he was in foster care with helga...a beat up, half wild, old, wrecked street cat that hasn't seen a lot of gentle kindness in his life.
babe was pretty old..how old? none of us knew. but he had a bunch of health issues...most worrisome..bad teeth, bad kidneys and diabetes.
babe was lucky that helga felt sorry for him. she took him home and just wanted to ensure that he had a chance to feel love and cherished..even if only for a short time.
she told me today that while he wasn't keen on physical stuff, he was coming out and sitting next to her and enjoying being able to to hang out with her on his terms. babe had trust issues and maybe if he had longer, maybe he could have allowed more doors to human friendship open up for him.
but he was who he was..he was what life had made him. i think that he felt safe and comfortable enough to sit near her and allow the occasional pet spoke volumes about how much he was learning to trust again.
rest in peace babe, may your next life be filled with sunlight and joy.
and rest easy helga...you gave him the one thing he needed above all things..the love, understanding and security to begin to trust again even if it was so close to his life's end.