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White Out
November 13, 2012, 9:00 am by Staff Reports
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These were the first words spoken about White Out by Carolyn when I readopted him in January of this year.
Now, let’s turn back in history. It was just a few weeks after 9/11 and no one knew what the economy was going to do.
Nonetheless, my ex and I made an offer on a home - the last house on the SE edge of Marble Falls. We closed in December 2001, and even before moving in, we had Lance Gorsen and Frank Feist working on a major remodel.
One week into it, when we stopped by to check on progress, they told us, "This white cat showed up. It’s really hungry, but it is friendly and has a giant purr.”
Obviously, someone had dumped him near our house.
So, we started feeding him on our porch, and, after taking him in for shots and neutering, he became a loving fixture in our lives. He sure was oriented toward crawling in our laps whenever
we sat on our front porch, and purring so much that he drooled! Well, divorce happens. moved into a you-can-hear-gunfire-in- the-night apartment in Austin and my ex was in a difficult
situation. She and I lived in a popular place for the lowlifes of Marble Falls to dump their unwanted animals. So the kitties would show up on our porch - terrified and really, really hungry.
Then they would spy White Out’s catfood, and it would be Game Over. Soon we would be taking in another cat to get shots and to be fixed.
I took three cats with me to Gunshotland, and my ex was left with nine outside cats. Since she didn’t want to be known as the Cat Lady of Marble Falls, she went all out to find homes for these
guys (they were all males). White Out got lucky - he got to give live with Harold and Kathleen.
Then Harold had a bad bicycle accident and Kathleen had to triage her responsibilities.
So White Out got to move back in with me, now in my own home in Austin. He has been such a joy this past year. Every night he joins me in bed, usually purring next to my torso. And when I am working in my office, he is never more than a few feet away. Today I noticed he was breathing
with difficulty. I called Carolyn and she said she would meet me at her office after she went
to a play with a friend. White Out’s little heart was beating so fast that she could not detect distinct beats. She xrayed him, and his lungs and plural cavity were filled with fluid. I told her I didn’t want to prolong this. So she lit a candle and played a beautiful mantra, while I poured my love into this
white cat.
They do touch us at the tenderest points, don’t they? - Stan Peyton
220 South Main St., Burnet, TX 78611 - Phone: (512)756-6136