I like cats. At the time of this writing I have 13 cats. When I began accumulating animals I started with cats.
I had nearly all of the cats I have now before I even began to collect dogs. All of my animals are strays and
rescues of the unwanted and abandoned variety. Most of the animals I rescue go straight to the animal
shelter, but occasionally one of them will manage to worm itself into my heart and I simply am forced to keep
it. Usually, I will keep a cat or dog if it is surmised to be not adoptable. Although I like dogs, I am not overly
crazy about them, but I do like cats.
So does Amy. She likes cats too. Amy asked for a cat, and eventually she was allowed to have one. Amy
was allowed to choose from among a litter of abandoned kittens. She chose a gray male. The name that
Amy gave her kitten was a little weird, but more about that later. Nonetheless, Amy got what she had always
wanted, albeit the kitten was of the Manx variety, in that he had no tail.
I have 13 cats of which one, Thumper, is a Manx. Like most of his variety he is very gregarious and is a little
bit of a prankster. Amy’s cat was the same, very playful and full of mischief. Amy was very pleased with her
choice of pet and proved to be a tender caregiver and responsible provider.
Amy herself has special needs. For one thing Amy cannot speak. The only way Amy can communicate is
through sign language. Amy can hear, however, she just cannot talk. Usually, we associate sign language
with the deaf, but occasionally someone is born who has the ability to hear but simply cannot speak.
Sometimes the problem is with the larynx, the so-called “voice box,” but there are other reasons.
Even though Amy cannot speak she can communicate well enough through sign language to get along
okay. There was a time when people who could not hear and could not speak were referred to as “deaf and
dumb.” In today’s society that phrase is not used. The word “dumb” carries with it the connotation of “lack
of intelligence.” We know that deaf people definitely do not lack intelligence. Amy definitely does not lack
intelligence. But as I have already said Amy does have special needs, and her needs require that she have
her own caretaker.
Amy named her kitten “All Ball.” It is unclear how she derived that name, but it is a name that she made up
herself. I myself have referred to a kitten as a “ball of fur,” so perhaps Amy saw the kitten as a ball of fur,
and thus the name.
Amy is an animal lover, as so many of us are. Her favorite television show is “Wild Kingdom.” Her favorite
movie is “Free Willy.” She loves to play with animal toys. Amy loves looking at pictures, and her favorite?
You guessed it: kittens. Thus, we understand why she wanted one.
Amy managed to keep All Ball for only a little over a year. One day All Ball got away, and was hit and killed by
a car in the street. We’ve all had a similar experience. It is a difficult thing to experience the demise of a
loved one. It is equally difficult to experience the demise of a beloved pet. I have had to deal with the
experience of losing a pet many times, so I know how it is. Amy is no different. She grieved over the loss
of her beloved pet, and she communicated as much to those around her through the use of sign language.
From the gestures she made and the words she formed with her hands it was clear that Amy had been
greatly affected by the loss.
Amy. Amy is not her real name, of course. Amy is the name of a character portrayed by an actor in a movie.
The character in the movie is modeled after the Amy of whom we have been speaking, whose real name is
Koko. There is a movie that portrays someone with Koko’s traits and abilities, and the character in that
movie is named “Amy.” Koko is real. Amy is not. Amy is the name of the gorilla in the movie “Congo” – you
know, the gorilla who could speak with the use of sign language. Amy was modeled after a real gorilla who
can indeed communicate through the use of sign language. The real gorilla is Koko. Koko is a gorilla who
lives in Woodside, California. Her trainers have taught her sign language, of which she knows more than a
thousand words, and she understands over two thousands spoken words as well. So Koko is real. All Ball
was real, also. He was a real cat, and Koko really requested a cat, and really picked the cat out of a litter of
abandoned kittens. And Koko really did name the cat “All Ball.” And All Ball really did escape from the cage
and get killed in the street. And Koko really did grieve the loss of her beloved pet.
At the time of this writing Koko still lives in California. There have been plans to relocate her to Hawaii.
Since losing her pet All Ball, Koko has been allowed to adopt other kittens.
Koko still likes cats. So do I.
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Oak in my journal, or email me one of your own stories.
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