Unto The Least Of These...

Lima, the cat. She is an odd duck...

For a cat.

I grew up without cats--my wife did not. There was a cat in their house for decades. When we married, my allergies to cats prevented us from having one. That changed on a trip to visit my cousin's home in Idaho. We arrived cat-less. We left with a kitten in a box on the floor of the van. Teewinot, we named him because he liked to climb and my cousin's home had a view of the Tetons.

Teewinot was a marvelous cat. We lost him last year.

Since that first cat, we adopted two more, both abandoned, both lovely. Gracie passed away before we moved north. SamDean Winchester is still with us. Looks like our penchant for adopting cats passed on to our family's younger generation. After my son married, they moved into a basement apartment with a field in the backyard. Also in the backyard were several cats. Several cats lead to more cats. My son and wife took responsibility for them and before they moved they found homes for them all...

Except for one, Lima, as in bean.

They adopted Lima.

To say the cat has issues would be an understatement. I don't know all of Lima's trials, but I do know she's missing an eye and from what I understand, the other one doesn't work that well, either. She's tiny, but then again, we're used to a 20 lb cat that's at least three Limas. Lima's a wonderful companion for my son's family.

I don't know if we would have taken in Lima. She's definitely sweet and good-natured. I'm glad my son and his wife are good-hearted. They accepted the litter's runt, and did so gladly. Without them, I'd imagine there'd be no Lima, and that would truly be a shame.

Do Cats Remember Stuff...?

 We've had our cat for several years. He was just a little ball of fluff when we rescued him as a kitten...we did not know he'd grow to be a 20 lb huge ball of fluff. Sam Dean Winchester stays in the basement. He's not an outdoor cat. We kept him inside at our last home, and since mountain lions have been spotted in our neighborhood, we feel good about keeping him inside.

Our oldest son moved out and got married a few years ago. He loves pets and pets love him. One thing our cat used to do was jump up into our son's arms, many times on command. A few weeks ago, our son came over and he wanted to say hi to the cat so he went downstairs and the cat, once again, sprang into my son's arms.

It made me wonder...

Just how much do cats remember?

Does he remember our son? Does he remember it's okay to jump into his arms when he's around? I'm sure there are volumes of data out there on the memory retention of cats. Have I read them? Have I done any research? No. It's just a question I have. 

It's possible the cat would love to jump into others arms, but our son is the only one who allows it. Then again, maybe the cat remembers him as being the only one to get that kind of greeting. Maybe one day I'll find out for sure, but for now, it's kind of fun to keep wondering.

As The Cat's World Turns...

If you own pets, there will surely come times when life throws you a curve ball. The most pets we've had at the same time under our roof was four, two cats and two dogs. When we lost our little dog--our family's first pet--we didn't replace her. That was not the case when we lost one of our cats. Within a few weeks, we rescued a tiny kitten and brought him home.

A lot has happened since then. The tiny kitten grew...

And grew...

And grew. He's now close to twenty pounds--a force to be reconned with.

Last fall, a case of the sniffles visited our family (it's happened to a lot of people...). After we all recovered, something changed. The no-longer-small-ball-of-fur was causing problems. It seems we were more allergic to the cat than before.

We then were faced with a decision...we either move the cat downstairs or find a new home for him. The downstairs option didn't work out because of our older, more "bullying" cat who had already claimed the basement as his domain...not an option. A few weeks ago, our older cat passed away. We discussed putting our remaining cat downstairs, but we weren't sure. We still had some issues to resolve.

We thought about other option, the "finding him a new home" option. Since last fall, I posted about our cat on this blog--no takers. We put up flyers at our local grocery stores--no takers, until last Friday. I got a text asking if we still had our cat. We said we did. The text-er wanted to drop by Saturday to take him home and see if he could get along with their other cat.

When that text came in, we wondered again if we wanted him gone. Of course, we didn't, but we thought maybe it would be the best if we found him a new home.

Saturday came, the text-er did not. We decided to put the cat downstairs. Last night was his first night in the basement. We weren't sure how he'd do, but he weathered the change better than I thought he would. Today he did even better. None of us like change, including cats. We're hoping this works out. We sure like having him around...just not as close as before.

If Anyone Is Looking For An Amazing Furry Friend...We Have The Perfect Solution

 We have two cats. Turns out, it's one too many. Sometimes, when you rescue an animal things don't work out. A few years ago, the previous cat we rescued passed away and in our grief, we found a weeks-old kitten and brought him home.

What an amazing cat he's turned out to be.

This little guy, a rag doll, got big. He's not the biggest cat out there--he's not fat, just thick. We found out one day that he plays fetch. Not every day, but when he feels like it. We'd throw a hair elastic across the room and he'd go get it. We also sort of trained him to go into his pet carrier, also. We don't do either very much any more, but it was a blast getting to know that he did those things.

Since he was my daughter's cat, she named him SamDean Winchester, after a certain brother duo on a certain long-running paranormal/supernatural show.

This past summer, we found out the family became allergic to SamDean more than usual, and because of the potential respiratory issues that can show up at any time, being more allergic to a cat makes things worse. 

We are heartbroken to have to find a new home for SamDean, but we know there's someone out there who needs an amazing, loving, opinionated pet with the most incredible blue eyes. He's never been outside--always an inside cat. If you or anyone you know would love to have this cat be part of their family, please let us know. We'd love for him to find a good home.

