Cat Census

Since I'm returning after some long silences, I thought it would be fun to share some photos of the kids. And by kids, I mean cats!

Maggie is the matriarch now, all 7 pounds of her. She looks substantial, but it's mostly hair. She came to me in late 2012. I wrote about her here and how the serendipity was just too much! As I told my friend, "I think the universe has made me a kitten." And here we are. She is both sweet and spicy. She likes to be near you but not if you get grabby about it. I tell the folks at the vet clinic that she has a very strong sense of bodily autonomy, which seems to get the point across. Currently her favorite thing to do is sit on the back of my chair while I'm reading and rest one paw on my shoulder. That one point of contact is plenty for her, and it's very sweet when she reaches out that way. What a delightfully cozy way to spend an evening.   

It's fair to say that Clouseau adopted me in 2015. He was just a sweet youthful teencat when he started hanging around the house I was living in at the time. He was already neutered and his ear was tipped, so someone obviously thought he was going to be an outside cat. But that was NOT what he wanted. He is panicky about rain, lawn equipment, loud trucks, and strangers, so outside life was a very bad fit for him. I started by chasing him away and he would run a little and then look back at me with an expression that said, "Why are you being so mean to me?" That questioning face melted my resolve. Truly, he's the sweetest boy ever. He likes to be petted while he eats and he will happily sit on your lap while you're reading, especially in the wintertime. Indoor life suits him to a T. 

Mr. Moo came with the house when I bought it in 2018. I think he probably made the rounds of several families in the neighborhood, but he was occasionally getting wounds and abscesses from defending his territory from other cats, so now he lives on my screened porch full time. He doesn't seem to miss his walkabout days. Food, toys, pets, and playtime are generously and regularly delivered, and he has only to soak them in. He is extremely skittish around anyone else, but he loves me (being the bringer of "room service" definitely helps). And his favorite thing is to get a nice long belly rub. He's the first cat I've known for which the belly is not a trap, leading to playful scratches and bites. He will lean up against my ankles and then flop! he's on his back with his belly on full display, and a rub inevitably follows. I am well trained, apparently. Perhaps he chose me from the start as someone he could work with.

And then there's L.P. He is a pandemic baby I adopted in the summer of 2020. I wasn't even thinking about another cat, really, but I saw his little face on Facebook -- I'm not even sure how, it wasn't someone I knew posting about him -- and just knew he should be mine! I messaged back and forth with his finder, desperately trying to persuade her that this was the right home for him. Then I drove about 2 hours each way to pick him up. His finder told me she never received any messages about him after she posted, just mine -- and then a couple of days later she found many messages in her phone from people who wanted him! But I had already taken him in, and he has proved to be a joy. From a very rocky beginning, he's grown into 13 pounds of love and floof with a powerful happy energy. He may have used up a few of his lives as a kitten, but he's making the most of this one!

No cat post would be complete without the mention of Barnie, who I found at a remote cabin in a national forest about an hour from here in late 2021. Someone must have dumped him there -- no way did he get lost on his own in that location! Poor little guy. He was terrified to be outside there and no wonder; we know from the wildlife camera and our own eyes and ears that there are coyotes and foxes and hawks and eagles, all of which might pose a danger under the proper circumstances. He was very shy at first but as soon as we fed him and managed to give him a pet, he was all over us, actually standing up on his hind legs to meet our stroking hands! I did not want to expand the cat family but I knew I couldn't leave him there, so home he came. I got great advice from a local rescue that has a rehoming program and found him a wonderful owner, a young man who very patiently answered 10 pages of questions and was instantly smitten at their first meeting. So smitten that when he started working in his office again, he got Barnie a kitten so he wouldn't be lonely. Now Barnie and Andy have it made with a doting cat dad. I still get regular bulletins about how they're doing. That's Barnie on the left. Aren't they cute together?