Friday, May 31, 2013

And Then The Clumsy Ninja Came To Town

Recently I spotted a cute meme on Facebook and it really got me thinking...
When I was single I had a cat and two dogs.  Having the cat was like not having a cat. The dogs were work.  The dogs required attention. The cat seemed to require nothing. Since the cat was free-fed I only had to check her food bowl periodically. Since the cat was an only cat I only had to check the liter box periodically. She kept to herself up high. Having a cat was like not having a cat.
High Cat napping outside and out of sight

Fast forward six years.  I meet and marry the man of my dreams and, in turn, marry his cat.  Oliver is old, very old.  Oliver is low cat, living under the beds, slinking under tables. The only sight of him is when he sneaks into the dirty laundry and makes off with one of my shirts.  For two years we live with two essentially non-existent cats.

A rare photo of high cat and low cat sharing the same plane
One sad day we lost our low cat.  Then suddenly, without warning or forethought, a tiny, tiny motherless stray came into our life.  Such a wee thing that at first clings to me like glue.  I can't say no and for weeks my husband refuses to acknowledge her presence because we don't NEED another cat.  (Of course he comes around.  Who can resist a kitten?)


While tiny, tiny Lily is very young she is an old soul. She becomes the new mid-level cat. The new non-existent cat.  We are only aware of her presence when entering the house and calling her name.  We get a couple quick chirps letting us know her whereabouts, then silence.  High cat is somewhere being high cat.  Lily is somewhere being mid cat.  It remains as such for a year.
Lily and Poods during the calm before the Otis Storm
Eight or nine months ago I'm asked to help start a FaceBook page for some stray kittens. Regular posts are made, photos are updated and everyday one little face wont stop staring back. One little face has me in his clutches and there is no escape. Enter one little, tiny, clumsy Otis.


Right about now I'm thinking this would be a very good place to insert the JAWS shark theme music.

While we still have high cat.  And we will have mid-level cat.  We have now added:
Crafty
Deceptive
Cunning
Otis, The Instigator.

No longer is anyone non-existent.  There is now complete awareness.
There is scratching on closed doors.  Day AND night. Paws under doors. Cats springing from every piece of furniture at any given moment. Cats lapping up breakfast shakes when a head is turned. Cats ALWAYS under foot. Otis has taken our peaceful existence and turned it on its ear.

Oh, how I long for a morning of sleeping in without an early paw in the nostril wake up. That said, I wouldn't trade it for the fun that is Otis. Oh-Ty. Oatey Oats. Oh Ty Taeo.  Otis, who brought to life a family of non-existent cats.

Otis keeping a paw on Miss Lily

Otis preparing a sneak attack on the Poods

Tiny Otis snugging with his best pal, Lily

No comments:

Post a Comment