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SHAKA ZULU

This is not the story of a dog. It is however the story of a truly magnificient beast: my friend and cat SHAKA ZULU.

My soon to be wife works tirelessly in an animal hospital. She has been there for close to 20 years. It is all too often that someone will bring in a badly injured animal whether it be a cat or dog or bird which they found in the street and just could not leave to die. The animal hospital takes these animals and tries to help them get better and eventually find them a home.

Occasionally the animal is so badly injured that there is no hope so they end the poor beast’s suffering.
Such was too be the case with my little guy (well he wasn’t mine yet).
Shaka Zulu as I would soon name him appeared to have a broken spine due to a likly cat verse automobile injury. He could not move his back legs and was in bad shape, likely paralyzed. It was decided that he should be put down to end his pain. By chance it had been a crazy day at the animal hospital and my fiance was to put the cat down at the end of the day. In addition it was her parents 40th wedding anniversary that night and she was running late. She had actually frogotten to put the little guy down!
At the Anniversary party she turned to me and said that we had to go back to the animal hospital because we couldn’t let the cat suffer all night. Just what I wanted to do, “go kill a cat!,” I thought to myself.
So off we went to put down this little guy.
When we got there Shaka Zulu was just sitting in the cage. He started to meow and I pet the little guy and immediately he started to purr like an panther. I told my girl that we just could not do this. She has been through this thousands of times and was probably wondering why I didnt just wait in the car. She said OK anyway and we put a litter box in the cage. That little guy dragged himself with his front legs into the box to relieve himself. he was struggling so badly that I almost could not stand it. He obviously refused to soil himself all that time that he was in the cage: THE SELF RESPECT and dignity of this beast! I told my girl that no matter what, I was going to adapt this cat.
Shaka Zulu stayed in the animal hospital a few more weeks. His hip was crushed but he was not paralysed.
He still walks with a little limp and is small in stature but that does not stop this glorious animal from rough housing with my other cats (one of which is a huge beast) and even holding his ground when my mom comes and stays by me with her 70lb Boxer. They actually love each other!
Just thought I would share that.

Paolo from NY