The Meek Shall Inherit The Earth

The Story of OB my Gentle Cat

The
Old Boy

This verse from Sermon on the Mount has been on my mind ever since I got to know OB my cat. It's surprising how a cat can bring up such thoughts. I'm going to tell you the story of OB and hopefully it will shed some light on the matter.

The Beginning

OB was part of a colony of cats living on Cisco Systems HQ campus. According to the good volunteers who take care of the colony he was born in the parking structure and spent almost 9 years as a feral cat.

OB was part of a pack of three cats who used to roam around together. The volunteers named them Flaco (probably the alpha), Flaco's Brother and the Other Brother, hence the name OB. It seemed like even the volunteers realized he was a timid and shy cat. Maybe that's why they didn't give him a name and just called him the other brother. OB was not even worthy of a name.

Rescuing OB

In the summer of 2019 the volunteers found OB in a bad condition. He was full of scars, severely malnourished and with a lot of infections.

They take him to the vet and find out he has severe respiratory, kidney and gum infections. They have him fixed, pull the teeth and start treatments for his multiple infections. After a few months living in multiple foster homes, he gets better and they decide to bring him back to his colony. When they open the crate, OB refuses to go out. It seemed like living in contained environments was more preferable to him than his own environment.

They took pity on him and decide to find him a home so he can live up his last years in comfort. But he was a senior cat and they worried adoption would be a long shot. This is where I come in. I thought he deserved a second chance. So I told them if no one came forward I will take him. And that's how OB came to live with me.

Coming Home

After the paperwork we set a date to pick up OB. It was December 6th 2019 that I brought him home. The first thing I thought we should do was to own his name. We decided that it wasn't the other brother but the old boy. So OB was not just the other brother. He became the old boy of the household.

When we got home, I opened the crate and he crawled out. The first place he found was my bookshelf. He hid himself inside it between a couple of books with his tail out. I thought I'll leave him to decide where he likes to make home.

A few minutes later he went into pantry and hid in the bottom shelf. So I brought a blanket to make it more comfortable for him. I also set up his food station right there. But later that night he found his way under my bed. That's where he spent almost over a year.

Hide and Seek

He stayed under the bed for more than a year occasionally coming out and jumping on. At nights when I would go to the bedroom he would rush to the living room and sleep on one of the chairs. I had blankets and pillows on all chairs so he would be comfortable on whichever he chose. I decided to leave him be and come to me at his own time. In early days he would eat close to the bed. I moved his food farther until he learned to eat in the pantry where his station was set.

Trust

After almost a year OB began to trust me. I got him a lot of toys but none of which he liked. However he responded to feathers. He would jump up and down to catch them. Sometimes in the excitement he would make zoomies across the room. It was during these games that he opened up and started trusting me.

Illness
and
Adjustment

In January 2020 a biopsy confirmed that OB had lymphoma. He went on chemotherapy which changed his energy level. His playing mood diminished and he was more sleeping.

Unfortunately two years later we were told that he also has kidney failure as a result of old age. Life on the streets had not been kind to OB and it was taking its toll.

All this time he maintained his resilience. If anything he had learned how to take care of himself.

Final Days
Final Thoughts

From February, OB's condition quickly deteriorated. His appetite gradually became non existent. He lost a lot of weight. His tests showed a complete kidney shut down. He was asleep most of the time. And after a couple of months struggling with his illness, on May 8th, he crossed the rainbow.

My boy was gone and he took my heart with him.

OB was the gentlest cat that I had ever seen. He was shy and timid. Judging by his name he seemed the weakest in his pack. A cat unworthy of a name. And while Flaco and Flaco's brother were long gone, he managed to survive and live 3 and half more years. In human years it's almost thirteen. He was meek but not weak. When mattered he walked the path of life with roots strongly in the earth. OB was a survivor. His gentleness encouraged the rescuers to search for a home for him. A very hard task for a senior cat with multiple issues. But he made it.

Ever since I met OB and knew him, the words of Jesus became more meaningful. The meek shall indeed inherit the Earth. Not because they are weak but as strong as the earth underneath them. Gentleness is not equivalent to cowardice. Like OB we walk the path of life to the best of our abilities. We might as well take example of his life.

Good bye my son, my boy, my companion. Though our paths crossed for a short time you made a huge impact in my life. I shall never forget you.