Nemo relaxing in a favorite spot
Ten years ago, Somara was running some work-related errands at her job in Georgetown. While driving along Williams Avenue she thought she saw a plastic bag roll off the street into a ditch but something seemed off so she pulled over. It turned out to be a kitten who had just been run over by some asshole’s car, his right front leg was crushed. Somara feared he was dead because he wasn’t moving; it was shock. She poked him to make sure and he proved her wrong as the kitten sprung to action…clamping his teeth on to her hand. Somara flung the little bastard into the truck, drove to the nearest vet.
About an hour later, I received an e-mail or chat at work regarding this. Afterwards we waited to see if this demon kitten had rabies. I think the vet said the odds were against such a thing.
Several days passed and the inevitable was asked by Somara, can we keep him? I agreed without hesitation despite the three cats we already had living with us (Wicca, Molly and Miette). I assumed no one wanted to adopt an animal with three legs; the vet still figured the crushed leg would need to be amputated. Somara chose to call him Nemo, Latin for Nobody not for the gimpy fish from the Pixar film, this would hit theaters the follow Summer. Besides, the trailers emphasized Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres doing their thing. I kept pushing for Ashe from Army of Darkness and Evil Dead 2, on Halloween we could put a little chainsaw on the missing appendage through Photoshop. Obviously I lost the naming contest.
Nemo is now 10 (around mid 50s for a human). He has beat some pretty tough odds all his life. Several veterinarians predicted the bum leg would have to go, instead he uses it for his rope-a-dope move on fighting Molly (the house alpha). Nemo has developed an annoying habit of dunking it in water to have a better position when he drinks. The leg’s permanent hook position comes in handy when he’s hungry; he uses it to knock down objects to generate noise in order to wake us. Here’s the weirdest fact about him, Nemo is also the heaviest cat in the house. I think he weighed in around 12 pounds during his last annual. Many, including me, predicted the life-changing injury would stunt Nemo’s growth. Not at all. He is a pretty normal cat. He likes to play, he’s bonded with Somara, he demands attention, coos distinctively and runs away from strangers (Molly is the weirdo with company).
Overall I am glad Nemo joined our family. He has been the most trying cat I know but I remember Gandhi’s quote about a civilization’s quality can be judged by its treatment of animals. Nemo must know it too since he is a master button pusher in the morning.