Theme Thursday--Some Favorite Cats I Have Had

I already did the gut wrenching dog story, so I don't want to go there again. If you missed it or would like to revisit the subject go to Dog Gone and read about our much missed Lab Shade.

But the truth is I personally am really more of a cat person.  I have had cats off and on ever since I got my own place in college (my parents were not cat people, so I had to wait.)

Cats of course are different critters than Dogs. ("First your memory I'll jog, and say a cat is not a dog" advises Mr Eliot.)  Dogs attach themselves to you and stay. Cats come and go as they see fit, and over the years many have wandered in and out of our lives.  ("I am the cat who walks by himself and all places are alike to me" according to Rudyard Kipling)

I  should add my regrets that I lack pictures of all these adorable cats to share with you, unfortunately their pictures exist only in photo albums and at the moment I am lacking the technology to get from there to here


When my husband and I were in college we adopted a pair of kittens, brother and sister. There was a black cat that we named Bast and a mostly grey with tan patches girl named Morgan. No 2 cats were ever more different. Bast was (as befit his name) one of those cats born into the world knowing cats were worshipped in Egypt and the rest of us needed to catch up. He was dignified at 8 weeks, never really a kitten at all. My husband adored him (as much as he would any pet) the only mammal we've owned that was really his pet.

Morgan on the other hand was the dumb blonde of kittens. We called her the fluff-kit. She knew she was adorable. Had she been able to speak she might have said "Hi, I'm Morgan Piewacket. I'm the world's cutest kitten. I'm so adorable and so stupid. Bast would just sit around with an aura of bruised dignity. Bast and Morgan both eventually departed this realm, but not without producing some offspring: 2 black, 2 calicoes, and one bright orange kitten that we named "Gwydion". He grew up to he a huge and mellow cat, who could have made Garfield look hyperactive. He even liked baths.  He liked to lay on my lap for hours.  One day he just took off and didn't come back.  Cats are like that.

My favorite breed of cat, I should mention is Manx cats, because I am part Manx myself and also because they run like rabbits and I think its funny.   I have only ever had one Manx though, and I had to give her away because she didn't get along with other pets we had.

It was the spring of  2000, actually about the same time we got Shade, that we acquired our all time favorite cat. A friend gave her to us when I expressed a need for a reliable mouser. She was a small calico about 5 years old who was originally named Kelly, but the kids changed it to Callie. Not only was she a awesome mouser, but she was darn effective on pigeons (aka rats with wings) and squirrels (bushy tailed rats). In the summer she liked to go out at night, but in winter she liked to curl up on someone, usually me. She moved houses with house and continued to keep up the good work. Every morning she would be waiting for me to feed her when I got up. When I left for work she would follow me to the bus stop let me hold and pet her till the bus came. Then I would set her down on the ground and she would walk back home.

By the time she was about 12 she was slowing down a bit. But she was still affectionate, although she no longer followed me to the bus stop each morning.

One night she asked to go out in her usual way, and just never came back. Its not unusual behavior for cats. We miss her still.

Other cats have come and gone in our lives. Many decide they belonged somewhere else. Its like that with cats. Lately we have been adopted by a stray named Bootsie who comes by for food twice a day but doesn't really like contact.

Before I go, I want to share another favorite feline. His name is Gus, and he is one of the subjects of "Old Possum's book of Practical Cats" by TS Eliot. He also has one of the best songs in the musical "Cats" . Though my husband favors "Magical Mr Mistoffles" Gus is my favorite. This particular version features the late great actor, Sir John Mills at the age of 90, playing Gus. It is one of my all time favorite theatre moments.

Someday an older cat is going to turn up on my doorstep looking for a home and I am going to name him Gus.