Shall I tell you about Mr. Cat? That's not what my daughter calls him, and he is her cat after all. But the name Mr. Cat seems to give him the stature he deserves.
Mr. Cat is not docile. He definitely has his moods, and there's no way to tell when they strike. Here's what happened one day when he wasn't in the mood to be pet.
The scene that preceded this scratch was quite ordinary. I hadn't taken his food away. I hadn't shooed him, or hollered at him. He just wasn't in the mood.
Mr. Cat is actually more benign today than he was in his youth. Today he will strike out and let you know if he doesn't want to be bothered. Years ago he would strike out simply to let you know he was in charge. In those days I would babysit for my daughter's dogs and cats when she went out of town. If I had to pass Mr. Cat I would give him wide berth. Without warning he would lash out and scratch, for no discernible reason. He certainly had the dogs on defense.
He has developed a habit in the last couple of years that disrupts my comfort zone. He jumps on the back of my chair (or my husband's chair), and lurks there--inches from my neck. (Notice PeakD in the background on my computer.)
When Mr. Cat perches there I'm never sure of his intentions, but I think it's mostly to give him better vantage of the table which might have food on it. I certainly take care to sit closer to his back paws than his front paws. Just in case...
Don't get me wrong. Mr. Cat is wonderful. Every night I do exercises before going to bed. I place the yoga mat on the floor and a bathrobe over it. Mr. Cat knows what's coming. Often he'll beat me to the punch. He knows what time it is and he's in the bedroom waiting for me. Sometimes he'll jump on the yoga mat. Sometimes he'll sit next to me while I exercise. I've discouraged him from sitting next to me because of his impulsive streak, so instead he'll jump up on the bed and watch.
Here he is grooming himself on the bed. Mr. Cat is very clean.
Usually if my husband and I have gone out, he'll be waiting at the door and greet us as we come home. He'll lead us to the stairs and precede us as we go up. My husband uses a stair lift. As the stair lift ascends, the cat ascends. He walks slowly ahead of the lift and waits at the top until my husband gets off.
Mr. Cat supervises.
I understand that we are essential to his survival, and therefor important to him. We feed him. That's always on his mind. He's an old cat and he does not digest most of his food. He eats all day long, little bits. And then he goes, usually downstairs, and he regurgitates some of what he has eaten. No matter how much he eats, he never gets fat. He has done this for years.
I am relieved that he eats from my cupboard and vomits on my daughter's floor. She lives downstairs, and he is her cat (officially), after all.
How did my husband and I come to have this remarkable, idiosyncratic cat? My daughter adopted a dog, and the rest is history. The dog supplanted the cat downstairs. We became caretakers by default.
I think even my daughter would say we are more attentive caretakers than she was. He gets fresh food many times a day--whenever he asks. He gets fresh water many times a day. He actually has two water bowls.
Mr. Cat has a small house for sleeping. A heated pad for resting and sleeping. Two scratch polls up here, and a scratch pad. When he wants something he comes to me and nudges. He pushes with his head. If I don't listen he tries to paw me, but I put an end to that. I simply cannot reward him with food every time he paws. After all, at the end of that paw are some very sharp nails. He seems to have learned this is not a good way to get a positive response from me.
Here's a short video of Mr. Cat when he is perched on my chair. You can see he is 'hunting'...looking for something to eat or do. This hyperactive stage is not good for me. I keep my distance.
So why do we love this cat? He has his moments, and he certainly is entertaining. He earns his dinner with his sheer entertainment value. However, I certainly would not keep Mr. Cat around children.
My husband and I love dogs. We love my daughter's dog, the one that lives downstairs. I've always loved cats, but that is not true for my husband. He has always had an active dislike of cats--maybe that comes from having had cat scratch fever as a child. But this cat is different.
Mr. Cat is audacious. He's a personality. As my husband often says, "He's his own man." The cat is a character. He is attached and yet apart. He is demanding, and affectionate. He misses us, and he needs us.
Here he is lounging on the back of my husband's chair. He doesn't want anything material from my husband. My husband does not feed, but he does (cautiously) pet him.
You can see my husband's back on the left side of the picture. Also, please note that the cover on the chair is shredded. That's the work of Mr. Cat.
If Mr. Cat had come into my husband's life ten years ago, there probably wouldn't have been a connection. Sometimes, though, timing is everything. My husband was dealing with a serious health issue when he met the cat. Mobility was limited. And there was Mr. Cat, putting on a show, every day, offering comic relief.
The cat took to my husband right away. Was it curiosity? Was it intuition? Whatever it was, it worked. My husband was entertained--delighted.
That cat costs us a lot of money. My generally practical husband doesn't blink an eye at the expense. When I get up in the morning, the cat wants fresh food. Right away. If I offer him the wrong flavor, he turns his nose up. Plus, he eats special food for a congenitally compromised kidney.
Here he is, waiting for breakfast. It's the first thing I do in the morning, feed the cat. He is vocal and physical. He follows me and howls. I don't have a meowing cat. I have a howling cat. He makes guttural sounds, more like a growling lion than a house cat.
We love Mr. Cat. Whatever he does, it can't really hurt us. It is a pleasure to 'spoil' him. He's old. All three of us have that in common. This common condition builds a bridge for us with our feline resident. He can do what he wants, when he wants. We just hope it's for a very long time.
Thank you for reading my blog. Peace and health to all.
Hive on!
