by Ginny Brancato
It was June 11th, Wednesday. The phone rang and a Ted, Guardian to Fred,was calling to renew his kitty's Rainbow Bridge Residency. We spoke awhile and Ted talked of Fred's life and their memories together.
It was apparent how much Ted was still
grieving. After we spoke I visited Fred at Rainbows Bridge and the
image of the beautiful all white kitty stared back at me.
Not a half hour later I was on my way to my sister Annette's house.
Annette lives less than ten minutes from me. When I called to tell her I was on my way Annette said, "Oh, guess what meowed at my door last night, a stray cat."
When I got to Annette's house there by the door was this all white
kitty, who could have been Ted's Fred! I was astonished at the resemblance. It was incredible.What are the chances of encountering two completely white cats in less than a half hour?
We put the cat inside Annette's house with food, (the poor thing was
starving). Annette and I decide we would find this kitty a home but I knew I just had to email Ted.
Later that day l emailed Ted the story, never even thinking about where he lived? I couldn't believe it when I saw he lived less than an hour and half away from me!
About 6pm Annette called to tell me her landlord was in a rage
because she had a cat there. No pets were allowed he said and he was "going to 'get rid of it." After much arguing she put the cat in a carrier and brought him to my home.
Fri. 7/13/01
I took digital photo's of the kitty and sent them to Ted. How uncanny!
You could barely tell which cat was who? Fred had two different color eyes and this cats eyes were yellow. Only difference. So I thought!
Fri. 7/13/01
Ted emailed me back and said he wanted the kitty. He had been to Petco
earlier and had seen this little all white six week old kitty. When he got my email about the kitty that found us, that looked just like Fred, he felt it was an omen. I told Ted I had taken the cat to my
vet and he was given a check up and his shots. He had a a few scratches and a ring around his neck, like someone squeezed him too hard. It was obvious this kitty was abused. He was so thin but otherwise we had a fairly healthy cat. (Please know, Annette
and I both knocked on doors and asked if any white kittens were being
looked for. Though we doubted this cat came from a loving home we still had to ask.)
And...the vet told me HE was a SHE! I named her Angel Baby, an angel
sent to Ted, my daughter called her Casper. Ted didn't have a name yet.
7/15/01 Sunday
I made arrangements for Angel to be spayed. Lisa, my daughter would take her to the vet and I would pick her up. Lisa would give her the medicine to deworm her the vet gave (as a routine precaution).
I already had plans to visit my son in NJ for the week so I left Angel
in loving hands with my daughter, Lisa. We gave her the medicine the first two days and the darling was so good, she didn't like it but she never scratched or hissed at us. The whole time we both had Angel we couldn't get her out from under the bed. When we did, she purred like
crazy. She was a sweet little thing and I felt such a loving bond
towards her, it was obvious she had not known the inside of a home and that she was afraid of people and had been hurt by someone.
7/18/01 Wednesday
Lisa dropped Angel off at the Vets to be fixed. Everyone raved at her
beauty and how sweet she was.
7/20/01 Friday
I drove back from NJ and picked Angel up at the vets. Her little belly
was shaved but she was fine. Ted and I had made arrangements that I would drive down on Tuesday morning to bring him his Angel girl. We all were so excited.
7/24/01 Tuesday
It was 9 am and Lisa and I were on our way to CT to Ted's home, with
Angel in the carrier. I stopped at the Post office and when I got back in the car, Angel bolted from the carrier and the car. With Lisa and I in a panic she ran across the street and almost got hit by two cars. It was a nightmare. We searched for hours. We couldn't find her. We went back every few hours to search, no Angel. I went home made up 100 fliers and Lisa and I put them in every mail box on the streets where we saw her last. We tacked the fliers up on poles and put one in the nearby stores, banks and the post office. I even called the newspaper and put an ad in Lost and Found. The hardest thing to do though was to call Ted to tell him we had lost his "Rosi. That was what he was going to name her because that was Fred's mothers name. I had the sinking feeling Ted didn't believe me, maybe he thought I was going to keep the cat, I don't know but he was wonderful, saying he was very very upset but he had faith we would find her.
