Ever since I could remember, I have been much of a cat person and I’ll confess that with pride to all my peers. But there was an imperfection in my connection with these mysterious creatures… I could genuinely never understand the true beauty for these furry felines. Beyond their habitual liking for catching the occasional rodent, it seemed they were no more than tolerant individuals, who couldn’t distinguish a scratching post from a fine leather sofa. This intolerable behavior came with a large exception for my new kitten Juniper, short for Juniperberry, who always appeared to have an excuse for such behaviors. If it isn’t enough to tell you that Juniper is blind and deaf, then I can’t wait to share with you our journey.

There is an interesting story behind how Juniper became my responsibility and later how she restored my broken faith. I promised to myself to keep records of Juniper’s appointments and pictures of progress on my cork board in my bedroom. The first note said,
“Monday, October 15, 2012 at 7:21am, I received a text message from Shelley this morning asking if it was ok to give a sick, stray kitten milk. I simply replied no, water is best.”
My father has been working for a veterinary hospital for well over twenty years now, therefore we often received many questions in regards to our friends furry companions. Shelley’s mom was clueless when it came to animals and frankly hated all kinds of domestic pets. Unfortunately, my dad was on a business trip in Cleveland for the week, however my mom had enough knowledge try to help the family get the kitten off their porch.

“Monday, October 15, 2012 at 5:41pm, another text message from Shelley saying the kitten is still there and doesn’t look well at all. My mom and I will go take a look.”

My mom and I brought a carrier to transport the kitten to my dad’s hospital. We experienced something unusual in the car, the kitten opened her mouth as if it were to cry out, but no sound came out. My mom assumed it was because she was dehydrated. She also assumed that she would be better in no time and up for adoption. Finally, she assumed we wouldn’t have to tell our father while he was away because we knew he’d be mad if we adopted another animal. Boy was she wrong with all her assumptions!

“Monday, October 15, 2012 at 7:43pm, the doctor reports came in and there wasn’t one positive thing to say. This cat was a mess! She had every type of worm disease possible, she was in fact deaf and blind, she had polyps in her throat not allowing her to breathe and she had fleas. We were being sent home with three different medicines and we scheduled a recheck. If she didn’t gain a significant amount of weight within the next week, we’d have to put her down.”

Talking on the way home with my mother, we decided it was best to let my father know about the situation. He wasn’t happy about what we got ourselves into and thanked us for ruining his trip, but I reassured him that we were only supplying a foster home till she got better. Who was I kidding though, I had already fallen in love with all her flaws.

Back at home we set up a cage in the garage since she wasn’t able to interact with our other animals until she was feeling better. Since then, my mom refers to her as “Garage Cat.” Here is where she is different and actually taught me how to be responsible. Before having “Garage Cat,” I always promised my parents I would feed the animals just so they’d let me get another one, but honestly that lasted a few days. With “Garage Cat” I knew her life depended on my support and her life was literally in my hands. This was my mess now! I needed to wake up early to go outside and give her the medicine she needed. Then after school I needed to do the same. Our bond became much stronger than me playing as her caretaker for some time. I was her mother, her eyes and her ears. I found myself out in the garage much more often. Though she didn’t feel comfortable, I loved putting her on a leash and walking her around the backyard just so I knew she felt taken care for. I’m sure she loved the thousands of pictures I made her pose for too. Surly by the time her next appointment came around and my dad came home, she’d be better than ever.

“Tuesday, October 23, 2012 at 5:30pm, Juniper gained two pounds. Enough to keep her a live for another few weeks.”

Not much has changed the past few days besides her cry. Instead of her opening her mouth with no sound coming out, now she opened her mouth with a blood curdling screech. I felt bad because she couldn’t hear herself, but personally I wish I didn’t have to experience these next couple of weeks with her. However, I stuck with her in the garage for quite some time each day and created crazy scenarios in my head. After considerable observation of my feline friend, I’ve come to wonder if she came from another world. A world where eating and resting are held in the highest admiration because they seemed to be on exceptionally good terms. I believe cats have much to teach us about their secrets. It’s obvious to anyone who has ever watched a cat sleep, that in that state, they feel remarkably safe and secure. This is the moment Juniper taught me my second lesson, that feeling safe and secure is not about denying the reality of life’s struggles, but rather learning to relax despite them.

“Thursday, November 8, 2012 at 6:30pm, Juniper has her next appointment. Results of worms came back negative and she has gained an additional four pounds.”

Dad arrived home safely and was ready to meet our new kitten that we were only providing a foster home for. He made the final call and allowed her to be brought inside under restricted conditions. I stepped up and told my parents that I would provide space for her in my room, knowing she was no longer able to be called “Garage Cat.” That was the worst mistake of all. She cried all night long and tore apart my carpet by sticking her paws out of the cage as if she was a wild lion. Juniper always seemed to knock over her water before she even got a chance to drink it. Weirdest of all, the kitty litter pan seemed to be her new bed even though we provided a new one for her. Continuous nights of her reckless noise to get out of her cage eventually led to me opening it at night and closing my doors so that she had a larger space to rome. Which, after some time resulted in scratching at my doors. After talking to my parents, my father was the first one to say Juniper could explore the house and interact with our other animals.

As predators, cats are also inclined to engage in significant spurts of physical activity. They hold extraordinary amounts of energy to stalk and pounce their pray. Juniper, being from the woods originally for six weeks before we got her, was exceptionally good at pouncing, which created a situation with our other cats. They were being under attack by Juniper. Quickly, our three other cats learned that if they jumped on a piece of furniture, Juniper would be as lost as Waldo. Occasionally my mom would say that it was time to get rid of her and even considered giving her away to be used as one of those commercial animals with a sob story to get money. I, however, got my father to push it a few more weeks because I knew he loved her too. Eventually, this kitten who we were only going to foster became ours forever.

The majority of us routinely go through each day and are out of touch with what is truly happening. We often don’t take on the world with no plans. Juniper’s final lesson that she taught me was to go through life naturally and freely. I frequently think while I have her in my arms, what would her life have been. Juniper went with the flow naturally, experiencing the worst times in the woods and the best times here with me. When Juniper’s life threw an obstacle in her way, she faced it head on, she shook it off and kept going in a different direction. She was alert to everything happening to her, even though she's deaf and blind. While we are in the present, we often look like we are partially asleep going through our daily routine. My challenge is simple, wake up and live naturally.