3. CONSISTENT KINDNESS CAN SOFTEN EVEN A WILDCAT.
As much as I will cherish the memories here, right now they are still tangible, in the clean mountain air, the birds calling in the woods, the garden squash that is growing so fast we can watch it, and the white barn cats that meander around the property, teasing the dogs inside the fence.

The barn is a 3 story, split level, and once housed cows, horses and pigs. It is now used to store all of the equipment necessary for property upkeep. Through the cracks in the planks and underneath the barn, there lives a family of 4 all-white cats, 2 generations. I have been told that it is not possible to have 2 generations of all-white cats, but whoever said this had not explored all of the wildcat possibilities, like in-breeding, mother and son. All-white.

They earn their keep and hold down the population of chipmunks, mice and even bunnies on the property, but not without reward. GrammaBeth goes out every day to feed them. When she is running late, or has other pressing engagements to attend, they all pace along the back fence, even wandering silently onto the back deck, impatiently staring down the house.

It was not always like this. These are WILD cats. Years ago, they kept their distance, and never came out of the barn floor in the daylight. GrammaBeth decided that if they were going to remain, they would have to be vaccinated. She strategically placed cages from the vet, caught each one individually, had them vaccinated, then released again.

They were devastated. You could say they were madder than a… well, a wildcat.

They gave her the silent treatment for a few years. The silent and distant treatment. Of course she still patiently fed them every morning, but they would not come out from under the barn and eat until she was gone. After awhile, one of the younger ones that just did not know better, would allow her to be in his presence while he ate. It took several seasons for the cats to allow her back into their trust, to watch them eat, to share their space, and eventually to even give a pat on the head. Now they come out every morning to tease the dogs and play.

3. CONSISTENT KINDNESS CAN SOFTEN EVEN A WILDCAT.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 20th, 2009 at 11:03 pm and is filed under friendship, home Life, parenting, values. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.