Life and Squeaky Toys
Little Moose reacclimating to the tube after losing his eyesight and many hours
with me playing with him so he can feel comfortable in it.
Have I told you that our new kitten Mustafar (a.k.a. Little Moose) suddenly went blind and is probably facing terminal illness? I have been dealing with a lot, but I am determined to give Little Moose love and a happy home. My plate is full.
Say what you want about Walmart, but there is one less than two minutes from my house, and the people who work there are nice to me, and I can get things I need quickly which is important for an over extended working mom. (My upcoming art book will talk about demystifying the role of the artist, mom, and worker. Life is fucking life.)
I went to the corner Walmart tonight to get cat food and noisy cat toys for Little Moose because I have been spending the weekend teaching him to play in his favorite tube and find his toys. Since he is now blind, toys that make noise are the best. I bought a bunch of jingle balls, a squeaky mouse, and a feather hangy thing.
I told the clerk at the store about our little blind kitten that suddenly went blind and very likely won't live long. Then I told her about Marlowe and his tragic early death.
She said the stories of the kittens were so sad, but that she was so glad I was taking care of them. I looked down at the huge pile of cat toys and said, "He is very loved." Then I said that no matter what, these kittens were going to have to live and die with their diseases, but at least they will have spent their short lives in a home filled with love.
Moose with his Favorite Toy soaking in the Tube Aura
When I got home, I spread the balls around, and Moose was so happy chasing them. He even chased them through the tube. I tied the hangy feather thing to one of the cat scratchers. Luth was pissed and resentful that she didn't get a squeaky feather toy all her own, so I went back to Walmart and bought four more, one for each cat post, and an extra just for Luth. I had taken the video of Moose playing with his toy. I explained that I needed to buy more toys and showed the clerk the video of Moose playing with the toy she just rung me out for.
The clerk called all the other clerks over to watch the video. They all circled around me, smiled and loved the story. Every single one of them. It made them so happy to see the little blind kitten who we are loving.
So this story may make it into my art book one day with paintings of the clerks. But damn, if they didn't make me feel better. They made me feel good for loving this poor little guy and giving him happiness. Here is Little Moose hanging out in his tube which he has been reacquainted with through my new skill of "blind cat training" and resting with his all time favorite toy -- the pink boa on a stick with a bell.
Doing the best I can under difficult circumstances! Loving critters in need helps. I gently washed his eyes before I wrote this.