Ch. Beautymus Cearra of Gaia

Cearra is a beautiful coal black Devon female, who is a constant reminder that Life is indeed beautiful. Karen Hill sent her to me as a four month old kitten. Cearra was a joy to show as a kitten. She saw each day as an adventure so the show atmosphere did not bother her at all. In fact, she loved being held by the judges and admired by the spectators. I always referred to Cearra as my Free Spirit because she was so full of life and seemed to appreciate even the smallest bit of attention. When she sat in my lap and I petted her, she would stretch, close her eyes and snuggle as close as possible.She was friends with all of the other Devons, even Catie and Birdette, who think they should not mingle with the others. That relationship changed when Dust Bunny was born to Birdette. Cearra's first litter of four were eight days old when Dust Bunny was born. Since Cearra had her hands full being a full time mother, she did not seem to notice Birdette's tiny little boy until he was almost 2 weeks old.

I recall how upset Birdette seemed one morning when I walked in to check on the little boy. I soon discovered the reason for her distress. Dust Bunny was missing! I thought Birdette had moved him but he was no where in that room. I grew concerned but still needed to attend to Cearra and her litter in the next room. When I looked in on Cearra's brood, it did not take long to understand what had happened to Dust Bunny. Cearra had stolen him. I found him snuggled in amongst the four dark tabby boys. I gently removed him and returned him to Birdette, who was so happy to have him back that I thought she would lick him bald! After that episode, Birdette did not trust Cearra at all and refused to allow her to come near the door to her room.The following Sunday, Dust Bunny crossed the Rainbow Bridge and Birdette proved to me that animals do grieve. She did not want to eat or leave the carrier where Dust Bunny was born, her eyes seemed empty and she refused to allow me to touch her. She began to sit outside the room that housed Cearra's kittens and watch the kittens as they explored and learned to play. Bird never stepped inside the room. She simply sat and watched. Cearra noticed Birdette and approached her cautiously. I watched, prepared to intervene the moment I felt there would be trouble between them. Cearra seemed to sense that Birdette was sad because she was so gentle in her actions as she licked Birdette's face. Birdette did not respond at all, she simply continued to look longingly at Cearra's kittens. I will never forget what happened next. I watched Cearra as she picked up one of her kittens and placed it at Birdette's feet. Birdette began to lick it as if it were hers. Cearra brought a second one and deposited it next to the first one, then walked back to the other two and carried them to their bed. Birdette quickly picked up one of the kittens and carried it to her bed, then returned for the other one. I stood there crying as I realized that Cearra had unselflishly given Birdette two of her kittens. I did not know what would happen if Cearra missed the two kittens and decided to get them. I never had to deal with that situation, because Cearra never gave any indication that either of those two kittens had ever belonged to her. She and Birdette became close friends, sharing the same bed with all four kittens. Cearra took care of her two and Birdette did the same. It was as if there were two totally separate litters instead of only one.