This story is about a little blue point, Borobudur White Tara, who showed remarkable courage to get herself home. To start her name means ‘a single tear from Buddhas eye' aptly named as she was the only kitten, in my boy Tho Che Chey’s first litter.

Born in Oct 2007, she went to a beautiful home not far from me, in an area called Gulf Harbour. A recent development built around a huge marina, and with some stunning homes built high up on the cliff overlooking a stretch of water the Haurikai Gulf. She joined a seal point purchased from me the year before, and within 6 months had grown on to be a beautiful girl now called Chloe. With a very very gentle nature she would leave most of the stalking and chasing of rabbits to Tamzin, whose great trick has become to put them in Len and Merlines swimming pool to see how far they can swim, much to Merlines horror. Now aside from overlooking the sea the house also overlooks the 18 green of the golf club which meanders along the top of the cliff, many a lost ball over the edge!  One September late afternoon  a huge storm started to blow in which was predicted to stay for 2 or 3 days. Around 5pm I receive a call from a concerned Len and Merline,  “ Tamzin is home but no sign of Chloe”,   “She`ll  be back I assure her”   At 9pm another call “ the weather is really bad there is no sign of Chloe, we have been out calling but nothing”  I received the next call around 9am Sunday. Len and Merline had already been out for hours searching, and now I was greatly concerned. The weather had not abated, very strong winds with intermittent downpours, ”We can only hope she is taking cover until this blows out" I tried to reassure Merline. More calls came in and still nothing. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were the same. Neighbours joined in the search scouring the top of the cliff, Len was sent down as far as was safely possible and got scratched to bits by the gorse. Merline walked miles putting fliers in letterboxes, she had become convinced Chloe had been catnapped and was clinging on to the hope that someone would return her little Birman. A broadcast went out on the local radio which turned out to have an hysterically funny twist as I had phoned them to put in the request  instead of the broadcaster relaying the message, he put me on live radio believing me to be Merline. Now I don’t do Kiwi very well, was taken completely unawares  trying to impersonate Merline! Needless to say it didn’t come out that well and I think there were a few calls from people who know Merline, drawing the stations attention to the possibility of an imposter! I joined the search on Thursday amidst an air of profound gloom, I didn’t start work in the cattery until 7 pm and after only 5 minutes had this tremendous urge to go back.  It was still light when I parked the car but the temperature had dropped considerably but with it so had the wind. For the first time for days it was quiet. I began calling silently.  Visualizing her pretty face, and just calling, no sound.  When I looked round I realized it was pitch black, freezing cold and I had only walked about 10 yards, I had to get home.  It was 9.15 pm, I had been there for over 2 hours. The phone had just started to ring as I opened the door, I tore across the kitchen, picked it up and I knew it was Merline before she uttered a word, and I knew what she was going to say. "She's home isn’t she?" I yelled - amidst floods of tears "yes, I switched the garden lights on and there she was sitting on the step but she is dragging one of her back legs”  We  got hold of the emergency vet and they rushed her down where she was admitted and given pain relief etc and the first warm bed  after 5 nights out in terrible weather.  Chloe was quite dehydrated, filthy dirty and had lost quite a bit of weight. The following day surgery started to repair the damaged leg, but at 11 am a distraught Merline called, “ they can’t save her leg, it is smashed to bits,  Evidently the damage was definitely caused by a fall not RTA and without Chloe herself telling the story, it seems most likely she went over the cliff. probably in pursuit of a bunny. I have met people who have lost cats over the cliff edge with fatal consequences. The bracken and scrub will have prevented her falling the 200 feet to the bottom but a lot of the damage seems to have come from her courageous climb home, with a broken leg She was in hospital for 4 days when the vet thought she was sinking into some kind of depression and would do better at home. I went to visit and sure enough all the sparkle had  gone from her eyes. Worst of all her friend Tamzin had taken fright at the strange movement of a 3 legged cat and had spat and run away from her. It was months before Tamzin finally reaccepted her. She was in this depression for some time. Merline loved and pampered her carried her to the garden  took her for walks, sang to her, read to her, left her husband to drive himself to the hospital after he fell  and gashed open his nose, well Chloe had a vet appointment!

Now just 5 months on she is back helping Tamzin with the rabbits, and doing just about all she did before. But keeping closer to home. Len and Merline are currently away on a long cruise thru Asia and Australia so I have the pleasure of looking after the 2 girls. Merline phones every day from the ships phone much to Len's horror over the cost, and I as their storyteller have gathered as much of the day to day detail of Chloe's recovery. It took sometime for her to learn how to hop and not fall over and the frustration of not being able to do all she did before deepened her depression.  But the real problem was Tamzin's prolonged rejection. Now the sparkle is back in her eyes and sometimes when I look at her straight on glimpses of that ordeal come through.  The knowing that had she been out another night in freezing conditions, with those injuries  or had she lost the resolve to keep crawling back up a cliff I would not be looking into those beautiful blue eyes.

Len and Merline Belz owners.  Jane Comber  breeder.    Chloe Belz, one special little Birman.

To end on a funny note, when I went up to the house and area to take photos of the cliff, I was completely  oblivious to the fact that I was standing in the middle of the 18th fairway, until I felt a ball wiz past, and noticed several people in the distance waving their clubs in the air.  This seems to be golfers talk saying  " you stupid ........get off the course!!!"