A blogging friend recently lost his very dear and special cat. It made me think about the one animal that I don’t have here. I can’t have a house cat – my eyes puff up and I can’t breathe – but I’m fine with the barn cats at Tonka’s stable. The barn owner just adopted a new one, who is one of those rub-against-the-legs cats, who knows how very useful, yet beautiful he is. My twenty-something son has recently moved into an apartment. He doesn’t have a cat – yet – but he made sure that the unit was pet friendly before signing the lease. It’s good to have cats in one’s life, even if at a distance.
If I had my druthers, I’d have a cat with big rumbling purrs that I could feel, but who still has that bit of aloof arrogance that give a cat, cat integrity.
Do you have a favorite cat story? I want to hear it!
oh teri – the blog on cats – the memories, the love. the tears. the patience – the education – it would take a book., several books and i’m still learning new things about the little animals after 25 years. but mostly, now send my thoughts to your blogger who’s lost his cat. i’ve gone thru it and it’s a sharp hurt but still, encourage him to keep on loving the little critters and caring for them.
It is so heartbreaking to lose a pet. My thoughts are with your friend.
I am also allergic to cats and have not had one in my life since I was very young. That cat was a black barn cat named Sassy. The name wasn’t fitting at all as she was the sweetest animal, always wanting you to love on her. My sister owns 2 cats now. I like visiting with the cats, but only if I’ve taken allergy medicine. ;)
There has never been a time in my life yet, where cats were not a large part of it. Some of my favourite childhood memories include one of our pet cats. Who could forget all the nights it was my turn to claim Sam(large ginger short-hair), who liked nothing better then to climb under the covers with a human friend and purr like there was no tomorrow. Of course there were plenty times that some friendly? cat-napping went on in the wee hours of the night. Sam did not pick favourites so he never raised a fuss at being smuggled into a different bed. We kids all liked to think he loved us best but Mom and Dad were equally guilty of taking their turns sneaking him in with them, because that was where he really wanted to be, right? My husband and I had the same routine years later with our children, and the best cat ever…Russell(another ginger male). Our present cat sleeps outside(his choice), so I can only dream about all the cozy times shared with a purry friend.
I love, love, love cats but am so allergic that I’ve been hospitalized after being too close to them. But I think they’re just wonderful.
My heart goes out to your friend. I just lost a cat four days before Christmas. It was awful. Please send heartfelt virtual {{{hugs}}} to your friend.
‘A’ cat story? How does one pick just one? :D My kids favorite story was about my heart cat, Tinker. He was my faithful sidekick for 20 years. Fortunately, he was still around to be a friend to my kids when they were young. But this story takes place before they were born.
Tinker was an ‘old soul’ even as a kitten. Nothing -ever- seemed to bother this cat. Well, almost nothing!
We rented a house for six months one year. Turned out the place was infested with fleas as well as the whole neighborhood having problems that year. I kid you not, I was pulling 60 – 80 fleas a day off my cats. (This was many moons ago – before all the flea treatments that are available now.) November came around and we were still doing regular flea baths but it was getting cold and I was leery of bathing them while it was cold. But Tinker sat on the bathroom counter beside me every morning as I got ready for work. This included me blow drying my hair. So, I figured I’d bathe him and then blow him dry. Um, no. Evidently getting blow dried after a bath and getting blow dried for fun on the counter are two entirely separate things. I discovered that day that cats really can climb walls as my cat whipped around and climbed the wall in order to jump over me and run away! :D
My sister is very allergic to cats but we didn’t figure this out until we had 23. Captain Midnight was my mom’s favorite and the only one allowed in the house. I currently have 2 and a half cats (the half is a feral that my orange tabby has adopted). But my cat before these literally fell from the sky into my lap and heart. I was over at my friend’s house and a bunch of us were out on the front porch enjoying adult beverages and something fell on my head. It was the cutest brown tabby kitten who jumped from the 2nd floor window! When it turned out that my friend couldn’t keep him, I volunteered eagerly. We had 16 wonderful years together. I am so sorry for your friend. A heart companion is hard to lose.
I’m not a cat person but I have one. Rooster.
Rooster is a very attractive gray tabby. 15 lbs too!
He came into my life unexpectedly.
His favorite spot is the third step down into the basement. He blends right in and I’ve tripped over him countless times.
His favorite thing to do is if I’m sitting in my recliner stretched back watching tv is to come up and lay on my stomach and purr, purr, purr and purr some more.
