[Vision2020] Caturday (December 25, 2010)

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of the Florida Times Union (Jacksonville, Florida).

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Mom makes Ponte Vedra girl's wish for a cat come true after reading her
letter to Santa

Ten-year-old Tori Hartman desperately wanted Sylvester the cat for
Christmas. During the summer, Sylvester, a long-haired tuxedo kitty, had
joined the feral cat colony that our Ponte Vedra Beach community supports.
He was by far the friendliest of the group, and I suspected he was looking
for a home.

Tori is one of the people who feeds the colony every day and she fell
under Sylvester's spell. Sarah Thompson, another neighbor, managed to get
him into her condo and did a wonderful job of socializing him. He was then
accepted into Katz4Keeps, a cat rescue and adoption organization in Ponte
Vedra, and put up for adoption.

Tiffany Hartman, Tori's Mom, asked Tori to write up a Christmas list, but
Tori wrote the following letter to Santa Claus instead.

Dear Santa Claus,

Well, first of all, Merry Christmas. But I really want to ask you for a
pet. I know that my mom is allergic to cats but I really, really, really
want Sylvester the cat. I know that it's a lot to ask for, but I will take
good care of him; like, I would put his litter box in my bathroom and I
will feed him every day without complaint. I won't forget the other cats,
Fred, Cutiepie, Cookie and Rachel [the ferals whom Tori named].

I know that I haven't been all that good this year, but this is the only
thing I ask of you. I'm bored and lonely. Well, don't tell my mom this,
but that's why I try to get my homework done early so I can get to the
cats earlier and see my neighbors' dogs. Please, Santa Claus, I'm begging
you for this. Plus, I know that this isn't part of my list, but tell the
reindeer I said Hi (especially Rudolph).

Love, Tori

When Tori read the letter to her mom, they both cried. Tiffany was going
to give Sylvester to Tori for Christmas, but after hearing the letter, she
couldn't wait. Lyn McCall, another cat lover and feral caregiver, took
Tori to the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club to see the Christmas tree there while
Tiffany got Sylvester and brought him home.

When Tori saw Sylvester sitting at the top of the stairs, she squealed and
jumped up and down, grabbed her mom around her waist and hugged and hugged
her and told her she loved her. Before she ran up the stairs to Sylvester,
she asked if she was dreaming.

This sweet kitty then settled in on the couch downstairs as if he'd been
there his entire life. He was not upset in the least when my dog, Gizmo,
jumped up on the couch to get acquainted. Sylvester was home.

- A wild Christmas story: I don't remember what I was doing in my living
room when I became aware of large shadows over the lake my condo faces.
Curious, I walked out onto the screened porch and saw something I have
never seen in my life, much less right outside my home.

A bald eagle and an osprey were fighting in mid-air. One swooped to get at
the other as they flew about 30 feet above me. Then the osprey's mate
appeared at a much higher altitude and called out. As I watched that, the
eagle drew my attention by landing on the roof of the building next door.
I have never seen a wild bald eagle so close. The eagle stayed there for
maybe three seconds before it flew across the lake, into the trees and out
of sight.

I don't know if they were fighting over a catch or territory but it felt
like "Wild Kingdom" in my backyard. It was truly astonishing.

- A November gift of love: For animal lovers, Christmas isn't the only
season to spread joy. Last month, a 12-year-old Lhasa apso-poodle mix with
hearing and sight impairment disappeared from her yard in South
Jacksonville Beach. Chelsea didn't have her collar on and after her
owners, Richard and Carolyn Drazien, went looking for her, they contacted
Animal Control, the Humane Society, emergency veterinary clinics, even the
police. No luck.

When Drazien saw a posting on Jaxlostpets.net of a dog that fit Chelsea's
description and the location she was found in, he called and talked with
Amanda Osborn, who lives in Ponte Vedra Beach. She had been visiting her
sister at the beach when she saw Chelsea wandering the streets. Fearful
the dog would venture out onto Florida A1A, she rescued her. Amanda is no
stranger to animal rescue, having successfully reunited four dogs with
their owners in the past.

She offered to bring Chelsea back to the Draziens, which ends the story of
Chelsea and Amanda. But that's not the end of Amanda's story.

The day after returning Chelsea, Amanda was at home when a husky dog
appeared in her front yard, then ran into her house. The tag on its collar
was from the Clay County Humane Society, but it had already closed for the
day. So Amanda decided to walk the dog around her neighborhood, hoping
someone would be looking for him. In less than two hours, husky and owner
were reunited.

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Sylvester the cat has found a home with Tori Hartman, who asked Santa for
him.

http://jacksonville.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/editorial/images/images/mdControlled/cms/2010/12/25/760263037.jpg

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Happy Holidays, Moscow.

I wish you and your family - furry, feathery, finny and otherwise - a very
happy holiday season and a happy and healthy new year.

Tom Hansen
Kellogg, Idaho