Maka Le'a

Maka Le’a is Hawai’ian for twinkly-eyed, mischevous — a fitting name for this little fellow who has adopted us. He was born just a few weeks ago, and he’s had a tough start — motherless (for reasons we don’t know), rescued by Jo Beaty (our vet) and bottle-fed, then taken seriously ill — twice. The second bout with the illness left him with some neurological problems that mostly affect his movements; he looks like he’s always just a little bit dizzy, and his rear quarters never seem to obey. We don’t know if his condition will get worse or better.

But we do know a good attitude when we see one, and Maka Le’a has that in abundance. He’s completely fearless — swats our dogs around without hesitation, and pounces on their paws or tails with complete abandon. When he’s wandering the livingroom floor, Lea and Mo’i (our two field spaniels) usually retreat to the couch, where Maka Le’a can’t get to them. Yet. My hands are all rough and chapped-looking right now, all from Maka Le’a’s “attacks”. He loves to chase things, just like any kitten, and he just refuses to let his handicap stop him. One of the consequences of his condition is that his pounces are usually off-target — sometimes by 6” or more. He seems not to care; he just gets up and tries again…

Click on any of the pictures for a larger view…