By Kay Luckett
It’s not how many cats a person is blessed with, but how many cats are lucky to be cared for by a real cat person. To be possessed by a cat is truly an honor. It might be a passion, a hobby, or an obsession, but it’s always about pure love and service.
In my search to meet cat lovers, I have found one of the most dedicated and committed cat servants yet. Meet Charlotte, who spoke lovingly about her cat Merlin and her enthusiasm about being interviewed for this article.
Almost an hour into our interview, and much talk about Merlin, Charlotte informed me that she has not just one but actually a family of four senior cats. Meet Merlin, Simpson, Shaun, and Maxie, four cats aged 13 to 15. They include three gingers and one black (Merlin, of course); three boys and a girl.
Add to that Charlotte’s busy schedule as a working professional counselor, former co-owner of Allegra Printers, and driving to Phoenix with her hubby Steve for specialty medical care appointments, and whew! I couldn’t resist asking Charlotte what she does in her spare time, and the answer is she spends tiime with her beloved fur-babies.
Charlotte grew up in Michigan with a family dog. Later, as an adult living in North Carolina, she experienced the sort of loneliness that only a pet can fill. She adopted Samantha, a female black cat who came to her un-neutered.
One day, Samantha bolted out the front door. When she returned home, she surprised Charlotte by giving birth to four black and white kittens.
When Samantha was four years old, a black & white kitten named Hobie arrived to keep her company. Charlotte learned her lesson and immediately took Hobie to have him fixed. Hobie and Sam got along famously and were loving companions for years.
Charlotte explained that cats just come to her. Samantha stayed for fourteen happy years. There were many more cats, including a boy named Lucy.
Currently, Merlin (age thirteen) came to Charlotte as a foster kitten from the vet. He was born without a bladder and the amazing vet operated on Merlin when he was three weeks old to construct a bladder.
Poor Merlin was supposed to wear the Cone of Shame for several weeks while he healed, but at five weeks he successfully removed the cone. He continued to grow into a very mischievous cat.
Charlotte says that Merlin is still always into something, which includes wailing at night and stealing snacks. He proudly wears his pumpkin and Santa suits for the holidays.
Charlotte’s three ginger tabbies are Simpson and Shaun (both boys), and then Maxie, their little sister. Each has a story, a personality, and a definite cat’s way of doing things.
Simpson came as a nine-month-old kitten, was diagnosed with cancer, and had his left hind leg amputated. So he’s the proud tripod kitty of the pack.
Charlotte says that Simpson purrs so loudly that when the vet tries to listen to his heart, she has to scare him to stop the purring. Then the vet can hear his heart, which beats purrrfectly. He continues to get a healthy diagnosis every year.
Shaun also arrived 15 years ago as a result of Charlotte’s service at Ark Cat Sanctuary in Parks, Arizona. She went there to help with the cats and other duties, and she met Shaun who had a URI infection. She waited until he was healed, and then took him home as a playmate for the other kitties. Ark has over 100 kittens and cats, and once again the cat magic worked: Shaun, the one cat who came forward for Charlotte, stood out among the other 100.
Maxie is the little orange tabby girl of the pack. Charlotte says at eight pounds and 14 years old, her fur is so soft, “When I pick her up, she slides thru my fingers like a mink stole”. Also affectionate, she competes with the other cats for an available lap.
Charlotte and her hubby Steve are true cat people. One summer, they had eleven cats at home while Steve was in the hospital with pneumonia.
Charlotte says it was a hard summer with four of the eleven as fosters, and that they were hard to let go of in spite of her crazy schedule between home and hospital. Love, tolerance, and lots of extra work was the code for that season.
Merlin & Shaun talking
Charlotte explains that one of the many reasons she adores felines is, “They are affectionate, and so am I.” She takes solace and comfort when petting them. For her, this is an automatic calm, no matter what’s going on.
Cats continue to seek her out, and she welcomes them with an open heart. She loves caring for them, trying to predict their wants and needs, and gets used to the oddities and demands of each unique cat.
In a world where life is as completely unpredictable as cats, aligning with their emotional and physical needs offers mutual comfort and trust. It been said that one of the highest spiritual frequencies is the purring of a cat.
Charlotte’s cat life shows how to keep them purring well into their senior years.
Meow.
