Hope relaxes

I’m cat-sitting for a few days. The cat in question is Hope, pictured above.

Hope is very friendly and super-talkative, meowing and running over as soon as one comes in the front door. She runs very quickly, which doesn’t seem strange unless you know she has only three legs.

My neighbor got Hope from a shelter, where she’d been rescued. She’d had some sort of accident, and her right front leg had to be removed. She was very thin and sort of skittish — not surprising, considering the situation.

That was years ago. Now she’s wondrously fluffy and astoundingly nimble, leaping easily onto and off the couch and bounding after toys.

I like visiting with her, but when I have to leave I feel terribly sad and guilty — not only because I hate leaving her all by her lonesome, but also because I’m always reminded how little time I spend sitting and playing with my own cats.

Fortunately, they all seem to forgive me my absences, and every day I can look forward to opening the door to see a little cat face waiting for me.

(Photo credit: Hope relaxes, originally uploaded by cynthiacloskey.)