Cat

One January evening over 13 years ago, I heard cats carrying on outside. Our neighbor fed all the wild cats in the area, so I figured one of them was in heat again and went to bed. When I got up the next morning, I could still hear a cat complaining, so I opened the front door to investigate. There, huddled in the corner of our large porch, was a small yellow kitten. I asked, "What are you doing out there?" His reply was to come running into the house. Daughter was none too pleased about me allowing this strange kitten into the house, but she got on the bus for school, and the tiny kitten sat on my shoulder talking to me while I washed the breakfast dishes.

I made a run to town for supplies, and when Daughter got home that evening. Cat was officially a member of the family. She chose a name for him. Cat attached himself to me. He was very affectionate, and would rub his face against my face. I sometimes felt as though he was trying to climb into my nose. Like all cats, he made it his mission in life to keep me from reading. If I sat down with a book or magazine, he would get between me and the reading material.

He slept at my feet, and if I was up later than he liked, he'd sit at the foot of the stairs and meow at me. He learned quickly not to disturb me during the night, but as soon as the alarm went off, he was there, bugging me to get out of bed. He'd lead me into the bathroom, where he'd jump on the counter and wait for me to turn on the water for him.

One night at Bible study, one of the men was lecturing me on the superiority of dogs as pets. Cat came into the room and sat down in the middle. He glared at the man for a moment, then pointedly turned his back on him, checking back over his shoulder to make sure the man knew he'd been snubbed.

When Daughter received Kitten as a graduation gift 3 years ago, Cat was none too pleased. In time though, he adjusted. He was very patient when Kitten would push in front of him for the food. He'd wrestle with Kitten in the morning. The only time things got ugly between them was if Kitten tried to take his spot at my feet at night. Eventually, though, they even negotiated that, and I would wake up some mornings with the sleeping on either side of my legs.

Many times I'd end up with both of them in my lap. Today, we took Cat in to be euthanized. He'd lost half his body weigh (and he was always skinny). He was incontinent, and would spend hours standing with his feet in his water bowl. He wouldn't let Kitten near him. He spent much of his time hiding under my bed. Daughter saw that he was suffering, too, and was in agreement that it was time to do this.

Kitten has been crying since we came home without Cat. We'll all miss Cat. He was a patient, loving cat who added much joy to our lives.