Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Looking for Gato


In my twenties, oh so long ago, I had two cats named Gato and Cujo. We were very close. I was really crazy about them. I suppose I was not very careful with them, though because they got lost a lot. Cujo especially. One time he was lost for a week until I found him closed up in the utility closet under my neighbors house. Another time... well, I'll make a long story short, but I found him after looking every day for three weeks. He was five miles away from where I lived in a small hole in the drywall of a chinese family's house on Clement street in San Francisco. When I finally got him home, he looked pissed that it had taken me so long. Another time, Gato disappeared from our house in Mill Valley. After a few days, a neighbor told me that some people down the street had moved away. So I stole mail out of their mailbox, found their new number in the phone book and tracked them down. They had taken Gato, thinking he was homeless( he apparently spent a lot of time at their house talking trash about me). They kept him in the garage, but he had run away into the hills in San Rafael, and they had no idea where he was. That weekend, My sister Jennifer, my brother-in-law Ben and I spent every daylight hour walking around that neighborhood shaking boxes of kibble, calling Gato and posting flyers. Late Sunday evening, I remember hanging our last flyer at Scotty's market. At least 5 miles away and down in a valley below where Gato had disappeared. We all went home defeated. Two days later, a lady called. She had seen that VERY LAST FLYER and Gato was in her yard. WE FOUND HIM!

So why am I telling this story? These experiences have had a profound effect on me. The life lesson I learned is that, well,the cat is out there. You just have to keep looking.

This is the way I feel about Oskar. I keep looking for the person who is going to know how to help him. I truly believe that the cat is out there. I don't know if there will ever be day when I will give up. I almost gave up on Cujo , and all I had to do was intimidate a crazy chinese woman and get into her crawlspace. Some nights I cry because I feel like I can hear the cat, and I don't know where to look any more . Some nights I can't sleep because I can hear the cat and I can't wait to get up the next day and start looking again.

I will find the cat!

4 comments:

me said...

I will help you find oskie's gato. we WILL find the person who will help, whoever it is. Hopefuly when we do they dont look pissed that it took so long to find them. Also i hope theyre not dehydrated or have matted fur.

Anonymous said...

Wow. This is an amazingly inspiring story. You are a fierce mom! Kids with special needs are stronger than most, your miracle may take many forms, and Oskar will keep surprising them all. I speak from experience, and you are right, it is persistence and bootstraps that win the race. On challenging days, you'll see his face, and feats, offering a renewal of faith.

Unknown said...

You WILL find it... I know this.
I will do ANYTHING to help... you know that.

Dr. Lesley said...

You're so good at mixing poignant with humor. There's a book in here, Blake.