Starlight Expressed

There are things I won’t miss about having him on board. His hair was always shedding, insidiously clinging to everything I owed. In addition, the fact of having three cats aboard is too many even on a good day. This trip taught me that two is my limit.

But what I will miss is his digging halfway to China while in the litter box. I needed an excavator to get to where he buried his waste! His presence at night, pressed against my leg reminded me so much of the quiet calm that is the trademark of a Persian.

I’m sure that there are things that Zoey and Bari won’t miss about having him around. Like the fact that Starlight really didn’t respect anyone’s territory, no matter what! When I had my laptop computer out, Starlight would curl up in the carrying case. A sacrilegious act to Zoey for that was her coveted spot! When it was time for treats, I’m sure that Bari didn’t like sharing treats with him that Bari might have thought was his alone.

Having Starlight aboard wasn’t that big of a challenge. It didn’t last as long as I thought it would, and I can’t help but feel somewhat cheated. I would have liked him to stay around for a little longer. I kind of miss him now.

I do find comfort in the following: When you rescue cats, even if you do as little as my job allows me to do, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that it isn’t about what you might want. It’s all about doing what’s best for the cat.

Most importantly, whatever you do, you are correcting the flaw in the universe that caused the situation where the cat needed a home in the first place. You are balancing the scales.

During this entire episode, I was often praised as some kind of hero for giving Starlight a ride to his new home and nothing could be further from the truth. I appreciate the kind words and accolades, but the real heroes here are the people who stopped on their way on vacation to pluck him out of the field, Mary Anne and her husband for driving up, in the middle of the night to rescue him and save him from going to the pound, and Debi for giving him a new, forever home.

But ultimately, the real hero is Starlight himself. One would think that given the horrible condition he was found in, Starlight would have no reason whatsoever to trust humans again. But as Mary Anne can attest, even when they were cutting off the worst of the mats caked with his excrement, the only sign of displeasure he showed was grinding his teeth. The procedure had to be painful. He could have bit, scratched and fought, but he seemed to know that his long ordeal had ended and now people were helping him.

Despite everything he suffered, all the times he must have been terrified in the dark hiding from predators, he’s still a loving cat that is going to bring a lot of happiness to Debi and her family. The ability to forgive humans makes Starlight the hero. He personifies love and expresses it well.