Tag: animals

Are You Listening

If your pet could talk what would be the first thing it says?

Ironically my wife and I just adopted a cat from a rescue agency. This actually came as quite a surprise…well a surprise to me. You see I thought we were done with pets. We had a cat and dog, they didn’t like each other and never became friends like you see in those cute videos of dogs and cats napping together. The dog would chase the cat if he saw her so the basement became her safe space and after the dog would go to bed she would creep up the stairs and sit in front of the wood stove luxuriating in the heat and stillness. When they both passed away within a couple of years of each other we got new carpet and re-painted everything and I thought for sure my wife was through with pet ownership.

So in yet another example of a husband never really knowing what his wife is thinking, my wife suddenly announced a couple of weeks ago that we should adopt a cat from a rescue agency. Surprise was my reaction or more likely shocked as my wife is a self described “dog person.” She came to love our first cat but getting a cat wasn’t her first choice, so getting a cat now was yes definitely a surprise.

Like most rescue pets this cat has had a difficult past. Despite being 4 years old its very small and scrawny barely weighing 7 pounds. It’s also very skittish, it doesn’t like to be picked up or held, it doesn’t purr and it rarely meows. We hope it settles into our home and becomes comfortable as it realizes that we plan to keep her.

She’s still exploring the house and finding favorite places to sit. She fits easily into window sills so as long as the weather remains warm she seems to like to lounge there. Her cat tower is a favorite napping place but she also just flops down on the floor and lays peacefully.

Previous pets we’ve had loved treats and would sit by the pantry door silently, or sometimes not so silently, demanding immediate attention to their obvious lack of treats. So far this cat doesn’t seem to be interested in treats, perhaps she will as she grows more comfortable or perhaps her disregard for our treats is an indictment of the treat itself. Cats are notoriously picky and maybe are treats are too sub-standard for her. We may have to up our treat game.

She seems to eat well and we think her scrawny condition might have been because she was one of many cats in her previous house and perhaps by the time she got to the bowl of food there was hardly any left.

We’ve yet to name her but she seems unbothered by this. She was called both Winnie and Potato Chip by previous owners. Since she’s many shades of dark brown I was thinking Coco would be appropriate but my wife is lukewarm to that.

She sleeps, she eats, she plays….she’s well on her way to living a normal cat life and if she could talk I would think perhaps she simply might say “Thanks” for finding me and giving me some normalcy and a home.

Treat you pets with love and kindness,

John

Curled up in a Corner

Daily writing prompt
What is your favorite animal?
View all responses

I’ve always thought it was unfair to label someone a “dog person” or a “cat person.” If you love animals enough to provide a loving home to one, then you probably love all types of animals. Sometimes people have a preference, they grew up with a dog or a cat or perhaps a horse or goat and they have fond memories of that animal.

My wife and I have had a dog and a cat, and although they never did really get along we loved them both. They carved out a spot in our hearts much like they carved out an existence in our home while ignoring the other. We gave them love and they returned it. We played with them, took them on walks, the dog we took on walks, cuddled with them, shared the couch and bed with them and put up with their midnight ramblings and early morning wake-ups.

If I had to pick a favorite…. I would choose a cat. Growing up we had a cat in our family. She lived a long time and like any pet became part of the family. We lived out in the country and during warm summer nights she would stay out all night carousing around the neighborhood, at least that’s what I like to believe she was doing. Quite frequently she would be out hunting….usually at least once a week our lovable cat would leave the carcass of a small critter on the front porch in a proud display as if saying “look what I have brought you, now shower me with love and adulation.”

Mice, birds, rabbits all were left bloody and in some cases decapitated on the front porch. This required a thorough clean-up and scrubbing of the porch, usually by my irritated mother……how us kids got out of that I’ll never know. Mom would sometimes scold the cat as she was scrubbing the porch but the cat usually sat there with an imperious look on her face confused why the gift wasn’t lovingly received. Then she would disappear the rest of the day sleeping a restful slumber until the next night.

Cats have this amazing ability to show no remorse, guilt or even understand why you might be upset. They strut about ignoring everyone, demanding to be fed at odd hours and then curl up and sleep for most of the day indignant if awakened before they have achieved at least 20 consecutive hours of sleep.

I wish I had the confidence of a cat, but I’m frequently empathetic to others and often guilt stricken from doing or not doing something. I always say I have the personality of a cat…..I’ll probably ignore you most of the time, not because I don’t like you but I’d rather just be doing my own thing hidden away in a corner. If I need something I’ll let you know and if you need something from me I’ll always be there……now if only I could sleep as much as a cat, that would be glorious

Take care or your pets….

Peace

John