"What are we going to do with that," I asked.

"We can take him with us. We'll take care of him, honest!"

"But we're going to be out in the woods, he could get hurt or wander off and get lost."

"We can take the bird cage and use it to keep him in when we're not holding him."

A real softie for animals, especially little fluffy ones, I gave in. We took the birdcage, and it turned out to be a great idea. After we returned home, the kitten often used the cage as his escape from so many loving hands. He would jump in and curl up in a corner of it to be by himself. Eventually, he became too big for the cage and it was put away.

When "Tyler" was about 8 months old we acquired a pair of lovebirds. Needing the cage, we took it out of storage and set it up. This didn't sit too well with Tyler, who often sat and eyed the birds with disgust.

One evening I was sitting on the couch reading a book when I heard Tyler make the familiar shaky meow a cat makes when stalking prey. I looked up to see him moving in on the birds and just as he reached the cage I tossed the book toward him. He did the usual 'up in the air, half turn' cats do when they are startled, and high tailed it up the stairway.

Later that evening, bounding down the stairway, he came to a sudden stop as he neared the birdcage. He looked at it, then around the livingroom, and finally chose a path to the kitchen that was far way from the hostile intruders. It occurred to me, Tyler thought the birds had somehow brushed him with the book, and he wasn't about to get close enough for it to happen again.

About a month after this incident, the female lovebird died and the male (George) was very sad. Tyler still kept his distance, but George would often drop to the bottom of the cage and chatter to him anyway. Day by day Tyler moved a little closer to the cage, until he felt secure enough to put his paw up to it. George stopped his chatter and began to preen the fur on the bottom of Tyler's paw. This became a daily routine for the two and I could see there was a bond forming.

I decided to be brave and take the cage off of the stand, setting it on the floor. Tyler wasted no time going over to George then lying near the cage, rolling around and purring. They were happy. Feeling more daring, I opened the door to the cage and let George out. He ran to Tyler. Tyler walked around the livingroom with George's claws clicking on the wooden floor as he followed and the two became constant companions.

If Tyler was hungry, George would sit on the edge of the crock dish and throw food out for Tyler to eat. If Tyler jumped up on the couch to sleep, George was right there with him, running his beak along Tyler's whiskers making sure they were clean before they both settled in for a nap. Guests often commented how they were like the lion lying down with the lamb.

George and Tyler continued their friendship until George passed away, but the special love between them continued. Tyler would bring us baby birds that had fallen out of their nests, carrying them ever so gently and laying them at our feet before looking up with a "can you help it" look on his face. He was even known to chase off neighborhood cats that were stalking unsuspecting birds.

Both George and Tyler are gone now, but the love and joy they brought into our lives will remain in our memories forever, as well as the understanding that differences can be overcome.

Susan Stevens
Copyright January 2000

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