The Cat's New Weapon...Snuggles

 Animals have, over the years, developed ways to make their lives better, at least, that's the conclusion I've reached. They do things that--I can only surmise--they find satisfaction in doing. And I've got some personal experience to back this up.

Our cat has resorted to...

Snuggling.

Now, each cat is an individual with their own personalities, their own patterns and norms. I'm sure there are many many cats our there who like to snuggle, just as there are many that don't. Our particular cat would at times come and sit on my chest as I lay on the bed and watched TV. He's done that for a long time. After a while, he gets bored and leaves in search of something...I don't know what. Such is the nature of cats.

However, the past couple of times I've taken a break, the cat has maneuvered to my side and snuggled up against me. It's an odd move for him.

I've stated before on this blog that I do not understand cats. I did not grow up with them in our house and have only recently lived among them. I am learning, but snuggling from this cat was a surprise.

Of course, the whole thing could change tomorrow. He may change his mind and kick me off my own bed because of something I may or may not have done, or something the cat may believe I may or may not have done. I suppose time will tell.

Yes...snuggles. Say one thing about cats, they'll constantly surprise you.

Hey...That's A Cat In The Sink

 Yes...that's one of our cats sitting in our hall bathroom sink. 

I just don't understand cats.

I don't understand most animals, but I think I understand cats least of all.

We rescued Sam Dean Winchester when he was only weeks old. A family found two abandoned kittens and we took one home. We housed him, fed him, gave him what we believed to be interesting and engaging toys.

And he grew, and grew, and grew. Today he weighs more than fifteen pounds. I say this not to shame him, but to say, he's a big cat. Due to also giving a home to a rescue dog, we cannot allow the dog or the cat to be in the same space at the same time. Cat's behind a gate (I supposed the dog is technically behind a gate, too...). In this way, we find harmony in the home. Sure it's a pain at times keeping them apart, but it's better than the alternative. 

This particular cat does odd things. He waits for us to walk into the room before he'll eat. I'm sure there's an explanation for that behavior, but I don't know what it is. He also likes to "hang out" around our feet whether they're moving or not. Apparently, many cats to this--maybe they're trying to trip us so we'll fall and they can have access to even more food...anything's possible.

The other day I caught the cat in the sink. With his coloring, he almost blends in...

Those blue eyes, though--they give him away every time.

It's A Cat's World...We're All Just Necessary Interruptions

 The other day I walked in on our cat, hanging out in our room and a thought came to me...it's really a cat's world. We're just necessary interruptions in that world.

I grew up with dogs, not cats. My mom didn't like cats, even though we got one and it disappeared shortly after we named it. We believe it migrated to our neighbor's house--she had so many cats, I'm not sure even she knew how many. We were always mad at that neighbor, but as I've grown older, I realize the cat was the one who made the decision to leave. The neighbor just took care of her, which is her being a good neighbor.

But the cat...it was that particular cat's world after all.

A few years ago we answered a classified ad for a kitty that had been abandoned by its mother. We drove south to see if we could help. There were two kittens. When we drove home, there was only one...the other came home with us. It's been an adventure ever sense.

The cat turned into a monster--almost 20 lbs, and he entertains us daily. 

What's amazing about having a pet is that, to them--obviously--it's their world. It's all they know. We, as their caretakers, know the world is much bigger than them. We know that without us they would need to find their own food, their own shelter. Animals have been doing this for as long as there have been animals. And yes, our pets in the wild would survive, at least for a little while. We know it's not entirely their world. But, we also know the world would not be the same without them.

A Fun New Game...Well, Fun For Me, At Least

Millions of people now work from home, including me. Over the last year the way we work has possibly forever changed. I was fortunate enough to be sent home two years before covid hit...I had a two-year head start. I had time to learn about about how things are different when you work at home.

Take for example...pets.

When we leave for work, we forget about pets, for the most part. We remember them when they come running as we walk through the door. But, if you're home all the time, the pets are with you, and if the cat didn't want to sit on my desk--specifically, the keyboard--while I worked, I could possibly have the huge, 18-lb rescued rag doll cat in my office with me.

With the door closed, the cat will sometimes stick his paws under the door. Today, I thought I'd have a little fun. I took a golf ball and he and I batted it around for a few minutes. I think he had fun, but I'm sure it's frustrating for him not to be able to somehow fit that golf ball under the door. I'm sure it's frustrating that he can't come in and play, for reals.

 Maybe one day, when I'm no longer working, I can have the door open and we can bat the golf ball around full-time. Then again, I plan on doing more writing when I retire. But if we can, we'll both have a lot of fun.

When You Cat Has Amazing Blue Eyes...

 We picked up a kitten almost two years ago. The mother abandoned two and we could only adopt one. Because the one who found the kittens never saw the mother cat, we had no idea what the kitten would turn into as a cat.

Turns out he got big...

And he's got the most incredible eyes.

It's my daughter and son's cat. They named him SamDean Winchester after a couple of television show characters. As a kitten he literally ripped up my arms and legs. We wondered if he would ever calm down. Turns out, he did. Now, because I work ten-hour shifts, the cat his sometimes left alone. At the end of my shift, I'll go into the room and he will rush to meet me, curl up around my feet, and sometimes, attack my toes.

He'll even jump up on the window ledge and pose.

I took out my phone and snapped a couple of pictures.

SamDean is not the most non-photogenic cat we've ever had, but he does okay. Below are a couple of the pictures I took while SamDean looked at me and wondered if I would pet him, give him more food, or allow him to try and trip me up causing me to fall.

Maybe that's what's behind those blue eyes after all.