Homer's Odyssey (copy)

He felt like a little puff of smoke. At two-weeks-old he stretched barely four inches from the tip of his ears to his tail. His lungs were in perfect order though, and it wasn’t until he turned toward Patricia Khuly, VMD that she noticed his infection.

Khuly mashed some cat food and milk together and placed it in front of the howling fur ball. He started to eat and she got a closer look at his eyes. They were infected and beyond healing. In order for the little kitten to live the eyes would have to be removed.

This was an ethics question Khuly did not want to face in her new position. It would be easy to ask her boss for direction, but she no longer had a superior. She was now the sole owner and operator of the budding veterinary practice.

Who would adopt a blind kitten? She would love to take the little one on but she already had a dog and all her money was tied to the new business. She would also be too busy for the one-on-one time this disability would demand. Maybe, it was more humane to end the kitten’s life.

The lovely couple who brought him in did not want him, once they heard he would be blind. Khuly saw no reason to kill the perfectly healthy kitten just because it could not see. She hit the phones calling all her cat loving friends for help.

Gwen Cooper was Khuly’s last hope. Cooper was wishy-washy when Khuly called her. She had two other cats and was living with a roommate who might not want the extra boarder. She agreed to look at the kitten as a way of being nice, but all along she knew she would say no.

When Cooper arrived, Khuly felt a little trepidation as she handed him over. She waited to see the look of disgust in Cooper’s eyes. All the others had made the same face, but Cooper smiled. Cooper then whispered a greeting and the little one started to purr. To everyone’s surprise she uttered, “I’m taking him home.”

The little black fur-ball grows up to be Homer the well traveled. His personality is totally opposite what one would imagine. He runs directly to noise. He greets everyone who comes in the door. He takes all of 15 minutes to figure out the configuration of a room. He runs full on and jumps with abandon. He is a delight!

Calling all cat owners! Homer’s Odyssey by Gwen Cooper is a must read. Each chapter opens with a picture of Homer and a quote from The Odyssey. He is truly a cat full of adventure.

Homer's Odyssey (copy)

http://maggiereads.blogspot.com/2010/10/homers-odyssey-copy.html