Last weekend we stayed at the home of Katie, a good friend and former teaching colleague of mine. Katie has two cats, Fantine and Cosette. Fantine was a feral cat and Cosette is her daughter. Katie's mother had taken them in, and when her mom passed away, Katie inherited them. Although Cosette is very affectionate and loves to snuggle, Fantine was very mean. On a visit to the vet, it was discovered that Fantine was virtually blind and was suffering from severe glaucoma. The vet said that, because of the glaucoma, the cat was suffering from excruciating pain similar to an extreme migraine. The doctor gave Katie two options... put Fantine out of her suffering, or surgically remove her eyes. Animal lover that Katie is, she chose the second option. Once Fantine was no longer suffering from pain, she become very docile and loveable.
During our stay at Katie's house, Cosette was skittish and would run away from us. However, I managed to become friends with Fantine. When I approached, she sensed my presence and was apprehensive. I held out my hand, and she sniffed me. I was then able to pet her and scratch her ears. The "purr machine" was going full force. For the rest of the weekend she enjoyed attention from me. However, I am slightly allergic to cats, so after petting Fantine, I always washed my hands thoroughly.
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