Oh and forget sleeping late on the weekends. 7 a.m. is his feeding time and there is no ignoring it. If I leave my bedroom door open he rubs on my face, if I shut it he meows very loudly.
I never like cats. Never had one as a child. Last summer my kids talked me into a barn cat. I reluctantly agreed. He was the sweetest thing ever and I quickly learned to love him. Every time I sat down on the patio he would come sit on my lap, purr, and knead my legs or stomach. Even though I didn’t want him, I think he loved me best. ;) Unfortunately, we didn’t have him long, he was hit by a car and the vet said there was nothing we could do. Even though he didn’t live long he had a great impact on my opinion of cats. I now see beauty in the creatures, where I didn’t before!
Having had cats for the last 60 years I have stories and stories but the one that gets told most often concerns an Abyssinian, name of Lucifur. He was a Christmas/birthday present when he was about 8 months old. From the day he arrived at my house he snuggled in my bed, under the covers, every night for almost 17 years. Working as a travel agent I was out of town fairly regularly and I finally hired someone to come in and care for the cats. The first time she came to the house it was late in the day and Lucifur was hanging out in the basement. Hearing Sue come in he raced up the stairs and found a stranger! He didn’t hesitate, just ran right up her (fortunately it was winter and she was wearing a parka), looked her straight in the eye and said “Who the h**l are you?” Over a number of years they became very good friends. To this day whenever Sue and I visit on the phone (we both relocated to NC) she tells that story.
My condolences to your friend. I have been in that awful situation many, many times over the years and it never gets any easier.
When my oldest son was three, we rescued a cat that someone tossed from a car into one of my nursing school classmates front yard. He adored her, named her Lucy because we brought her home on a Sunday and he thought her black fur looked like Lucy from the Charlie Brown comic. So fast forward a few years, we are moving into our first home. Somehow she escaped from her cat crate, but was under the porch all day. When I went to get her she had disappeared. We were frantic, but Sean came in and said he could hear her calling to him. He was standing in the middle of the backyard yelling for her at the top of his lungs. I had my doubts that a cat would respond to this. But I listened, sure enough when he yelled, a meow came from the new neighbors hedges. She knew his voice and that he would come for her. We lost her many years later, but she always came to him when he called, better than any dog I’ve ever known!
Our current house cat was a 1.5 yr old rescue that had never been outside. We would put her on a leash and take her out, to teach her about being outside. She learned it was not necessary to lick ALL the dew off ALL the grass, bees weren’t good to eat, you were supposed to stay in the yard, but NOT in the flowerbeds, and that there were LOTS of chipmunks.
Some things she didn’t learn: not to stalk bobcat and bear. (We rescued her from these.) And this year, she learned it’s not smart to stalk groundhogs that are twice your size. They might just chase you all the way up on the wood pile.
She’s 14 now, and just about as agile as she was when we got her. And I expect she will find new things to learn, and we will have to rescue her a few times more.
Have always had Cats, Dogs and chickens in my life, also up until 10 years ago Horses but Doctors won’t allow me to ride anymore (no fun getting old) that’s why I love reading about you and Tonka. I have one Cat at the moment who when I got my Chickens tried stalking them, they surrounded her and frightened her so much she won’t go near them :)
Cats might go after chicks, but once the birds are full-sized most cats aren’t a threat! :)
I agree. My cat does not like to get near the chicken yard. She seems scared of the chickens.
I too love cats but am very allergic. I grew up with cats but developed asthma in my late teens, I had a cat that used to sleep with me. After the first asthma attack we had to keep her out of my room. I don’t think she ever understood why she couldn’t sleep with me any longer. She lived to be 19! On a separate note what is the white round thing in front if the ladder in the run? I see the ladies keep picking at it. I am loving the ladder you set up in there. We had some stumps that got infested w/ ants. Bad Ant problem this year. Do you have the ladder anchored? What is the beam attached to off camera. Might do a similar setup for my girls.
I’ve no idea what the round thing is. Perhaps a hen left an egg there. One hen in that group does so now and then. Yes, the ladders are anchored with hook and eyes. In the small barn the roost is attached with hinges.
This is the ladder In the run?
Oh, I thought you meant the roost inside. (Sorry, long day, I didn’t read your question right – you worded it fine :) The ladder in the run is an old step ladder. It’s a sturdy outside roost. No anchoring needed. The post helps to hold up the hawk netting overhead.