Scout did fine when I left for the weekend this last time. His patience for my gallivanting ebbs and flows with the frequency and longevity of my absences.
My parents take good care of him while I’m away and he likes them fine but they aren’t me. So he’s always excited to see me come home and has been much more affectionate than normal this week.
He has been putting himself to bed early every night, claiming his spot next to me – always touching me but never actually on top of me. He’s not a lap cat and wouldn’t want to seem too eager.
Still, I know he’s thrilled to be close and to have me home. All is right in his world.
When we adopt a pet, we know we will likely outlive them. We know that adorable kitten or rambunctious puppy will someday grow old but it’s best to just enjoy the fun of watching them grow up.
My parents were forced to have their dog put down yesterday. I affectionately called Fritz my brother, a joke that wasn’t so far off since my parents treated him like a child and he was certain he was a person too. Fritz was a good boy who lived a fabulous, pampered and somewhat spoiled life. We all should be so lucky to have a life like his.
He learned at a young age how to milk extra treats out of my folks and how to get laughs at a party by “singing” along with my mother playing the piano. He followed my mother around the house and loved nothing more than sitting next to my dad with his paw touching dad’s arm. He wanted to always know where they were and he was happiest when they all were in the same room. Life was perfect if he had me there with them too.
He looked at both my parents with unbridled joy and admiration.
Fritz was a tiny guy when we brought him home. He was a birthday gift for my dad and a surprise at that. My mother and I found a woman advertising German Shepherd pups back in 2011. He was the runt with an injured tail who was the first to greet us out of a large litter running around the yard. I still liken the owner to Cruella de Vil because she was kind of mean to this poor little pup and I felt he needed rescuing.
On that night, we never envisioned the day that his poor, arthritic body could no longer hold itself up. But that day came and his condition was so dire there was no doubt that the time had come. Anything less than mercy would be cruel.
I’ll never understand people who say a pet is just an animal. They clearly have never opened their home or their heart to an animal to the degree that a pet can become family.
And I pity those people.
I also pity my parents right now. Their house is quiet and still strewn with reminders of their best big boy. Despite all the love and affection, the treats and his favorite iced oatmeal cookies, all the toys and the ear scratches, there was no way to save him.
And let me tell you something. If love could have saved him, our Fritz would have lived forever.
I hate goodbyes so I’ll just say see ya later to my little brother from another mother. He will be missed more than he could ever know.
Christmas brought me a new jigsaw puzzle. This 500 piece puzzle features some cute woodland creatures gathered around a fire in a forest clearing.
It’s larger in size than a typical puzzle and the pieces are cut in unusual ways. They aren’t uniform and some are rather large while others are kind of small. I knew it would be hard because so much of the image is dark night sky and snowy trees.
I had no idea it would be the hardest puzzle I have ever worked on.
It has been set up on the dining room table for couple of weeks. If I have a few minutes, I stop and fiddle with it a bit. Some of the pieces are cut odd oddly enough you can’t tell if they’re border pieces or if they are just cut straight. Edges are usually my first step and I build inward. For this one, I did what I could with the edges before focusing on the animals.
That has worked well but I’m now up to sky and trees and the pieces all look alike. I was lamenting this fact Sunday night as I sifted and dug through hundreds of pieces that are devoid of any defining characteristics.
Scout isn’t permitted on the dining room table so he was blissfully unaware there was a project underway until he noticed this weekend. Now he can’t unsee it and refuses to leave it alone.
He hopped up on a chair and began carefully and oh so gently moving pieces around. He wasn’t sure what was happening but finding 500 small cardboard pieces at his disposal was awfully handy for an idle little boy who only has dozens of store bought cat toys to amuse him.
He normally is forced to play with old bottle caps and wadded up papers he fishes out of a trash can. This was a delightful change of plans, he seemed to say, as he gently pushed three sky pieces to the floor below.
Isn’t this a great analagy for life?
I mean, you’re walking around life with a box full of small problems that you’re doing your best to fix and puzzles you’re trying to solve. Then someone else comes along and decides to offer unsolicited advice or blatantly meddle and you’re back to square one in the search for answers.
Sigh.
Such is life.
While I do my best to keep the cat away from the puzzle, I can’t resist asking a question. Do you have tips for assembling a puzzle like this? I would appreciate help before I descend into madness! .
My sweet little house panther asked me to tell you Happy Halloween. Black cats get a bad rap because so many people believe they’re somehow bad luck or evil.
The only evil in the equation involves humans who neglect or abuse a black animal. The only bad luck is when someone misses out on giving one of these beautiful creatures a safe home.
The day little Scout decided to make his home with me was the luckiest day of my life. He knew I was alone and kittyless and that I needed him to make my life better.
If you have a chance to adopt a black cat, do so and you’ll be rewarded with a lovely, quirky little friend who will bring you laughter, joy and companionship.
If you have a black cat, keep them inside and safe – especially today. Too many people do cruel things to black animals. The world is a dangerous place for them.
Meanwhile, from me and from my little batcat, have a Happy Halloween!
He sat as still as a statue. At first, he was so still that I might not have noticed if not for his pink tongue.
Don’t worry. It was a hot day but the windows were down, the back hatch was open and the owner was right there with him. I’m not a dog person but it was fun to see this almost invisible big boy just hanging out and people watching from his perch.
Scout is an only child and accustomed to a certain quality of life.
It had been a while since he was last left alone to fend for himself. And when I say “alone to fend for himself,” I mean with my parents to feed, entertain and do his bidding for him.
He was thrilled to see me come home and more or less unceremoniously dismissed my folks after they had helped me carry in my bags.
Since then, he has monitored my every move, following me around the house but sitting at a distance – not too appear overly interested, of course!
Poor little cat. He’s a sweet boy but disruptions to his happy life are not at all welcome. I wish I could take him with me but he is not the travel cat I had hoped he would be. And, much to his dismay, I cannot stay home with him all the time. It’s a big world out there just waiting to be explored. I must go!!
