22/08/2025
Lots going on here this week with donkey floats, farrier visits, hay, feed and shavings deliveries, repairs of various kinds, etc., but these busy days have also been laced with some sadness.
My love of animals started when I was very little, growing up in NYC without a clue about how wonderful donkeys are. At age 5, I got my first wonderful cat, Muffy, from a NYC rescue. My dad and I brought her home on a MTA bus in a little cardboard carrier with holes in the top, and for me, there was no looking back. Except for the couple of months right after Muffy died, I've never been without a cat, and usually more than one. House cats, barn cats, feral cats...over the years, it's a long list of wonderful feline friends. One very special cat, Ellie, will always be one of the most memorable.
Ellie was born without eyes and suffered from constant infections in the open sockets. She was a stray kitten on Philly streets where kids were throwing rocks at her and her litter mates. A rescue stepped in and got her the medical care she needed. I wasn't looking for another cat at the time. On a routine errand, I was at a PetSmart picking up dog food and saw her sitting on an end cap shelf, her little eyelids still sutured together with tiny blue stitches. "Smitten" didn't begin to capture my reaction and Ellie's participation in that adoption event came to a sudden end. It was around Christmastime and to honor that, I named her Noel but called her Ellie, often Ellie Belly.
Despite her blindness, she was the happiest, most full of life cat I've ever known. When she was 4, she got a huge sore on her throat that a vet at the time wrongly believed to be life-threatening. It turned out to be just an abscess that eventually resolved with general wound care. Around 3 years later, Ellie began to show severe signs of Pancreatic Enzyme Insufficiency, rare in the feline world, and that began many years of complicated feeding and medicines to keep her in good weight.
Ellie was way more than worth all the complications. She was always the very best patient, willing to do whatever was asked of her. Sweet, kind and adorable, she always melted hearts at the vet's office, none more than mine. But she was a force to be reckoned with and would put up her little dukes and swat at the air to ward off any other creature who offended her in some way. She was afraid of nothing. She knew every bed height, the number of stairs and the exact location of every piece of furniture in the house. She regularly visited the bathroom faucet stepping first on a little trash can, then the radiator and eventually the sink where she would triumphantly drink the water and play in it until she was ready, on her own (!), to jump down, launching herself into darkness toward a floor which she could not see.
Ellie slept with me every night, usually pushed up against me or under the blankets. Her funny little cackle was endearing. She answered me when I called her name and would come to me from wherever she was. She loved to cuddle. Ellie died in my arms this past Monday morning. Heartbroken to say the least but I'm very thankful for every minute I was given to enjoy this special little friend. These amazing creatures are gifts from God.
Cherish your pets. Cats, dogs, donkeys, horses, whoever they are. Their last day will come. Love them through it. They need you with them. And then keep your heart open to the next ones who need you. Honor their memory by loving others. Rescue.
