Gobbolino, the witch's cat

On Monday, a colleague of mine arrived at the office with a box that was spilling over with a brown and black striped blanket. Curiosity was sparked at this sight, but even more so, when the box started making noises.

I was at an event for most of the day, but when I got back in the afternoon, the office was abuzz about the cute ginger ball of fur that was estimated to be about one week old. His or her mother abandoned him/her and her siblings and, while I'm not sure what happened to the other kittens, my colleague would do everything in her might to keep this little thing alive.

The kitten, yet to be named, has made my heart melt! Me, an absolute dog lover! The reason it has not yet been named, is because the colleague is still fearful of his life. He has a little infection at the moment, but she took him to the vet, got him the meds and right food he needs and he gets fed by the hour. That is commitment.

This little critter made me think about one of my favourite childhood stories, that of Gobbolino, the witch's cat. Gobbolino's good heart saw him avoid his destiny as being a magical cat, and unlike his sister Sootica, he did not like doing magic, or turning mice into toads. He goes on a number of journeys, and eventually ends up being stripped of his magic and returning to the farmhouse where he first set of to, to become a normal kitchen cat.

The one thing that both Gobbolino and this little one have shown is the utmost courage. Where Gobbolino had the courage to set out on faraway adventures in search of his one true home, this one has the courage and will to live and fight!

We often take life so for granted and often don't stop to say thanks for what we have! I am grateful that there are people out there that are willing to go out on a limb {in this case, she actually went out on a gutter} to do anything for animals and which inspires me to help where I can.

Do something good this cheery season and perhaps visit a shelter. Even if you can't give any monetary or food donations, just give those poor pets some love! I know I am definitely going to.

Photos were taken by our resident photographer Duane Daws.