I love it when Mumma tells me a great story! Today’s story was a wonderful story of love, determination, hope and belief.
It was the summer of 1995, Mumma had moved from London back to Wales to start a new job. It would be two months before she could move into her new home, so she moved in with my Grandma and Grandad for a few months. Mumma had her 4Foot best friend with her, Leo the lion!! Leo was a three year old Ginger Tom cat that Mumma had seen through the Pet store window when he was just 7 weeks old! She fell in love with him and he became her baby and the center of her world! Leo was an indoor/outdoor kitty, which was usual for kitties in the UK. He enjoyed exploring the great outdoors by day and the warmth of a loving home by night.
The move from London to my Grandparents was a good one. This was the second time that Leo had been moved and he had always adapted well. It was the first week in September and Mumma moved into her house on the Caturday. Leo stayed an extra day to be spoilt at my Grandparents and they brought him over to the new house on the Sunday.
After a while, Mumma let Leo out to explore his new surroundings, by bedtime he had not come home. Not even the promise of tuna Catini would bring him in! It was a rainy night, nothing unusual for Wales, so Mumma did not think he would go too far. Mumma, being Mumma, became a little anxious but this was not the first time that Leo had gone ‘walk about’. She convinced herself that he was alright and went to bed. The following morning there was still no Leo! Now Mumma was getting a little worried but she had to go to work. She thought about her baby all day and it felt like the longest day ever!!! She hoped and prayed that Leo would be at home waiting for her.
When Mumma got home she searched and called for Leo! Nothing! She started to knock on doors to ask if anyone had seen him. Nothing! Holy salmon!! Monday stretched into Tuesday. Tuesday became Wednesday. Mumma was heart broken! Where was her baby boy?
Wednesday night there was a knock at the door, it was the next door neighbor. Apparently, when they had been asked on Monday if they had seen Leo, the lady told a catastrophic lie! She had seen Leo! In an attempt to escape the rain, Leo had climbed under the wheel arch of her car and got under the bonnet/hood. He had found a little place to snuggle down and keep dry and warm. The lady…..Mumma is not too sure she deserves to be referred to as a lady……but anyway……on Monday, she had driven her car about 2 miles from home to get the oil checked. She opened the bonnet/hood and out jumps Leo!!!!! Scared and frightened he ran! It is a shame that he wasn’t a wobbly wobbler like me because then he would not have got too far!! He was abandoned in the middle of a large industrial estate surrounded by fields and busy roads.The ‘lady’ came home and said nothing!!! 🙁
Mumma was angry, upset, scared! She made up posters and put them all over the area that he had last been seen. She drove around for hours and hours and hours looking, calling his name, speaking to people. Still no Leo! She did this every day for weeks! Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months!!
Mumma is very intuitive and she did not believe for one minute that her baby was gone forever! In her heart she knew that he was still alive and that he was out there somewhere waiting to be found! She refused to give up hope. She continued to believe, despite the feeling of devastation and heartbreak. I think she already knew my favorite saying, ‘when life throws you wobbles, never give up, try again!!’
The house was quiet with no 4Foots around! Mumma thought that she may feel better if she had a 4Foot distraction. At the end of October she went to the Cats Protection league to look for a kitten. Unable to decide, she came home with two! Way to go Mumma!!!! Always a soft heart! They were white kitties with ginger markings, brothers, Zig and Zag!
Zig and Zag and their crazy ways were a help to Mumma’s sense of loss but Leo was not forgotten and was very much missed. There was still that inner knowing, that little voice, telling Mumma that her Leo the lion was out there somewhere trying to connect with his beloved 2Foot. Mumma decided that she would see a psychic. She had no idea who to see so she looked at the advertised psychics in the local Yellow pages. She was drawn to one particular person.
When Mumma met this person, an elderly, eccentric 2Foot, he told her that Leo was still alive. He drew and described some land marks from this huge industrial estate where he believed Leo to be! In particular, he described an old fashioned water pump and a large building.
Mumma knew this to be near a furniture store. She printed off more posters and pinned them up in this area again. A while later, in the middle of December, Mumma received a phone call. Someone had seen Leo but when they tried to catch him he had ran away!! If only he had been a wobbly wobbler!!! But Yay!!! He was alive!! Mumma was excited, happy and even more desperate to get him home! This sighting gave strength to her hope and belief again! The following week, the week before Christmas, there was another phone call from the same people! They had caught him! Mumma was over the moon!!
My other Grandma picked him up and took him back to her house! This is my favorite part of the story!! When Mumma arrived Leo ran towards her and jumped into her arms! Mother and son reunited! The strength of love, faith, hope and belief had brought them back together! The law of attraction had reunited two souls together! Three and a half months he has survived in the ‘wilds’ before returning home to Mumma!
Leo had a nasty abscess on his back and had to stay at the animal hospital over night but within 24 hours he was back home where he belonged! He was not too happy to find Zig and Zag there but he soon got used to them. It was a long time before he would go out of the house again but he eventually overcame his fears, they say that time is a great healer and even us 4Foots need to learn to push ourselves outside of our comfort zones and overcome our fears!
So, this week we celebrate 20 years since Mumma got one of the best Christmas gifts ever…..a gift of love and the proof that hope and belief can lead to amazing outcomes! The power of the mind is a wonderful thing!
Remember kitties, when life throws you wobbles, never give up!!! The best gifts you can give this Christmas are those of love, hope, faith and belief!
Tippy love and kisses.
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