When you get used to having that special animal around, nothing seems right when that special animal is no longer there. It becomes a part of our heart, and, without it, our heart just does not beat the same.
United States Army Sgt. Jesse Knott spent some 8 years on duty in Afghanistan. In 2010, he made friends with a feral cat named Koshka. That cat was real good about dealing with the mice problem at the base. Koshka would roam into the base quite often, and Jesse formed a quick bond with him. But Jesse could see that no one else on the base was doing anything to take care of the stray cat.
For all the help Koshka gave the soldiers with the mice problem, one would think that others would be thankful and giving a little for it. And some there didn’t treat the cat well at all.
Says Jesse: “He was showing some signs that people weren’t really taking good care of him. I found paint in his fur a couple of times, and then, people took a pair of clippers and shaved his back.”
It was known to all soldiers there that they were NOT supposed to have any pets. But Jesse had to bend the rules a bit, and he often kept Koshka in his office. Little did Jesse know how much that cat would mean to him.
It was in December of 2011 when Jesse learned that two of his Army buddies had been killed by a suicide bomber. He had to go to his office and cry. And it was then that Koshka jumped onto his lap and did his best to comfort the soldier. It’s as though he knew that Jesse was extremely sad.
Says Jesse: “I’d lost hope in myself, I’d lost faith. And all of a sudden, this cat comes over and just reminds me that, hey, you’re you. He pulled me out of one of my darkest times, so I had to pull him out of one of his darkest places.”
And with that, Jesse worked on getting Koshka to the United States. An Afghan interpreter worked with Jesse and got Koshka on a plane back to the states. It was a tremendously brave thing he did, because if he was caught by the Taliban, he would have been executed for helping an American. Fortunately, he was not caught. Jesse’s parents paid for the flights that got the cat to them in Portland, Oregon.
When Jesse finally arrived back home, he was thrilled to see Koshka waiting for him. And Koshka was just as thrilled to see his old Army pal. And now they spend a lot of time together in the great outdoors.
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