Herman's Gotcha Day at the Bridge

I have hundreds of pictures of Herman, so it was really hard to pick a favorite for this post.  I wanted one where he was sitting up and in full floof, so that narrowed it down considerably.  This is from way back, shortly after I adopted him.  The shock of his running off to the Rainbow Bridge has worn off and the sadness has come to full flower.  I was feeling really down this morning and actually dreading doing this post until I saw this article in last night's paper.  It seems that Herman certainly didn't waste any time in taking up his duties as guardian angel kitty.  To summarize, a tiny kitten was rescued from the town landfill (dump) on the afternoon of the very day Herman went to the Bridge.  She was taken in by Friends of the Shelter (the same group who rescued Herman) and named Milagro (Miracle). To top it off, she is a black kitty with a white bib.  She will be in foster care until she is old enough to get her shots and be spayed, then she will be put up for adoption.  I certainly believe that Herman had a paw in this.  He had been rescued and given a chance for a good life, so he passed the favor along.

Going through the pictures also gave me a chance to review all the good times Herman and I had together.  I have pictures of him playing, napping, lounging around, looking out the window -- just generally enjoying life.  The joy I got from adopting Herman changed my life.  I was in a depression after losing my Mom and feeling very lonely.  At the same time, Herman was very lonely in foster care because he had to be isolated from the other kitties and his foster Mom had a houseful of them.  He had given up hope of ever getting out of that one room and was just moping around and acting grumpy with people.  His foster Mom was afraid that he would never get adopted because of his health issues and his grumpy attitude.  Then I saw a flyer about Herman posted on the bulletin board of the grocery store where I worked and I decided almost immediately that I wanted to adopt him.  I didn't go into it blind.  Before I called about him, I went online and read everything I could find about FIV and Feline Leukemia.  I decided that I could handle it and called.  When Herman and I met, a small miracle occurred.  For days, Herman had been hiding and would only come out for food, so his foster Mom gave me a paper plate with a dab of tuna on it to lure him out.  He came out, ate the tuna and instead of going back into hiding, as he had been doing, he sat there and looked at me.  I held out my hand and he nuzzled it.  He even let me pet him a little.  His foster Mom was amazed.  After that I only had to go through and interview with the head of Friends of the Shelter to make sure that I would give Herman and good home and then he came to share my home.  The rest is well documented in this blog.  The love and comfort Herman gave me brought me out of my depression and the love and comfort I gave him brought him out of his.  We were a perfect match for each other.

Because of Herman, I was able to open my heart to other kitties with Feline Leukemia and I am so glad that I have.  It is very comforting to me to have Spyro and Oja to love and be loved in return  Thank you, Herman for all that you gave to me in the three years we spent together.  I will never forget you.