Several years ago I read online about a certain cat, how his "owner" had woken in the night to find a man standing at the foot of her bed; how - without thinking - (was she groggy with sleep or crazy, I wondered) she picked up the phone to call 911, and of the man saying, "Lady, don't do that." Hearing those words, this very tiny and BLIND cat, who had been growling - the noise that woke the lady to begin with - had a target and launched himself at the intruder.
I told my daughter this amazing story and the next Christmas she gave me the book, "HOMER'S ODYSSEY," in which the "saved" lady, Gwen Cooper, told the tale of Homer, the Blind Wonder Cat, and how he had not only saved her life, but changed it forever as well. And so it happened that when I decided on my Animal Heroes Project, Gwen Cooper was one of the many people to whom I sent emails or letters requesting permission to paint their hero's portrait. She replied,"Yes," the first person to do so. I will be forever grateful because I was ready to abandon the Animal Heroes Project, since no one seemed interested, not even the animals' companions. Since then, others have responded with a "yes" but none have any idea that a brave, blind, four pound cat was responsible for their portraits. Homer changed not only Gwen Cooper's life, but mine, also.
I told my daughter this amazing story and the next Christmas she gave me the book, "HOMER'S ODYSSEY," in which the "saved" lady, Gwen Cooper, told the tale of Homer, the Blind Wonder Cat, and how he had not only saved her life, but changed it forever as well. And so it happened that when I decided on my Animal Heroes Project, Gwen Cooper was one of the many people to whom I sent emails or letters requesting permission to paint their hero's portrait. She replied,"Yes," the first person to do so. I will be forever grateful because I was ready to abandon the Animal Heroes Project, since no one seemed interested, not even the animals' companions. Since then, others have responded with a "yes" but none have any idea that a brave, blind, four pound cat was responsible for their portraits. Homer changed not only Gwen Cooper's life, but mine, also.
It is with tears in my eyes, therefore, that I report that Homer was laid to rest on August 21, 2013, after a long illness. If you belong to that world of people who love animals, and cats in particular, and if you google "Homer," you will soon learn that Homer and Gwen Cooper have made an impact on the lives of many - both two and four-legged, and sometimes even three-legged. I don't have statistics, but I often read nowadays about people adopting blind cats and I think it's because Gwen's book showed not only how to do so but also the incredible joys of doing so. I fall in love with all of the animals I paint, a consequence, I suppose, of spending so much time with their images and working so hard to get their portraits as perfect as I know how to do, but I will never forget Homer, who apparently did whatever he wanted to do , without ever thinking "I can't."
Gwen has written a touching tribute to Homer and I urge you to read it. Click on the link below.
http://www.gwencooper.com/blog/entry/homer
Gwen has written a touching tribute to Homer and I urge you to read it. Click on the link below.
http://www.gwencooper.com/blog/entry/homer
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