2003
The kitty showed up at the kitchen door of our Greek island farmhouse and didn’t hesitate for a second when I offered him a meaty meal along with our other house cats. The pure white kitty, about a year old, glanced around our place and obviously decided it would be suitable to his needs. After eating his fill of chicken, he headed right to our bed.
2004
Everyone, young and old, took to the new kitty. Always cooperative and easygoing, he developed into a gentleman cat. He never asked for special favors and wasn’t hard to please. In summer we noticed the tips of his ears sunburned easily, so we applied a powerful sunscreen.
2005
As soon as the summer sun intensified, his ears lost fur. His ears stayed shocking pink for four months. White cats are not native to arid Greece and are more prone to sunburn, the volunteer vet explained to me. They have a higher incidence of developing skin cancer, particularly around the ears. Despite the color of his ears, the kitty remained a handsome lad.
2007
The volunteer veterinarian judged his situation as critical and told us his condition necessitated he move to a cooler climate. There was no time to spare. The cat couldn’t stand the harshness of another Greek summer and it was fast approaching. The vet made a few phone calls, starting with volunteer animal rescue organizations abroad …
One of eleven stories in Almost Perfect: Disabled Pets and the People Who Love Them by Mary A. Shafer
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