Tripods Story

I don't know exactly what happened to Tripod, but I am going to tell you what I can from his point of view and what I can imagine he thought and felt from the details I learned after saving his life because I was so upset that I had to know who would have done this to him.

I lived alone in the deserts of the Southwest as a part of a working cat program that a rescue organization had developed for unwanted or feral cats. That is what they used to call us, my mother, brother, and I. The people who left us with our new family said that we would be good hunters and take care of the mice and rats for them and that all they had to do was to provide us with food. But there was never any love or real shelter provided for us, and the food, although there was never really enough to keep our stomachs from growling for more. The love that I knew was only from my mother. Her constant kisses and purring got my brother and me through the first several months of life. Mother used to try to find us shelter nearby so we could get our meals each day, but life was never easy for her; she never seemed settled but instead always uneasy and tired, watching for predators that might come near my brother and me. She gave us as much love as any mother could while she was with us. I don't know what happened to my brother, but he was just gone one day. He wandered off to play like he always did mischievously, but he never came home this time. I will always remember my mother's voice because she used to cry for my brother all of the time until one day, she just stopped. It was not long after that my mother never returned home. I, too, would just sit and wait for her and call out for her just like she cried for my brother, but like my brother, she never came home.

I was tired and scared and wondered why she had left me, but I knew in my heart that she would never return and that I had to try to go on. The following days were not easy for me. It was hot every day, so I would wait until later in the night to find food and hope that there was something in my dish if I did not. One day I went out to play and search for food because the food, as usual, was always scarce, and it never really left me feeling as if my belly was full. When I returned to that patio that day, my food bowl was still empty, and the house seemed different, with no lights or stirring. I slept on the concrete like I usually did during the day after searching for something to eat in the early morning cool hours before the hot desert sun took its place in the sky, waiting long into the evening in hopes of someone coming to fill my empty bowl because I had found nothing that day to eat. Several days passed with no change. I felt exhausted and weak because meals were not easy to come by, so I decided to rest on the patio that morning. When I returned to sleep in my cool spot, I saw someone, and I was so delighted finally someone would help me, but they did not pay attention to me. They looked different; my food bowl was gone, and they never put it out again after that day.

My life was not easy, and I tried to talk to the new people, but they did not seem to care to listen. They put out water, but they told me that I had to find my own food because they did not want the wild animals to make their way to any food on their patio. The rest of my story will have to go untold because no one knew what happened to me moments before I was saved by someone who came running out to me in the early morning hours that fateful day.

Tripod used to live beyond my home up in the Tumacacori mountains of the Southwest, and he was left behind or abandoned in my eyes by the family he was left with. He was left with them as a part of a working cat program that an organization developed that helps cats in the Southwest. I'm not at all convinced that this program supports the cats at all because the desert is not a safe place for any animal to live on its own without the proper shelter to keep it safe from predators. But that is my humble opinion and has no place in his story.

One day while outside working on my patio talking to my cats whom I had rescued from the deserts, many of whom were either born out there to abandoned mothers or left behind themselves who were now safe from the heat of the day and the predators of the night but yet able to enjoy the fresh air through their enclosed patio I heard a terrible screaming sound it was horrific. All I could imagine was that another coyote had gotten one of the beautiful Jack Rabbits, which never felt good to hear but was a part of the natural circle of life there. But this cry, this sound was not the same, so I ran out to see what it was and there he was.

