Shirley left California with her belongings and her kitty, Mintara Aleisha, stashed in her small VW Bug to start a new chapter of their lives at college in Eugene, Oregon. They never anticipated the adventure that they would soon find themselves barreling towards an unexplained miracle!
They left Orange County at 4 a.m. and as they drove north, the afternoon became unbearably hot. Her car did not have the luxury of an air conditioner. Being creative, Shirley placed a cloth on a cold container of water on the floor for her cat’s comfort. Mintara eagerly spread out on the cooler and was happily napping, while Shirley headed for her friend's home in Sacramento, where she'd planned to spend the night.
Everything was going well until a few blocks from her friend’s home. She slowed the car to read addresses and as she rolled down the window her adventure began. The cat had no intention of spending another minute in their hot car! Mintara was tired of the trip, so she jumped up onto the back of Shirley’s car seat and leaped out the window!
In a panic, Shirley stopped the car, but her precious kitty had already vanished from sight.
“To my left, there was a neighborhood with lots of trees. On the other side, there was a four-acre field, large enough to build a small housing development - with no trees or hiding places. I didn't see her on the field, so I searched the neighborhood by foot. When I couldn't find her, it seemed like an impossible situation.
Disheartened, I drove to my friend's place at the opposite edge of the field - quite a distance, on a busy street. When I arrived, I frantically told him the story. He suggested I wait in his patio, while he phoned neighbors to help us search. To our absolute surprise and complete amazement, peacefully napping on a soft outdoor couch in the shade was Mintara, appearing unconcerned and at home. You might think this was a place she had been to before.
But no! She had never been out of California, and certainly not to my friend’s home, nor had she ever met him. Somehow she knew, or the Angels led her to his backyard. She was literally waiting for me! It was as if she had known where she was going all along!
After that experience, needless to say, I didn't want to take another chance of losing her. I made her a little blue harness to match her eyes and attached a leash. When we arrived in Eugene, we rented a cottage near the university with a fenced yard and tall shade trees where she loved to romp. Every day, I'd put on her leash and we'd take a walk to the pioneer cemetery and around the University. I never knew another person to teach a cat to walk with them on a leash, until I read
Mary Ellen’s story about how her cats loved to walk outside on their leashes. Her article brought back fun memories of my college days with Mintara.”
