Rainbow Bridge: Paddy Memorial

When a beloved fur child crosses the Rainbow Bridge, I offer a memorial and celebration of the life of Paddy O' Roberts in a consultation/communication facilitated by international anim

al communicator Tim Link (www.wagging-tales.com/tipslostpetspetloss/lossofapet.html)

Paddy was a former outdoor community cat cared for by employees of HPES in 2010. He adapted to home living with me, thus I offer an example of the nature of community cats. I am grateful to the employees of HPES in 2010 who gave him sustenance, and the anonymous Trap-Neuter-Return operators who returned him to his home turf. I am grateful to the many community cat advocates and the kind compassionate people who care for outdoor cats. I hope Paddy's life will be an inspiration. I offer this episode as a testimony to eternal soul and the loving universe that created us and to whom we return, and the joy that this blessed fur being gave me for 15 years. Thank you.

Paddy's life met a crossroads at several times. First, the TNR group, who is unknown, had neutered/Spayed the litter who were born in a storm drain near EDS Drive in Herndon. Paddy was one of the cats who made a home outdoors, perhaps in the school yard or office parks in that area, and ultimately in the HPES parking garage. I tell this story to inspire and guide other people to care for community cats and consider their potential. Not every cat outdoors will adapt to home life. I believe Paddy's soul journey, and the human interaction he had in his early years, improved his odds of becoming a home pet.

I was a newer employee working in the proposal group. I parked my car and as I closed the car door, I saw sweet green eyes in a fluffy face looking down at me from the ramp above me. "Hello Sweet Pea" I said. The cat was so pretty, I did not know whether female or male. As days and weeks went on, I discovered other employees knew him and many were putting out food. I learned that a litter of kittens had been born in a storm drain and that the cat was likely one of those. He lived in the upper ramps of the garage and a female cat known as "Snowball" due to her white fur, lived in the lower levels. I observed him, and saw he had a limp. I feared he had been hit by a car and I decided to humanely trap him and get him veterinary care.

I consulted with Tim Link, Wagging-Tales, who had assisted me with his ability to communicate with animals, when my pet cat Tiger from Chicago ran away in Middleburg. Tim suggested that I name the cat "Patty" or "Paddy", thus when I discovered he was male, we called him "Paddy".

Paddy was seen around the HP campus. One of the most endearing habits was when he sat under the blooming cherry trees near the employee entrance. He watched people going to work along the path from the parking garage to the employee entrance. He seemed to be supervising them.

There were many twists and turns along the way. My supervisor caught wind of what was going on and observed me closely, sometimes sitting in her car to watch me when I left. I didn't know how he survived on the weekends, but I saw him going in and out of the garage, and often on the ledge watching the birds. I observed his playful nature, when a leaf blew through the garage, he played with it, and that was a sign to me that he had a playful nature. I put out a box for shelter, and in it, a towel and canned cat food to make it more tempting. I got trained in how to set and use a humane cat trap. I left an open and propped trap in the box, and one night, set the trap trigger plate to close the door when the cat entered. . He was trapped in the first try and I took him to a vet. That is when the first mistake started.

A well meaning friend referred me and took me to a holistic vet. In the office, the vet balked and said he didn't treat "ferals". Paddy got out of the carrier and went into a trash bin in the office. I recovered him, but didn't know what to do next. I turned to a rescue who had guided me, and she took him into her staging room with her other rescued cats. She took him to a cat specialist vet, where they removed clumps of fur and ticks. He is a long haired boy, and there we discovered he had been neutered. The typical clipped left ear was not a obvious clip, the left ear clip is the sign trappers use to identify outdoor cats who have been fixed. It is painless and identifies cats who have been fixed to cat colony caretakers. She and others advised me that Paddy would not adapt to indoor life due to his age, about 1 year old, and that he had never been indoors. She offered to release him into her barn. It was May, and she said it was urgent timing to get him there and acclimated before the summer heat.

I brought him into my rented home, and put him in a separate bedroom. A friend advised me that he had intelligent eyes and that he was special. I did not have a crystal ball to view the future, but in faith, I took a step. I told him that it was up to him, and allowed him to leave the room and told him to make up his mind about what he wanted. I had two cats at the time, both of whom had been outdoors. One was TiggerToo, a cat that was rescued by a neighbor in Middleburg because he resembled my cat who had run away, and because he had been sleeping in her tool shed and watching her family longingly from her yard. The other was my late husband's cat, Elvis, who had lived with him in Middleburg and Louisiana, and who had been indoor/outdoor.

Two or more weeks went by. Paddy hid in boxes in the basement. I took him food on the same feeding schedule as the others. I dangled toys in the boxes and talked to him. He had a litter box accessible and fortunately, used it. Then he emerged on his own terms. He ventured upstairs and sat on the slatted open steps and "Spit" at me. He started to cruise near the kitchen. One day I heard a loud meow by Elvis. Paddy came face to face with him, and Elvis showed him who was boss. Paddy was mentored by wise and feisty Elvis, a big black cat with advanced hyperthyroidism. Paddy acted food- and Elvis- possessive, and blocked the door to the kitchen when I went in to feed Elvis. I lay on my back and showed him a submissive pose, like a cat would do. Eventually, he accepted food when Elvis was fed, or a random pet when Elvis was being petted, and one day, I turned around in the kitchen door and he came up my leg with love in his eyes.

That was the turning point.

The next life change was that Elvis transitioned in our home with a home visit vet, in my lap, with Paddy next to him to say goodbye. That is when Johnny came into our lives.

Johnny is a loving tabby who wandered into Carol's barn on New Years Day. 2012 and was named "Hoppin Johnny" for the meal associated with New Years day. He was Paddy's age, and although had no ID or chip, was a gentle soul that was destined for someone's home. He was the perfect companion for Paddy, who needed another cat his equal or better, to keep him from reverting to his feral ways. Johnny and Paddy were immediately compatible, a very rare occurrence indeed, for two cats with an outdoor history.

Paddy paid it back to Elvis by mentoring other cats. Shailaputri was a young all black female, alone, who wandered into my colony. She bonded with an older male cat in the community, and when my trapping/neutering time came, I took her to the West Ox Shelter for the TNR clinic. The vet who did her surgery discovered that she had been bitten in the flank. I decided to home her, and she bonded with Paddy who mentored her as Elvis had mentored him. Her name, Shailaputri, is the name of a Hindu goddess, due to her rescue on the day of the Hindu festival known as "Navratri" (nine goddesses).

RAINBOW BRIDGE POEM: Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.