The Cats (2)

I was at PetSmart today picking up some cat litter and spent some time petting the cats that were on display for adoption. There were three teeny tiny grey striped tabby kittens, one a long hair just like Space Frog, my first cat. Space Frog lived for 10 years with diabetes. She became very ill and I finally had to let her go when she was 17 yrs old. I have a soft spot for grey long-hair tabbies. These three were so young their eyes weren't focusing too well yet. And there was a beautiful male grey-brown tabby, FLV positive, who was just an absolute noodle of a cat. He was working me with the silent meow. It tears my heart to see all those beautiful cats (and dogs) who lost their way, or were abandoned, or were just not loved enough.

I've been idly toying with the idea of getting another cat. I've got a big house that is very cat-friendly. I'll continue to toy with that idea for a while longer. The current dynamics in the house seem to be stable and calm. Everybody is healthy.

I don't write much about the cats. They spend most of their time on the fringe of my activities. They don't do agility, rarely go to the vet, never go to class. They hang out in sun beams and patrol the house during the day when I'm gone. But I still find ways to spoil them too.

For example, I bought a whimsical lounge for the cats made of cardboard and wood veneer strips. It is beautifully constructed and well designed. Lola likes to take her afternoon naps on it, positioned so she can watch butterflies, birds, and squirrels passing through the backyard.


I plant oat seeds in small containers so the cats have fresh greens to nibble on. I buy them organic catnip so they can get high. I sometimes buy them fancy cat toys like those rabbit fur mousies but those have a short shelf life in my house because the dogs are just as enamored of cat toys as the cats but are considerably rougher on them. They eat those rabbit fur mousies, plastic eye beads and all. Anything with feathers is also consumed. The cats generally have to make do with plastic pull tabs from my soy milk cartons and other flotsam.

Despite living with a pack of fox terriers, the cats do pretty well for themselves.