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“I’m so lonely here by myself during the day, and there’s free kitty advertised on the radio. Can I get it? Please?” That’s the way the phone call began our third week of marriage. But I was newlywed-husband adamant. “Absolutely not! Cats carry germs and suck the breath out of babies. Mother said so. No cats!” She [...] I'm not sure when we started feeding him. Six months ago… about. Just a sad feral kitty under a dumpster behind Sonic. We'd go at various times, sometimes catching a glimpse of the shadowy phantom hopping out of a dumpster and skittering for cover, food scraps dangling from his mouth. I figured that he (we assumed he [...] Whoever says you can’t train cats just doesn’t know. Training involves establishing strong ties between cause and effect, and cats learn quickly. Training brings results. As creatures of routine, cats develop habits that may seem peculiar to us. Proper training demands that we identify those habits and exploit them to our advantage. Let me illustrate with a [...] The unraveling of the following tale proves the timeworn axiom oft quoted by parents and other sages: circumstances aren’t usually as bad as they first appear. I lay out this conclusion at the beginning so it won’t be lost at the end. Benign from the outset, the saga I’ll now describe skewed toward the bizarre [...] His face has been marked by time. Age spots discolor one eyelid. The back edge of his lower lip sags a bit. Slow responses and shuffling gait, both amplified by apparent hearing loss, speak of many sunsets. When I was a child in the half-dozen years after World War II, my mother casually mentioned a "hobo [...] Plunging furiously and simultaneously in all directions, he still could not escape the breath of doom hot upon his neck. There was no escape–so he ran for all he was worth, driven by recurring impulses of pure terror. I watched from a distance and wished I could have done more. I had spoken kindly and tried [...] I still recall the large round eyes and sad expression made particularly memorable by a larger-than-normal head. Often appearing at our door begging for a handout, he was a scruffy, homeless vagabond. We nicknamed him Big Boy–but simply called him Big for short. We actually pitied Big's plight and sometimes made overtures to alleviate his distress. [...] Ripping up and down our long carpeted hall like two low-slung racecars, they hug the floor to round corners at breakneck speed. Sir Nigel and Lady Maude loved this little diversion. I can still see them with my mind's eye. Of our four cats, Nigel was held the dearest. Affectionate and gregarious, he would seek us [...] Upon leaving home this morning, I gave some instructions to Lady Maude: "If anything needs to be pulled or dragged today, it's your job. Don't let me down." I don't think she will. Long-time readers may remember another of our feline companions–Not Abraham. Like Lady Maude, Not Abraham also had peculiar penchant for dragging and pulling. [...] Sir Nigel and Lady Maude have been with us for a few days, supposedly on their way to more permanent quarters. They have been intriguing guests, but I've yet to detect any hint of their intention to move. I guess we'll have to accommodate them a bit longer. Sir Nigel is a funny little chap with [...] |
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Copyright 2012 James McAlister - All Rights Reserved |
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