Midnight came to me almost 20 years ago. I found him in my
wood pile beside the garage at my place in Virgil. He was very tiny, pure
black, injured, and terrified. My best guess is that he was about 8 to 10 weeks
old.
I brought him food and water, hoping I could catch him and
bring him inside. My friends Marie and Barbie came over to help, knowing he was
hurt and scared. Between the three of us, we managed to catch him and bring him
into the house — but he slipped from my hands and took off into the old
basement, hiding away. Something he would do all his life.
It took us more than an hour to catch him again. When we
finally did, Barbie began Reiki on him right away, and he slowly calmed down.
We fed him and kept him peaceful so I could look at his injuries. He had sores
around his neck. I cleaned them and took him to the vet the next day, with
continuous Reiki keeping him calm.
The vet believed someone had tried to hang him with
something spiked and prescribed antibiotics.
At the time, I already had one cat, Peachy, who passed in
2021. She was the Princess of the home and not at all interested in having a
kitten around. Midnight, however, never gave up. He patiently wooed her,
determined to be her friend and student.
Once he healed, I tried to find Midnight a forever home.
Several people came to meet him, but every time someone showed interest, he
suddenly acted sick. It sounds hard to believe, but my roommate noticed it
first — and then I saw it with my own eyes. Midnight had decided. He chose
Peachy and he chose me.
Through the years, Midnight grew into my handsome Panther
boy. Peachy not only put up with him, she became his friend. His perseverance
paid off.
Midnight lived to the age of 19. I will miss his purrs and
our games of hide-and-seek. Even though he knew he was safe with us, he was
always easily startled and still looked for places to hide — a gentle reminder
of where he began, and how far he came.
Mr. Midnight, Panther Boy, we were all blessed to know and
love you. I am so grateful you chose my wood pile to hide in, so you could
become part of my family. 2004 – 2023
