Nearing the end of reading Nesach haKatan, the Little Prince, which I read together in in Hebrew and English, there’s a great little story about a fox that says, “I am like 100 other foxes to you and you are like 100 other people to me” (paraphrasing). “Tame me” he says, “so we can be friends”.

The fox then sends The Little Prince back to a field of roses where the Prince had despaired after realizing that his rose on his little planet was not unique. The Prince then learns that his rose is unique because it is unique to him, having taken care of it and given to it, despite the rose being obnoxiously annoying.

That is more-or-less how my wife, who professed to hate cats came to love our new kitten, who is not letting me write because he treats my body like a big climbing toy with about 24 nails in leg, followed by my torso, followed by perching himself on my shoulder like a parrot. When he cuddles in my lap, he does so in such a way as to force me to keep my legs flexed. Should you take him down, he mews until you let him back up or until you feel 24 nails in your leg again.

Kitten About to Die

At about two weeks old, my son found him covered in dirt with an eye infection and probably not long to live. He and some yeshiva bochurim looked up what to do and bought him a bottle and kitten formula. Not knowing all this, I received a strange video call with this cat and a request to help him … I said to take him to the vet, knowing that there’s no way my wife would accept (another) cat into the house.

Next thing we know, my daughter is hiding a cat in her room and waking up every two hours to bottle feed the critter and taking this kitten everywhere she goes in a cat carrier including horse back riding and school. When I was in high school, there was some class where girls would walk around with an egg in a basket that they had to protect at all times as a preparation for motherhood. The United States likes simulated reality (sometimes for very good purposes such as this). Israel is just like … “nu, you want to be a mommy? Fine. Just hide it from your mother until it’s too big to do so.”

$500 of Kitten Later

After weeks of the little lamb following Bo Peep wherever she may go, the kitten was given a name: pebble – after the big stone that Andre the Giant throws at Westley in The Princess Bride, Westley being one of our other cats who would really wish Pebble would stop attacking his tail.

Pebble, or as the Swiss Veterinarian thought her name was, “pee-bull”, then got sick. The Veterinarian speaks a bunch of languages, transferred her license to Israel, took “medical Ulpan” which is Hebrew language study directed towards medical terminology, and works in a long skirt with her hair covered by some sort of … I’m a guy. Let’s just say she looks very religious, and a Jew can openly be a Jew here. Improbable to work that way in America where everything is a wig.

Pee-bull is too young to get his shots and after curing his eye infection with some drops, both his hind legs stopped working – one came back – and the other has no feeling. I almost passed out watching the Vet squeeze him with forceps to see when he did and didn’t scream. Not my thing. Then the Vet was treating me instead of the cat. (The only time I passed out in my life was at a Veterinarian’s office in 6th grade after my dog had a seizure and my brother was discussing electrodes in monkey brains.)

Cat-Polio

After some blood tests, antibiotic shots, and pain killer, and some more spending of money for something else, I’m sure … he was diagnosed with some rare cat disease which causes paralysis. He still has some deep pain sensors in his still not working leg, so he might heal somewhat or fully. He’s up and at’em (up and at them), and back to climbing up me like a cat climbing up a 6′ tree.

Indoor Cat

Pee-bull, once he was nursed back to health, attacked anything that moved or stood still from pencils to other cats. Couldn’t stop him from attacking everything, scratching, biting, and doing everything else that he thought of as “playing” … then he got sick again, we spent too much money falling in love with a special cat who is now different than 100 other cats or Little Princes, as they think they are, and now he cuddles all the time.

Hoping for a full recovery of his full white self with pebble marking on his head like a piano game on the smartphone, and bright blue eyes. My wife always wanted a blue-eyed child.

The Entire Aliyah Diary

Arrival

01. Aug 19, 2024: Preparation In America
02. Aug 25, 2024: First Few Days
03. Aug 29, 2024: Moving In

Cultural Adjustment Fun

Cultural Adjustment Difficulties

On The Roads

Shopping

11. Oct 13, 2024: Packages. (חבילות.)
34. Feb 17, 2025: Finding Obscure Things
41. Mar 23, 2025: New Shopping Habits
44. Apr 6, 2025: Pesach Shopping & Osher Ad

Government and Bureaucracy

Politics and Thought

Travel: South Israel

Travel: Central/North Israel

Travel: From Israel to …

54. June 4, 2025: Marseille and Avignon