He was a beautiful tuxedo cat, laying there injured with coyotes at bay because I arrived at the scene. Without hesitation, I ran to him, never once thinking of my fate but only of his racing heart and the fear he must have felt because of what had and was going to happen to him. As I grew closer and knelt down, I saw that he needed immediate attention, but I was unsure if the coyote would let me take him. To them, he was a life-saving meal for themselves or their pups, so how could I judge them for what they had done? I could not; I could only talk to them and tell them that I had to take him from them and that they would have to find another way to eat that day. I did all of this in a matter of minutes because I knew his life depended on it. I was not rich. My husband and I lived day to day, as many of us do, but this cat needed me this day, and I had to find a way to help him; although I knew that the care would be more than we could ever really afford I was not going to let him die. I prayed to God that day, to the universe, and drove him to the nearest town, which was a good half an hour because we lived in the middle of nowhere, and even that town was pretty much ghostly, and I stopped at the first vet's office I saw and walked in because I knew I would never make it to the city where I usually went. It was empty, and one person was at the desk, preparing to leave. I walked in with him, no name, no history but my love for this being, this unconditional soul, must have shown because the gentleman put his stuff down and told me to stop crying and that it would be okay. The office was empty, and the lights were dimmed in the area I was sitting because this man was about ready to leave when I walked in, so I just waited in dead silence, wondering what was happening. It was a small office, nothing like some of the others I had taken my cats to in emergencies, but it was the first sign I saw that said vets' office. Two hours later, this man came out and told me that he was okay but had lost his front leg due to the severity of his injury. All I could do was cry. I am unsure if I was crying because I felt so horrible for this beautiful cat or scared. After all, I knew I could not afford to pay for this surgery that this man had performed. He told me I should not worry and go home and call in the morning to check on him. I asked him who would watch over him during the evening hours, and he assured me that he would check on him and that he would be fine, so I hesitantly left and promised to be back the next day.

I don't think I slept a wink all night wondering how he was or how I would work things out with this wonderful man who helped us. Still, my husband told me you always have trusted that all would be okay and in a higher power. Some of us call that higher power "God," others the universe, but for those of us who trust in this higher power, somehow there is a light at the end of every tunnel.

The following morning, I was up early since I had rested very little, just waiting to go to see this nameless cat, this beautiful soul. When I arrived, I was greeted by a woman, elderly but spry. She told me that the cat was doing well and that he would be able to go home with me and asked if I was up to this long healing process for this fellow, and I, of course, said absolutely. She asked me what happened and how he came to be with me, and I told her the story, and she said take a seat, and we will bring him out in a few moments. It was about twenty minutes before the same wonderful man came out and said well, he's ready to go home, but I am sending some medications, and I want you to bring him back so I can check on him in a few weeks, and I said okay all while thinking how was I ever going to pay for all of this other than a credit card that we had and just hope that we could pay it off in time which is never easy to do. When I went up to the desk to get the medications, the older woman explained each one to me, most of which I was familiar with because of my history of helping animals whose lives were not so extraordinary. That was when It happened, she handed me a bill, and it said balance Zero paid in full.

I could not believe what I was looking at. I told her who paid for this, and she looked at me and said you did I looked at her and said you're mistaken; I did not pay yet, and she replied you paid for this with your heart. Your love and compassion for this cat were so apparent to my husband, and you told him when you walked in that you did not know how you would ever pay for this, but you must not recall because you were so upset and in tears. We love animals, and this is our way of paying it forward. We are only open two days a week for our current clients and have not taken any new ones in quite some time. It was fate that you walked in that day because my husband is retiring, and he usually would have left earlier than he had. She asked me to please keep this gift to myself because, in our world, their door would be bombarded with people in need because of the soaring prices, and they could not afford to help everyone. She only hoped that every vet would do this for at least one or two people in their lifetimes if they could and explained that they had done it over the years themselves many times. When she brought this cat out to me, I immediately said, "Well, you're a tripod now, and you're loved, and you will never be abandoned again.

Tripod is still with us, and he is living a safe, happy life. He never has to wonder if he will have food or a hug and love daily. So to anyone who reads this, please remember that our world may seem as if it is not a beautiful place some days, but you have to believe that there is good out there and that it will find you when you are genuinely in need. We pay it forward every time we can in many ways, even if it's a small token in some way.

Our hearts are dedicated to the orphans of the forest where we now live with Tripod. We will never be rich monetarily, but our hearts are filled with joy, knowing that we make a difference in the lives of these unconditional souls when they cross our paths. My wish is that in my writing, I can also share something positive in each story with my readers in hopes of giving them the same feeling I have about life.

Nothing is coincidence