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Louie and Frank. One cat. Two faces. A survivor!
I need stories like this to come around from time to time. Like animals themselves, they keep me focused on the small, immediate wonders that are right in front of me, and block out the crap that seeps into view all the time, and taints my perspective.
(Click here for the CBS feature)
This rag-doll cat with two faces has just entered the Guinness Book of World Records. The cat, a resident of Worcester, Massachusetts, just turned 12 years old, a rarity for this type of creature called a Janus cat. Janus, the ancient Roman god of beginnings, of doorways, and of time, is a figure with 2 faces (looking to the future and into the past).
The condition is known as Polycephaly. It is fairly common in animals, but cats born this way rarely live beyond a few days.
This story has been all over the news today, so there is nothing original about this piece. I only wanted to grace my journal with this marvelous story, to remember it, and to be able to re-visit it.
It made me uncommonly happy, and a wee bit melancholy, too. I give much credit and words of love and encouragement to Marty Stevens, the owner who rescued the cat from certain death, and raised it into a healthy, well-adjusted companion.
Enjoy this terrific AP video. I hope it clears your mind as it did mine. (I loved his growling purr!)
This was another one of those "I need a sad movie to help me cry" days....
Images of family members, as I remember them...words like "depression" and "psychosis" and "dementia" and "heart tumor".... and an uncertain future, no matter how we dream, or make plans....
As always, I found some solace in the company of animals...or, at least, in the images of animals and the kind people who devote themselves to raising them, loving them, rescuing them, and keeping them from harm.
I have been humbled to volunteer with homeless dogs, and am resolved to step up my efforts to care for these creatures, and try to help make their lives bearable.
In the meantime, I found a little video that reaffirmed my belief that the animals in our midst, and the people who love them, make it worthwhile to get up another morning if I must. (Along with a special few who I am lucky to number among my friends)
If you are not crazy about the music in the background (no disrespect to Sarah McLachlan), do what I did, and enjoy the images with the volume turned down. Of course, if you need an emotional release, keep the music on.
More animal inspiration later this week...with a smile, as I look at a little town called Dwight, Illinois, and their annual Basset Hound Waddle.
Tomorrow....getting musically inspired, with another visit to my favorite musician, Joni Mitchell....
