Flickr User Tasumi 1968
While doing some research into family matters and becoming totally frustrated and stuck at a dead end, I called a social worker that I thought might be able to help.
At one time, she and I had a business-social relationship but, as it happens, I hadn't spoken with her in close to 20 years. But the minute we heard each other's voices and started chatting, those long years quickly melted away. At the end of the conversation, for a reason that still eludes me, she began talking about one of her cats. She had no idea that cats were my passion, or that I no longer am an active social worker who underwent a career change and am now writing about pets.
Her kitty, Mr. Piggy (named in deference to his rather plump physique), is a black and white fluffy male, who hangs out in her neighborhood. For the past two years, he occasionally drops by for a proffered luxurious plate of white meat tuna, or some tasty scraps of rare roast beef. If he is so inclined he visits with her for a few minutes, but once his appetite is satiated, and he’s content with the touch of her loving strokes on his soft, long fur, he makes a bee-line for the door. My friend suspects the reason for his hasty retreats is to visit more of her neighbors in hopes of adding some variety for his discerning palate.
After we ended our call, I got to thinking that while there are those cats that enter into our lives as a permanent family member (with all its attendant rights and privileges), we occasionally encounter a remarkable kitty who may just be passing through, or checking out if our digs are sufficiently suitable as a long term residence.
The conversation with my old friend brought back a memory of a time, years ago, when we lived in a wooded area in New York. One sunny afternoon while sunbathing on my porch, I experienced a rather unexpected close encounter with a huge black cat, which in reality more resembled a miniature black bear. His muscles that rippled with every step he took were easy to see through his short, coarsely textured coat. He was an extremely outgoing feline, rubbing up against me, and purring. I translated this behavior as “Hey lady, can you spare some food?”
In response to his request, I quickly grabbed a can of cat food, and a dish of cool water. The refreshments quickly disappeared, and ultimately so did the cat. But the next day there he was appearing on my doorstep, once again.
Every day, around noon, the black cat came to call! I named him Dunstan (Scottish for “out of the woods”). And as soon as I discovered Dunstan was a tom-cat, to prevent more little Dunstans from flooding the neighborhood, arrangements were immediately made to have him neutered. Of course he was invited as an overnight house-guest to recover in comfort in our downstairs bathroom.
I will never forget the big black cat whose purrsonality was so endearing. Stay tuned for some of the exciting adventures we shared with Dunstan over the years he deigned to spend with us.
Tell us about your experiences with a stray kitty that melted your heart in a comment.
Shortly after retiring as a social worker and psychotherapist, I discovered my "writer's voice"…
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Comments (13)
A young black cat appeared near my deck with wounds around his neck and gaping flesh. He was frightened and hurt. I put water and food out for him and gradually was allowed to touch him then picked him up and took him inside. He was a wonderful cat and we became fast friends until the end of his days. While he was affectionate and slept with me he never allowed contact outside the house. He lived for a long time and I think of him still.
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Two weeks ago my friend and i found a stray cat about 8 years old he kept coming back and would always let us pet him, We finally took him in and now we wonder how he ever went a day without our new little friend Oliver!
I take care of a stray that showed up when he was around 3 months old. He is the son of a cat that was brought into our neighborhood as a stray, and was taken to a farm to live the rest of his life. He came around with his brother crying all the time. I felt bad for him. So I started to feed him and his brother. I named them Bilbo Baggins and Gandolf the Grey. Gandolf stuck around for a month, but we believe someone quickly got him because of his friendly nature. Bilbo, not so lucky. He is very skiddish. He became quick friends with my oldest cat, and soon my oldest was protecting him when he eats or stayed on our back deck. It's taken 1 1/2 years, but he allows us close to him, but we are still unable to touch him. He is a cute little guy. Now my older one is gone and Bilbo is on his own, and I am hoping he takes over as King Cat of the neighborhood, like my oldest was. <3
We have always had cats to find us. People even drooped them off at our house knowing that we loved cats. At the present we are feeding around 21 cats, 10 of them are ours. All of the cats were ferral cats, but eventually they come to live here & we have them spayed & neutered. Of other 11 that are not ours (but I claim them as mine), we have finally tamed two. There is an old gray tabby we call Sir Tom who must have had his leg injured long ago because he walks with a limp. He comes about every day to be fed. At frist he would only let me pet him, then as I slowly gained his trust, I began to pick him up. He would growl,but has never tried to scrath or bite me. Hopefully, one day I can get him to stay long enough to have him spayed. Then there is Red, a golden, reddish color tabby, who comes to eat, but we cannot get near him. And then there is Mama Cat & her 5 kittens. She has wicked eyes & will only come around when she is hungry. We have made friends with one of the kittens, but it is still a little skittish, & the other 4 will not let us near them. However, they do sleep in the chairs on our deck at night. There are others that have come & gone throughout our lives & we miss them very much. The oldest one lived inside & lived to be 22yrs old. The 10 cats that are ours, we have them inside, 5 in the house & the other 5 in other enclosures. They have all touched our lives & gave us much love. I cannot believe how many people just "throw away" these wonderful animals, both cats & dogs. God gave us these animals to take care of & all they ask is food, water, & a warm place to stay. Their unconditional love is something I hope never goes away.
All of our pets have found us. We have a magnificent black cat, like the one in the picture, who came to us last summer on a very hot day. He had been neutered and his front claws removed (something I would never do to our cats). It was obvious he wasn't prepared for life on the outside, but he was standoffish and skitterish. I began by feeding him and slowly winning his trust. By the time winter arrived, he was ready to come inside and hasn't left.