Abishag

In real life, Abishag certainly has the stubborn (or determined) trait exhibited by her character in their book.

She did, somehow, find her way home after five terrible weeks of being lost. And she was only seven months old at the time.

A snow and ice storm roared in just a week before Christmas years ago, when she’d been outside happily mousing in the flowerbeds and sunshine that morning. We don’t know where she disappeared to; we walked every farmer’s fields for miles. Later, we’d guess that she’d either had to run for her life or been carried away by something, and then gotten trapped. We called until we were hoarse (from tears as well as shouting). Abishag had vanished.

Sad, emotionally painful weeks dragged by; Ira too missed her so very much. When she reappeared, she weighed only four pounds and had a bloody stub where her elegant tail had been. Ira greeted her cautiously; she looked at her brother for a long time, and then at his tail. With a sigh from her heart, she sank to the floor with her chin on it. Although he had a very startled look on his face, Ira sat still and let Abishag rest atop his tail while we called the vet.

Determined? Or stubborn? She made it home, against incredible odds. We’re just so grateful to have her in our lives, some ten years after that horrible experience. Cats must have guardian angels too.