground, frozen in his spot, with his two front paws crossed in waiting, allowing her to do whatever she wished. He was mesmerized by this tiny creature. For the next 12 hours he didn’t move! He didn’t come to eat or drink and I don’t remember seeing him use the litter box. He remained alert and on guard protecting his new treasure; he seemed to be in love with her. Both Bryan and I were fascinated by this display of affection. From that day on they remained inseparable.
One day, a few weeks later, as I was leaving my house I met one of my neighbors Estelle, a lovely young dancer who lived a few doors down on our historic inner-city street. She yelled, “How is your new kitty?”
I replied, “Oh, she is doing great! Reebok loves her!”
“I was asking about Reebok, your beautiful gray Tom cat. Do you have two? When did you get another?”
“Several weeks ago I was in Half Moon Bay and noticed a woman in the park giving away kittens. I couldn’t resist the only black baby in a litter of six. Her name is Hestia; do you want to see her?”
At that point Estelle assertively ran toward me and said, “Is the woman who had the cats named Cindy?”
“How do you know that?” I answered.
With that Estelle started screaming, waving her hands frantically, and ran right into my living room. “Hestia is my kitty. She was born on my girlfriend’s ranch in San Gregorio. Cindy was saving her for me. But, the day my roommate Carol and I drove down the coast to pick her up Carol began sneezing abundantly and she insisted she didn’t want to live with a cat. I was broken-hearted. Here she is; Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth.”
I felt like crying for her. It indeed was an amazing story. 43 miles separated the San Gregorio Ranch and my home on Abbey Street. How could it be that I would have chosen the very cat that Estelle had visited and longed for? We both were stunned but not for long. Reebok and Hestia were intertwined playing and fighting with love. When Estelle saw them interact she felt much better. She said, “I just can’t believe that this is my little Hestia. I can see now she was meant to come to this street but not to me. She is meant to be with you and Reebok.”
I kept in touch with Estelle for many years giving her an update on the antics of our two beautiful cats Hestia and Reebok. They each lived for 16 years and gave us so much joy and happiness. I believe in the power of destiny. What about you?
Morning
When my mom comes to wake me up
I’m already awake
When I first wake up
Darkness fills my room
As I eat breakfast
The sun comes up
It fills the room with sunlight
I walk downstairs
And I see gray and orange bodies
The bodies of my cats
I watch them play gracefully
With each other
When I feed them
I watch them eat, and then walk away
I ask myself,
“How could you be unhappy with all this life around you?”
By: Mariah
What About You Archives Read my included articles on Recovery Times: I AM HEALTHY and Older Woman, Younger Man. Visit my website:
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