As promised, Carol and I had another cat-chat from Israel! She Skyped to share how a feral cat she feeds “Adopted me!”. However, it was really her dog, Boodi, featured in the earlier Tips ‘n’ Tales article, “The Peace Maker” that the cat fell in love with first. I mean who doesn’t fall for a handsome hero!
Out of the five feral cats in her neighborhood, for some reason, Boodi immediately treated one, Hamoodi, (which means cute) like family.
“Seeing these two animals together fills my heart with love,” said Carol. “Living in Israel, nine miles from the Lebanese border, makes me wonder why people can't get along. If this cat and dog can bridge their differences and love each other, why can't neighbors?”
Carol left for a two-week trip and guess who was waiting for her on her return? A neighbor had fed the cats in her absence, and as soon as Hamoodi saw her he ran to her.
“The cat is always around when I am outside,” said Carol, “but yesterday he did the most surprising thing! He joined Boodi and I on our evening walk! It was funny seeing the two of them walking side by side. Then, this morning he did it again! This cat warms my heart and puts me in a good mood for hours. He truly makes my day and the best part is that he feels like family.”
The dog park is a three-minute walk from their home. Hamoodi has adjusted his schedule to walk with them every day.
Going to the dog park is dangerous. The trio traverses down the main road through town, then has to cross the town’s busy Main Street. Hamoodi is a survivor and wisely afraid of vehicles, but this did not stop him from following his newly adopted family.
“The first time the cat followed us, at the park he ran under a bush and hid,” said Carol. “I was concerned about the cars and arriving dogs and realized how intelligent the cat was. Then, one and a half hours later, when Boodi and I left the park, the cat was nowhere to be seen.
Just as we crossed the busy road, all of a sudden, he was walking next to me. At first I was so upset when he walked with us, but I could not prevent him from joining us. He was feral. I couldn't catch him or put him in the house. He may be good with traffic, but oddly he is not so clever with sprinklers! When I let him inside, he comes in wet from them.
“We have Russian, Arabic, and Jewish neighbors,” said Carol. “At the dog park their dogs only speak the language of their family. So Boodi and I are teaching Hamoodi Hebrew as his second language, his first, of course, is Meowish.
When I sit on my patio Hamoodi now jumps up onto my lap for attention. He must be a purr-fessor cat wanting to teach that everyone wants to be part of a family and have someone to love them and be loved by them. Boodhi and I agree.”