7/25/01 Wednesday
We searched up and down the streets again for hours. We went in the
fields nearby. We were outside in 100 degree weather for hours at a time. We called her name a hundred times. No site of her.
7/26/01 Thursday
We searched again most of the day on and off. Annette helped me too. We found streets we didn't know existed. It was all very very upsetting. I didn't get much sleep. Ted had emailed me to please find his little girl. He said he had a place in his heart for her already and that he was not giving up hope. I kept praying we would find
this kitty so she could be where she belonged. To Ted.
7/26/01 Thursday evening
Every time the phone rang I jumped hoping for news. It was 10pm. I was working at the computer. I remember it all so vividly. I got up, talking out loud and prayed. "Lord, you know my heart, this cat was meant for Ted, I know that. Please answer my prayer. Please help me find her. I walked from the computer room down the hall and back
and then the phone rang. I knew, I just knew! It was a woman on the phone. "I think we have your missing cat here in my yard," she
said. All I could say was "Thank you Lord." I was there within 5 minutes. But "Rosi" had gone. I taken a flashlight with me and just
then we spotted her. I brought cat food with me and when I saw her I
started talking to her and she came right to me!! She knew me. She was purring. I scooped her up in my arms, ever so thankful. The poor thing was filthy dirty and again starving. I was ever so thankful to be holding this kitty angel to me, hugging and kissing her ears.
The woman who called said her son had read the flier. And told his
mother the white cat was in their yard.
This time the email to Ted was happy news! We had exchanged Email every day. Ted hoping for good news. Now we all were thrilled. Ted said he knew we would find her and we made plans he was to drive to my home on Friday morning to get his new daughter "Rosi."
7/27/01
I will never forget that moment when Ted finally got to meet his baby
girl, He took one look at her, took a deep breath, sighed, and lovingly took his Rosi in his arms. " i't's OK my little girl, he said, we have one more stop for home and it's all over."
To see the love, the connection was all worth everything. Even the poison ivy Lisa and I have all over us, from looking in the fields for Rosi!
A Discovery:
7/29/01
Ted has kept in touch to let us know that Rosi is going slow, not coming out from under the bed too often but when she does, she purrs happily. His other cat Newt, in Ted's words, "thinks he is seeing the ghost of Fred!" Newt and Rosi are adjusting but Ted discovered that Rosi, is stone deaf. That will explain, possibly why she never came when we called. The poor thing was not only a stray, starving, scared and abused but she also was not able to hear upcoming danger to protect herself. Rosi may not be able to hear the sound of love but I know for certain she has felt much love in the arms of Ted.
7/30/01
I received another phone call. "I think I have your missing white cat
here" she said, but she is not all white. Pretty little kitty. No, I replied, we have found our angel. But then I remembered reading an ad the week before that had been placed. Someone had placed an ad looking for a "white cat with a little gray." I grabbed the paper to get the number to give it to her. Do I have to tell you the rest??
So now we know WHY Rosi HAD to get lost before she went to Ted. My sister was right when she said, "Ted HAS to name her Rosi because
she sure gave us the 'ring around the Rosi '!! And...Ted told me that Rosi was indeed meant for him. Fred's mother had also bolted from a car and gotten lost!
This is the wonderful love story of a little kitty someone threw away. A little kitty who has come to make a difference in so many lives. The story of "Little ring around the Rosi" the little angel sent to Ted.
Please visit Fred at his Rainbow Bridge Residency and send a note to Ted if you wish.
Though we can never nor would we want to replace the furbaby or
feathered angel that has gone on ahead to Rainbow Bridge, we can open our hearts and our homes to love another. There is a saying that for every baby gone onto to Rainbow Bridge another angel is sent to earth. May each of you be so fortunate to encounter another Angel in your lives.