Saint Thor

I am a cat person. Thought I ought to get that out there first. I love cats of all kinds, colors, breeds and personalities. So, it is probably no surprise that I find lessons to learn in my interactions with them. At present I have three cats but this story just involves my two boy cats.

Boe isn't my kittie, actually. He belongs to my son. We've had Boe for 11 years and recently discovered that he has cancer. There wasn't any hope of eliminating his cancer so we decided to make him as happy and comfortable as possible until the inevitable comes. I've fed him homemade cat food and given him numerous herbs to help his situation. Nothing about Boe's peaceful and sweet demeanor has changed. It would be hard to even know he has cancer except for the large tumor on his leg. A tumor which has recently evolved into a large oozing sore. I'll spare you the details on that except to say that along with the blood and fluid there is a particularly unpleasant smell emanating from Boe these days. I have to wash his bedding daily and he's sometimes challenging to be around because of the way he smells.

In addition to Boe we have a little young, feisty Manx named Thor. Thor was found on the corner of a busy intersection in a snowstorm. We don't know much more about him other than he was a baby when he was found and he is slightly deformed. His spine is crooked and his body curves at his backside. When he walks he looks like his back legs are trying to get ahead of the rest of his body. He's ornery and loud and a little gross. And he's adorable.

Boe is a pacifist. He is kind to everyone. His endomorphic body gives away his love of food and leisure. We're pretty sure Thor has ADHD. He will, on impulse, jump on one of the other cats for a tussle or run streaking through the room so fast that he can't stop and slam into a wall. We love them both.

When we first brought Thor home to live with us he was sick. He had a major kittie cold complete with lots of green nose mucus. Boe was kind to him. I wouldn't say he planned to be best friends, but he was gracious. Over time Thor would climb in the cat bed with Boe and they would snuggle up to sleep. Boe never looked like this was his first choice but he tolerated Thor. Boe's cancer has affected some of his habits, however, and one is sleeping in the cat bed. He has abandoned that location for other, presumably more comfortable locations.

As Boe's smell has become more unpleasant we have tried to be kind and still interact with him. At first the other cats kept their distance. My heart broke for Boe as he loves physical touch and interaction. We tried to keep our human interaction going, although it was difficult at times. But, I knew Boe needed the interaction of his kittie siblings. One day, I noticed that Boe was lying in the sun and really, the heat wasn't doing anything to help his odor. Thor walked up to him and I watched and anticipated the need to shoo Thor away from Boe if he started wrestling with him. But Thor didn't wrestle. He gently licked Boe's head. I watched in awe as Thor lovingly groomed his terminally ill, unpleasant smelling, senior cat friend. Boe embraced the affection as he closed his eyes and purred a thank you.

I had a new hero.

I've watched the same interaction a few times and yesterday, as Boe was having a particularly tough day, I watched Thor settle in for a nap right next to him. They did their cat thing and slept all day side by side all day. Being near Boe took an act of bravery yet Thor snuggled next to him for hours.

Thor, for all of his Thorness, has demonstrated love in a way so many humans seem unable to do. He has loved Boe in his last days with gentleness and care but also in a way that appears to say that he doesn't even notice Boe's affliction. He reminds me of those Saints who wanted to kiss the sores of lepers. A practice that, frankly, never really appealed to me!

The end is coming soon. More quickly than I'm ready to face. Thor knows it too and I believe his saintly behavior toward Boe is his way to say goodbye. When Boe's time is up he will know that his human family loved him but he will also know his kittie buddy loved him too. What sweeter way is there to end a live well lived.