"Zereto" Beauty & Love

It seems to many that black cats do not get adopted as quickly as the other colors and combination of colors. I am not certain a statistical analysis has been run on this;  but, if you ask a veteran rescuer, a firm yes will be heard when you ask if it’s harder to adopt out the black kitties than the others.  Why this is so is not so easy to understand. That would probably take a sociologist with a PhD and a great deal of time on his hands to figure out.  Personally, I love black cats, black dogs, and little black dresses. They all work for me.

Unfortunately, when you are born in a litter of five pure black kittens, you best have something to distinguish you from the pack, or you may linger in a shelter or worse. 

Blackie was small and non-distinguished. His four other black littermates were either livelier (they probably got some coaching from mom) or had beautiful white whiskers. One even had white whiskers and cute little white eyebrows!  The adopters were swarming around her. All to the good. These babies got scooped up mighty fast.

The shelter where Blackie came from was what they call a “high-kill” shelter. This kind of shelter euthanizes cat and kitten after cat and kitten. If you aren’t adopted in three days, you are probably on to your next cat life.

It was obvious Blackie didn’t get the memo.  He just slept and slept in the back of the cage in total darkness- little black kitty in a shadowy cage.  His littermates danced, pranced and showed off their white whiskers to their best advantage.  At the end of the weekend blitz adoption palooza get rid of them all event… Blackie was just waking up.

A young woman saw the kitten. She was in her 20s with fabulous black hair and dark eyes with a hint of hazel.  She put her nose right up to Blackie (who actually was named Blackie at the time), and smiled as the kitten put a tiny paw up to her face. It was the first real movement Blackie made all weekend.

The woman hailed a hard-working, very tired volunteer. “So what happens to him now that it’s over.” The volunteer just shrugged.  The woman knew what that meant.  She crisply spoke, “OK - Box!”

The volunteer didn’t like this woman’s attitude. After all, she appeared to want a box to put Blackie in, without signing any adoption papers or seeing if she herself wouldn’t be a worse fate for the kitten! Kaley saw the volunteer’s weary and wary look.  “OK, OK… bring them on! All the forms & the personality tests, and what have yous. You see, I have black hair and this kitten isn’t going to go over that Rainbow Bridge without someone who understands black and not until he’s good and ready.”

The mention of the Rainbow Bridge - the code word that every good animal rescuer knows alludes to dying - made the volunteer smile a bit. She figured if this girl knew about the Rainbow Bridge, she couldn’t be all that bad.  Blackie probably wouldn’t make it to next week’s adoption palooza anyway.

Kaley signed the papers, paid the $100.00 for the neutered and vetted kitten. She was giddy with a certain sort of self-satisfaction, for saving another little one.  Yet, this little one seemed so quiet. He just looked at her like he adored her; like he knew all along there was no need for prancing. Kaley was on her way.

Once in the car, she spoke “OK Mister, first the name. Ummmmm…. Blackie? No, no… not for you.  You’re a lover not a fighter. Anyone can see that!  Mother will be proud of our little - Zereto!! Sweet loving Zereto!”

So an ordinary black kitten ready for a one way trip over the Rainbow Bridge with no one to meet him or wait for became Zereto, the sweet, loving kitten.  Soon Kaley and her mother, Maggie, would understand just how powerful beauty and love can be. Zereto would show them emphatically as he too joined the Abbottsford Cats.



"Zereto Studies" PhotoArt @2010 Kim Yvonne Cady