Animals can teach us a lot of things, and one of the most important Life Lessons I’ve ever learned came from a little gray and black kitten. But that surprising ending comes much later in this story – a story about an operation, back to school, and perhaps the most unique kitten in all the world.

In this life, you basically have four types of people: those who love dogs, those who love cats, those who love both, and those folks who don’t care for either. Whichever of these you consider yourself to be, Dear Reader, by the end of the story you too will become a lover of the small, tabby kitten called Gretel, a kitten whose uniqueness was easily overlooked at first.

I guess this story should start at the beginning. No, this time the beginning isn’t on that old familiar street not so far away called Flamingo, but rather at a local pet store during “Adopt a Cat Saturday.” About a month ago, Sweet Caroline and her older sister stopped by the pet store with explicit instructions from their mom. “Buy cat litter, Guinea pig food, and straw. Don’t even think about looking at the cats. There’s no more room at our house for another animal.”

Heard but not seen.

To the girl’s credit, they had made it almost to the cash register with their items before being drawn toward the cat adoption area by a very vocal furry one. They had to investigate. In front of the adoption area were half a dozen cages with three or four cats in each. The sweet meowing did not emanate from any of these cages, but rather from one set off by itself. Standing in the back corner of her cage was a lone black and gray tabby kitten no bigger than your hands held together. Sensing the girls looking at her, she continued to meow as loudly as she possibly could to keep their attention. Her sweet meowing worked its magic, and the girls walked over to her cage.

As if on cue, the tiny kitten moved to the front, reached out between the bars as far as she could with her front leg, and gave a paw-up greeting to the girls. It was as if she was saying, “Please look at me. I want to go home with you. I promise I’ll be no trouble.” The girls were taken aback by the tiny tabby. 

“Ohhhh! What a sweet kitten.”

“Aren’t you the cutest little thing!”

The attendant walked over, smiled, and said, “I see you’ve met our Gretel. She loves everyone. She’s very playful, very sweet, and super smart. Gets lots of looks, but unfortunately no one wants to adopt her.” Gretel continued to meow at the two girls, playfully rubbing the sides of her face against the cage before again holding a wanting paw out for them. 

Taking a closer look at the kitten, then at each other, the girls exchanged a knowing glance.

“Please save her for us. We’ve got to get our mom.”

One look was all it took.

At lunch the girls tried unsuccessfully to convince their mom to adopt yet a third cat. She was emphatic, “We are not bringing another animal in our house for any reason whatsoever!”

The girls were unrelenting.

Finally, Mom agreed to take a quick look at the little kitten. And that’s all it took. Gretel, the tiny, two-month-old kitten that no one wanted, finally found her forever home that very evening. But that was just the beginning. The tiny tabby with the loud sweet meow would soon become the primary companion and nurse of Yours Truly. 

The first Tuesday after school was out for the summer, I had major hand surgery. Knowing I’d be in a sling for the following four weeks, unable to type for eight, and sleeping in a recliner for the next ten days, I must admit I was feeling rather down as I went home from surgery until…

Gretel’s home.

Gretel had been brought over to us the night before because our granddaughters and their entire family were going on a seven-day Disney cruise. Dropped off with the cat was special food and an assortment of toys – her favorite being a donut the size of a tire outfitted with a cat-sized hole in the side. When I gave the giant donut a curious look, our granddaughters were excited to explain.  

“She loves to run around inside the donut.”

“Yeah, she makes it move across the floor.”

“It’s really funny to watch.” 

Early the next morning The Wife drove me to the outpatient surgical building. That afternoon, when we arrived back home, Gretel was waiting. Upon hearing my voice, she bolted out from inside the giant donut over to the recliner, jumped up, and landed on my lap. After a few head butts and a lot of purring, she made biscuits with her front paws before finally settling down for an extended nap. I slept also. 

The doctor said, “For the best recovery, keep your hand elevated for the next ten days, ice often, and rest.” He didn’t mention anything about having a kitten purring on your lap and how it will comfort you and help in the recovery. 

He should have. 

With each day that passed the pain lessened and sleeping got a little easier. But the biggest improvement was in my spirit – all thanks to a little gray and black tabby called Gretel. 

For the next ten days I took care of the kitten: scooping her litter box, adding fresh water and food to her bowls, and playing with her. Watching her perform aerial acrobatics while chasing after balls, making gravity-defying jumps trying to bat feathers tied to the end of a string, or doing flips off the recliner to the floor, Gretel was a great source of amusement, amazement, and something else. 

A much-needed distraction. 

The little gray and black kitten was a huge distraction from what I was going through with my recovery. And every night as I settled into the recliner, she settled down also – first giving gentle head butts, calming purrs, and making biscuits with her front paws before finally curling up into a little gray and black furry ball on my lap.

Reluctantly, we had to give her back after the cruise was finished. I’ve spent the rest of the summer slowly recovering, going to physical therapy, writing stories by dictation, doing one-handed chores around the house, and trying to improve my shoe-tying skills. (Have to get ready to go back to kindergarten this fall!) But I’ve also done something else. As often as possible, I’ve gone down to visit my nurse just to say hello. When I come in the door and call, she hears my voice, runs over, and gives me headbutts and purrs. 

Hidden in plain sight.

Gretel is very playful with her humans and the other two older cats in the house. That is not what makes her so unique. She acts like most kittens her age, but there is a difference. She has a disability. Most don’t see it, but it’s still there. 

At first, I didn’t notice Gretel’s disability either. She seemed and acted like any normal cat. Then the Girly Girls pointed it out to me, but it made no difference. The more time spent with her, the more I realized how unique she really is and the gift of a Life Lesson she has to offer to everyone.

Don’t judge me by my disability. On the inside I’m just like everyone else. 

Take a closer look, Dear Reader, at the picture above. Perhaps you too will now see what you (and I) didn’t see at first. After spending a short amount of time with her, it was easy for me to look past her disability… at birth, both of her eyes had to be removed. 

School starts back in a few weeks. Now would be a good time to talk to your kids and remind them that some disabilities are easily seen on the outside. Others are on the inside. Just because they are not seen, doesn’t mean they’re not there. Kindness and understanding are two of the three things we all can do to help others feel good about themselves. What’s the third? See past their disabilities and treat them like everyone else.

To me, Gretel’s a normal, playful kitten…perfect just the way she is. And I can’t wait to cat sit her again.