Bonnie’s family cat had two kittens. The largest and prettiest was named Methuselah, and Bonnie’s three-year-old sister, Barbara Jo, named the small, black, unassuming female, Blackie-Jo. They almost rehomed Blackie, but the three-year-old was heart-sick over losing her favorite kitten, so they kept it. The young family did not realize that their decision was a lifesaving moment.
Blackie was sweet, calm and
a patient nanny, purr-fect for a home with small children. She purred nonstop, and no one heard her meow.
The little girls couldn’t resist dressing their kitty up in their baby clothes. Then the trio was seen, proudly walking around the neighborhood with their ‘baby’ in a doll buggy.
“Blackie liked the buggy rides,” said Bonnie. “So, for her comfort we cut a hole in the back of the buggy for her tail to hang out (but of course!) and wheeled her around showing off our
precious kitty.”
Their parents, especially the father who was not a cat lover, took for granted how special the quiet kitty was, until the family was asleep and the clocked ticked to 2 a.m.
“Out of character and much to the dismay of my sleeping parents, Blackie jumped up and down on the bed (where she wasn't exactly welcomed) until my father put her out the bedroom door,” said Bonnie. “As he started to fall back to sleep, our quiet little insignificant
kitty let out a bellow that would have made a mountain lion proud! At first, my parents thought it was a siren and sat bolt upright. Blackie kept up her huge ruckus until it awakened everyone. By then, Dad was aroused enough to smell gas from a bad leak from the old rickety gas furnace. Alarmed, Mom and Dad ran to our bedroom, scooped us up and ran us over to the neighbors.
Dad returned home and opened all the windows and doors and turned off the
gas.
Everyone was amazed how close we had come to death because my father smoked, and like a lot of smokers, he would wake up to an early morning cigarette. ‘One flick of a lighter and your whole house would have blown,’ the furnace repairman said. ‘Your cat saved you from all being asphyxiated by the gas leak by morning, or the explosion.’
What a miracle, and from that day on my gruff dad adored that little kitty.
We all gained a greater appreciation from that
experience for things that seem small, calm and insignificant. My parents often shared our family’s hero story with friends, as Blackie sat among us, humbly and ever so quietly purring. When Blackie passed at age 13, it was the only time I saw my stoic father cry.”
Enjoy this story of the wonder cat Blackie ... it once again proves that the words "dumb animal" refers to its inability to verbally talk, not its mental capabilities.
NOTE: Blackie’s
sibling, Methuselah, lived a very long and uneventful life for 18 plus years (much like his Biblical namesake).
