Travis Learns About Fear

TRAVIS FACES FEAR


It was a beautiful morning, and Travis, a beautiful gray kitten was looking forward to a new day. What adventures were in store for him today? He padded outside with his big feet for his early morning prowl. Travis had been born with five toes on each of his front paws but he was learning to love his big paws.

He found an orange and black butterfly and chased it around the yard until he grew tired. He practiced stalking and pouncing with the grasshopper, but the grasshopper was too fast for Travis this morning. He sniffed the pretty flowers.

Every day Travis had learned something new. He had learned that it was OK to be different. He learned that his new family loved him and that he loved them. He felt safe and happy. Travis was proud of his sleek gray fur. His big blue eyes sparkled with happiness. So what if he couldn’t parade in cat shows like his mother and sisters because of his big front feet. Being here with Lindsay and her family was all he wanted. He went back into the house, through his very own pet door, to find his friend Lindsay.

She was having eggs and bacon for breakfast. Mmmm, bacon! It was his favorite. Travis crept under the table and quietly jumped into Lindsay’s wheelchair, then wiggled onto her lap. He knew that if he was quiet and did not stick his nose onto the table, Lindsay would sneak a few bites of her breakfast to him. And she did. Mmmm good!

While he was munching on the bacon, he heard a low, rumbling growl outside. Now Travis was a curious kitten. When he heard a terrible noise, he wanted to see what was making it. He jumped down, streaked to the door and scooted out through his pet door.

“You shouldn’t go out Travis. You may not like what you find,” Lindsay called after him. She followed him out the door but she knew she would not get there on time. Her wheelchair just didn’t move as fast as Travis.

When she got to the door it was too late. No sooner had he popped out the pet door than he found himself face to face with a big, hairy dog. The dog’s face was about twice the size of Travis. His teeth were big too and they looked like they could hurt him. The dog was covered with lots of light brown colored hair with a slash of white on his forehead and nose. His tail was long with more hair hanging from it than Travis had ever seen.

When the dog saw Travis he crouched down at the front and his hind end was stuck way up in the air. The dog’s big brown eyes were staring right at Travis. Travis’s big blue eyes were staring right back at the brown ones in front of him.

Travis did not know much about dogs but he did know that they do not particularly care for cats. At least, that is what Lindsay had told him. This must be Sam from next door

Sam continued to growl. Something was happening inside Travis’s body. He did not have a name for this thing, but he did not like it one bit. The hair on his back was standing straight up, his back was arched, his claws were spread, and he was making a strange hissing sound through his bared teeth.

Travis was ready to fight. He was equally ready to run faster than he had ever run before. This was the first time he had experienced fear.

Travis did not move. Sam did not move. For a few moments the two just stood there, staring at each other. Then the dog stopped growling and began to bark. His fangs showed and his ears flopped up and down. Travis shrank back at first, but he stood his ground.

Then Sam jumped sideways. Back and forth, up and down he bounced, “woof, woof”, he said, as he jumped around. He capered about the porch as if he had springs in his legs. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth and it was flopping around just like his ears as the pup jumped about.

Suddenly it occurred to Travis that maybe the dog was not fierce after all, just noisy. He was very noisy, barking and jumping, wagging and flopping all at the same time. What a strange animal this was, thought Travis. Travis never wagged his own tail like that. Something told him this wagging was a good sign, a sign that the dog wanted to be friends. That’s good, thought Travis; I would like to have another friend. Lindsay called from the doorway, “Sam just wants to play with you, Travis.”

Slowly the hair on Travis’s back began to lie down. The fear drained from his little body. Everything came back to normal. The dog stopped his noise. Travis was still curious. So was the dog. They each crept closer. Their noses touched. They both jumped back fast and then cautiously touched again. What a strange big wet nose, thought Travis.

Lindsay was right, thought Travis, this dog isn’t dangerous. He is just a big puppy who wants to run and play.

Travis had found another friend. That day he and Sam played for a long time. They chased each other around the yard and played with Travis’s toys. They stalked and pounced. Travis was glad that he had practiced every day because he was much better at pouncing than this strange awkward pup.

After all that playing and running, stalking and pouncing, chasing and being chased, they were both exhausted. They curled up on the soft, comfortable cushion on the porch swing and had a long nap together. Travis sighed and laid his head on the Sam’s paw. Sam licked the top of Travis’s head with his long wet tongue. Travis thought it was curiously pleasant.

What had started out as fear, ended up as friendship. Lindsay will always be my best human friend, thought Travis, but Sam would be his best animal friend. They liked to play the same games and they liked the same toys. Travis was happy to share his toys with his new friend.