This is about Cleo, a pure white cat that we belonged to for about 17 years. Her most endearing charm was her relationship with Heidi and Brutus. Cleo loved them both and was almost always with one or the other, usually sleeping curled up between Heidi’s legs.
This threesome took care of each other. When Cleo gave birth to her kittens, Heidi thoroughly cleaned each before gently returning them to Cleo’s breast. We were constantly amazed by the care shown by the dogs for their companion Cleo. Brutus was not big enough to get his head in Cleo’s box, but he never took his eyes off both the kittens and Cleo.
Although Lenette and I did not consider their wonderful relationship as an example that held vital importance in human relationships at the time, it was. Even so, perhaps we learned something applicable to what we humans need from each other. How, front and center, their example was to us then and remains to this day.
Readers may remember the dog and cat fight I wrote about in “Events Dictate.” If not, I suggest you find it. It describes what happened when Heidi and Cleo came to Brutus’s aid. I was in the middle of the melee and witnessed their complete dedication to their friend. While we may regard this as a “human quality,” it appears to apply equally to the animal kingdom.
Love surrounds us all—It comes out but not when forced—It is or is not
Sy
Author: Sy Ogulnick
Sy Ogulnick received a BA from UCLA, Teacher’s Credential from Los Angeles Board of Education and completed phase I (Master’s portion) in a Doctor of Behavioral Science program at California Coast University. Sy leased and operated a summer day camp in LA. He and his wife then purchased virgin wilderness land in Northern CA, where they built and operated a coed summer camp. They moved to Las Vegas, NV, and purchased, built and operated a community children’s program for families staying in a major resort casino in Las Vegas. They have created programs for children nationwide that employed many people and in the process developed successful training programs for personnel. This led Sy to lecture on how to train staff and the creating of community within the workplace. Sy was then invited to speak at professional conferences on how best to hire and train employees, which led to his becoming a consultant in the art of improving relationships in a work environment and eventually to his epiphany that “Leaders are the primary problem and the answer to the personnel issues that arise in the workplace.” Sy has written numerous papers on the subject of interpersonal relationships, leadership and power. He has lectured throughout the United States, has been interviewed by the media and has appeared on many radio and TV talk shows
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Thanks Sy, great story. Steve