Cat Tales

 Honestly, it has been awhile since I've had a cat. I used to have three. I would love to  have another. Although, I just don't  know.

Casper was our tuxedo we got at the pet shop when there was a petshop here. We'd had a cat a lot like him that was given to us from the neighbors, Tessa who was from England. Unfortunately, she was very old and had to be put down. She might have liked one of us, but it wasn't me. So when we saw Casper playing around at the pet shop, my daughter immediately was taken to him. She said he could have been Tessa's son.

So the adventure began with Casper, a kitten who could walk on the rafters in the basement. He was quite the hunter. I don't know how many times that cat would snatch the bird that was in a cage for from anything in my daughters room. Back then I was certain she would always be a bird person, but somebody like Casper had some sort of persuasion. He was quite the single cat in our home. And then the visiting orange cat visited.

He licked my ankles as soon as I got out of the shower. Soon enough, the kids announced that he was Augustus. "But you can call him Gus, mom."

He was basically an outside cat that visited a lot houses in the neighborhood, but one summer while we were on vacation and the kid across the street was supposed to be feeding Casper...well, Gus moved in. Obviously, there was cat mayhem. Someone, they even killed a squirrel. It was definitely not the way I wanted my cat left alone. Of course the oldest clarified, "Casper's gay now."

But before we could move, another neighbor moved and we took their siamese Misty. Since my daughter baby sat at that house, she felt we were saving the cat. The toddlers there terrorized poor Misty. 

She was strange from the get go. She and Casper seldom got along since he felt he was king. And again, I was told, "He doesn't like females, Mom."

Casper didn't like my husband either. And my husband was always on this cat's case for jumping on the table and counter and attacking the bread. [I'm afraid I took after my father. We enjoyed watching what animals could get into on their own. Of course, I was like this watching my first find a way to climb all the way to the top of the fridge on his own when he was a little over a year old. Yeah, that one should have been in the circus].

However, we moved again, and this took a bit of a toll on these two. No visiting cats after that. We found out that Misty was not spaded as it said in her papers from the Animal Human Society. Of course, this took years to realize. And every time she was in heat, Casper felt the call too even if he was fixed.

Yes, on one occasion while somebody was meeting a boy for a dance, Casper and Misty showed us what it means when cats get together. Soon after, Misty went through major surgery. This started the overweight dread that we all had to witness. But somewhere in that time, Butcher the Main Coon came to live with us.

He was a furry beast, but drowned wet he was no more than a pole cat. He could have been a show cat. He was completely declawed. Actually, Casper was the only one with back claws. By then, it was too late for Casper to enjoy cat company. 

Butcher was given to us by a friend whose neighbor gave the cat to her when he broke up with his girlfriend. Needless to say, he was hoping she would keep Butcher so maybe they could get together. Little did I know my friend was actually a dog person. As luck would have it, she later met a dog person and has been happy ever since.

Butcher was a congenial furball. He even gave Misty baths. And back then I got used to having a cat on both sides of me at night when I would watch my must-see TV. Misty liked to give me love bites to make sure she got a neck rub, Butcher followed as if it were the dance of the night. Yes, when I look back, those were the days. I just didn't know it. 

Butcher could get intoxicated on cat nip. That was the only time he really liked to fight our loner Casper.

Misty was the kind of cat who would lick the wine from the wine glass until it was empty. She liked beer too. 

It wasn't until later that I figured out Butcher was just as good of hunter at Casper. Butcher never went outside. Casper was our adventurer. Usually, he only hung around in the back yard while we were there. I have never been one of those to let my cats be outdoor cats. However, he did get out once, accidentally, and he was gone about five days before he came back. 

I knew he'd been in someone's garage, he smelled of engine oil. 

I'm not sure I will have a pet again. But they certainly made life interesting. Especially, that time Casper pooped in my purse because I hadn't cleaned out the litter box enough that day.