Monday, May 31, 2010

Lulu to the Rescue

Prior to moving to the rest home, my mother was waking and rising from bed almost every night. We were alerted to this by a reindeer bell we had fastened to her door handle. Mom would whip the door open and the bell would clatter. It always woke us. Most of the time, we’d catch her at the top of the stairs - half dressed, sometimes with her “hair” on, always confused. Her pocketbook would be filled with the strangest things; a doll from her bureau, an empty makeup case, a pair of worn socks.

One night, unbeknownst to us, Mom had removed the bell.

Lulu, one of our kitties and the youngest of four in the house (though not the smallest as you can see from her picture), jumped up on our bed one evening and sat at Dan’s feet. She began to give her short-bursted meows (more like barks) which she does only in the mornings when we’ve slept too late and she is hungry. She has never given us this call in the middle of the night because it means one thing – GET UP. Dan woke instantly and Lulu bark-bursted again, looked at him and then at the door. The house was ablaze with lights. We could hear my mother rustling downstairs. When I reached her, she was very confused and sweating. She was talking nonsense. I guided her back to her bed, removed the shirt she had put on backwards and the one sock from her foot and eased her back into bed.

We would never have known if Lulu didn't alert us and who knows what my mother would have done or where she would have gone. The idea of it sends me crazy and I hug my little Lulu and thank her with little kitty kisses.

Have you had an experience where an animal has alerted you to danger? I'd love to hear about it.

8 comments:

  1. Animals are so sensiive to the people they live with, and aren't we lucky that they are? When our daughter was an infant and toddler, we had a beautiful male Golden Retriever who watched over her like a Guardian Angel. I never worried when he was with her, which was nearly always.
    www.writergrannysworld.blogspot.com

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  2. thanks Lisa for visiting my blog.
    I'm glad you did as that gave me the chance to come to yours. I'm touched by your writing about life with your mom, her illness and the ups and downs of facing it together.
    Keep up the good spirit.

    loveNlight
    Gabi

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  3. I don't have an animal story to tell, but this story of your mom brought back memories of my Dad. He once put a bar of soap in his shirt pocket and set off on foot for home. 'Course his childhood home was in Alabama and he was living at the time in Texas.

    Helen
    Straight From Hel

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  4. I do have one animal story. During my childhood on the farm, we had a lot of snakes on the acreage. One day, while I was walking toward the porch, a small snake lay in the grass. It was a harmless garter snake (although we did see a few rattlers now and again and a black snake).

    Anyhow, our Matriarch cat was named Whiskers. She saw that snake in the grass I was about to step on, ran over, and pounced. She killed it and laid the snake by my feet proudly. From that point onward, I knew she would do anything to protect me.

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  5. I can't think of one, but I had a freind about 15 years ago walking his black lab dog in a then developing area of south Orange County. His dog spotted a mountain lion and went ballistic, barking and such. Scared the cat away.

    Stephen Tremp

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  6. What a great story .... I never had a cat, for I have always feared them for some reason ... how luck are you to have your little Lulu ... she must be loved very much by you!!!!

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  7. Jayla, if you can overcome your fear of cats, you will make a forever friend indeed :-). Thanks for stopping by.

    Stephen, a mountain lion! Goodness. I love labs...very intuitive.

    Michelle, what a great story! How lucky that you had your friend by your side!

    Helen, I remember that story about your Dad. Makes me feel so sad for him and for your family. Though he was actually ok...in his mind, he was ok...

    Gabriela, thank you for the kind words :-).

    Nancy, those of us who get to share our lives with animals indeed know how lucky we are!

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  8. What an amazingly smart and caring cat you have! That just touched my heart so. Animals are so sensitive. They know.

    Well this story isn't of alerting to danger more like saving me from it. Long story short, I was home alone and was rather young, mid twenties. I had my dog, which was a black german shepherd at home with me and unknowingly to me at the time she was sleeping upstairs, on my lovely soft, white linened, queen-sized bed (which she was NOT allowed to do by the way). I was downstairs watching tv and came up to the main floor to get something. I heard a knock at the door. I went and answered it. It was night time, dark. There he stood, a little taller than I, dark hair, moustache, glasses. He asked if he could use the phone and then proceeded to push his way into the house. I froze. Then the next thing I saw was a black flash to the right of me, at my shoulder height (I am 5' 6") and a blur of big, sharp, white teeth, snapping as they flew by me. The man luckily (for him) managed to get back in behind the door and close it in her face. She was flying at such a tremendous speed that I am amazed she didn't break the glass.

    I quickly shut the interior door and locked it while holding onto her collar, pulling her off the door. I was shaking. I looked down at her and all I could muster was "Good dog, good dog".

    That night I had made steak and guess who got a special helping?

    She died over a decade ago and I miss her still so very much. One of the best friends I truly, ever had. She had my back for her entire life. She died of cancer and I nursed her through her passing and I know she lives on.

    Thank you for posting your story and inviting us to post ours. : )

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