Caged, a curiosity for languid looking
Purring to deaf ears, playing to blind eyes,
After years, she curled in the corner.
Injected, tested, excised under gas,
Waking and groggy under bright lights
After years, she shrank from human touch.
Transferred to free-range and soft lights
Swirling tails and biting sleeps
After years, she curled in highest cubby
She heard me first, then watched me
Decided, she purred and played again
After years, someone heard and saw.
My poem today is about Dotty, the cat I adopted some months ago from the cat shelter I volunteer at. She was a stray picked up by another county’s animal control and was kept in a cage there after being neutered. She at one point tested positive for FIV (cat HIV equivalent.)
Most shelters immediately euthanize cats with FIV. The shelter I volunteer at is one of the few (only?) places in MI that takes them in. Their rep has grown to a point where if a shelter has an FIV cat they will call us and if there is room we will take them. We had room. In addition to taking in the usually “doomed” cats, our shelter is free-roaming in an old ranch home that’s been fitted with plentiful cubbies, high walkways, cat beds, and other places for cats to enjoy their cat-ness.
The first thing workers noticed is that the male cats were after her as if she wasn’t neutered and discovered whomever did the surgery had left one ovary in (or it grew back?) so she had to have a second surgery to remove it.
Part of my learning in my time at the shelter (I started in 2018) is that sometimes FIV goes away on its own. Cats with it and other communicable diseases are in a separate section of the shelter. They are tested regularly for health status and at one point she began testing negative. This meant she was able to be transferred to “gen pop” which greatly increased her chances of being adopted by a family.
Only she didn’t. Get adopted by a family, that is. Week after week I’d see her, curled in her tight little ball, not interacting with anyone. Week after week, I would talk with her, pet her lightly so as not to alarm, and hope it would bring her out of her shell.
One week she saw me, uncurled, began to meow, then rolled around in her cat bed. She’d been at our shelter for a year by then, which is a long time for an adoptable cat in gen pop to be. I decided then and there that she was coming home with me – but not before she did.
Grace is today’s host for dVerse’ Open Link Night.
Tao Talk 
Such a cute story! The cat chose you. :) <3
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Cats always do the choosing <3 :)
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Aww Li! She chose the best. ❤️❤️
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:) <3
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Awww Such a sweet kitty. I’m glad she chose you to come home with. <3
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:) <3
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I love the story… and the cat. I had not heard of FIV before, but I’m glad she got a good home.
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My son and his wife started volunteering at the shelter several years ago (it’s right around the corner from where they live) and learned a lot. When I retired in 2018 I started volunteering to spend more time with them (and helping) and am learning a lot in the process. Glad you enjoyed the story, thank you.
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Brilliant.
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:) Thank you.
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Dotty-Wotty indeed; a lovely slice of your life. I liked that your explication was four times longer than the poem, and it richened the poetics. We are at an age where a new pet would out live us, so we enjoy other’s pets.
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Thank you, Glenn. I’m glad you enjoyed Dotty Wotty’s story.
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I love that you shared the backstory with us, Lisa! There is no way that adorable cat could have chosen anyone else! :)
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<3 :) Thank you, Sanaa.
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What a wonderful story Jade–I’m smiling.(K)
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:)
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Oh, this is so beautiful, the story and how you wrote the poem. So much emotion and love. The back story made me tear up especially. And Dotty is so adorable, those bright green eyes! She and Mlady still making friendly progress? :)
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:) <3 Thank you for asking, incremental moves in the right direction.
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kaykuala
I love this most poignant writeup Jade! Even the way it looks to others shows how relieved she had been. Such a noble step you’ve taken to adopt her!
Hank
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What a nice comment, Hank.
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I so enjoyed the story and backstory. We don’t keep pets in our home so I am always curious how pets & pet lovers come together. Thanks for sharing.
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Glad you enjoyed the story, Grace.
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They all have their own personalities
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Aww, this is such a sad story of an animal being mistreated. I’m glad you’re her happy ending.
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Yes it is exactly that. I’m glad she’s out of that mess now.
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👍💜
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A wonderful poem of compassion and love for the rejected. Thank you for the great back story! it was so interesting to hear what all she went through!
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Thank you, Dwight. Every cat at the shelter has a bio, some worse than others.
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Are your two getting along better now…have they worked it out?
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Baby steps in the right direction. Sometimes they get within inches of each other and that is saying something. How is Martha doing??
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I’m glad they are inching their way into peace… Martha is great…wants to play constantly.
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She can pull you on an inner tube or sled this winter :)
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Oh yea we gotta keep her busy….she gets the zoomies…nothing like a 130 dog/puppy running amuck in your house.
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Yes, a lovely story and Dotty’s a cutie – and bravo you for recognising her adoption of you. Such a nice write too – the repetition of ‘after years’ works so well (and I’m glad it’s a happy ending this time).
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:)
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very nicely written! I really liked this!
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:) Thank you
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As you know, Lisa, our cats are rescue cats too, and I love that you volunteer at the shelter and that you adopted Dotty. The local Cat’s Protection Shelter, which happened to be in our village, sadly closed down during lockdown, although there are a few others not too far away. ‘Purring to deaf ears’ tugged at my heart. It’s the most wonderful thing when a cat chooses you out. Dotty is beautiful! .
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:) <3
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This was both heartbreaking and heartwarming: so pleased you took her in! I miss having a cat (or several) around.
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Dotty and Mlady are wonderful companions. We enjoy each other’s company, especially at night watching movies, one curled on each side of me <3 Maybe time to get yourself a furbaby again?
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Once I am sure I won’t be moving around for a while, I will!
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Enjoyed your cat’s story…glad Dotty choose a compassionate human to go home with :)
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Thanks, Lynn :)
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I needed this feel good story with a happy ending! Hope you and Dotty continue to enjoy each other’s company!
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:) Happy to hear it.
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The resolution, form first stanza to last, is excellent, not to mention heartwarming.
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Thank you for the feedback, Ken. Glad you enjoyed the heart of the story.
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Really heartwarming and you are so compassionate, perhaps a woman who can not only run with wolves but purr with cats. What an amazing connection and how animals so unloved can find a real loving place to live again.
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<3 You just made a meme!
"woman who can not only run with wolves
but purr with cats"
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A meme! Memow!
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:)
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Dotty has impecable taste!
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:)
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This is such a lovely story and evocative poem (I didn’t need to story to know what was going on, but thank you for it anyway)
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Very happy you enjoyed the story, Alexandra.
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The story that inspired your poem is so moving, an uplifting sequel because this made me so sad…”Purring to deaf ears, playing to blind eyes” but then I could see you reaching out to connect with Dotty. She is one lucky kitty cat.
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Mish thank you. There are a lot of Dottys still in shelters :(
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💖💖 I also makes poetry and i hope you read it and by the way! Great work!
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Thank you!
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