Beware of Kitty
Blacky
Blacky was my first cat and the cat that I grew up with. He was a huge black cat, hence the name Blacky. My father rescued Blacky when he was just a kitten. He had gotten himself into some kind of trouble with a dog and was in need of a savior. Dad saved him and he became our cat, to this day I’m not really sure if dad actually wanted a cat but Blacky was here to stay.
I loved him; he on the other hand was not too impressed with children. I’m sure he was not impressed with me the day I threw him into the backyard pool because “he wanted to go swimming!” My mother rescued him and told me that was not a nice thing to do, I thought he was hot. Needless to say Blacky kept his distance from me for a while!
We used to travel a lot and when we returned Blacky would be waiting for us. One time when we came home, Blacky was not there to greet us at the door. He was missing for three days my mother was beside herself with worry, and then he finally showed up. Blacky had been hit by a car and the poor thing had a broken jaw! Off to the vet he went they fixed him up, but from then on one eye was always shut and his tongue hung out of his mouth. Not a pretty picture, but we all loved him anyway. We thought he was unique! To show off his lovely face Dad took the most wonderful picture of him. It was late November and the pumpkin that had been sitting on our porch since Halloween was looking rather rotten and squished. Blacky was sitting next to it and Dad snapped a picture, it’s priceless! Rotten pumpkin and Black disfigured cat! We should have entered it in a photo contest, but that would insult Blacky.
One of my favorite traits about Blacky was his ability to kick ass against dogs of any shape and size! He just never got over that first attack when he was a kitten. A few experiences come to mind. The first happened when I was sitting in the living room playing the piano. I heard this horrible yelp and I looked out the window just in time to see Blacky riding an Irish Setter down the street. He was digging his claws in and holding on tight just like a jockey at the Kentucky Derby! The second incident that comes to mind was, I was standing out on the driveway with Blacky just enjoying the sun. When around the corner came a woman walking three huge dogs. Well I knew what was going to happen so I cleared out! Sure enough Blacky jumped on one of the dogs and started to fight. The woman was yelling at me to help her, but what could I do? The dogs were running around in circles wrapping the woman up in their leashes. Finally when they passed the boundary of Blacky’s yard, he jumped off and went back to grooming as if nothing happened! Needless to say I don’t think she ever walked her dogs through our yard again.
Blacky was also very acrobatic as most cats are. His favorite thing to do in the morning was to go over to the neighbor’s house. Mr. and Mrs. Parker had a beautiful white picket fence around their house and Blacky used to jump up and sit on the gate for a second before moving onto the porch. One fine morning Mrs. Parker came out to get the morning paper and just as she opened the gate Blacky was in mid air and looking for the gate. I think their eyes met for one brief second before Blacky fell to the ground. Can you imagine the look of surprise on that cat’s face when there was suddenly nothing to land on; it must have been priceless. He did the same sort of thing going after the birds one day in the garden. He was hiding under the birdbath waiting for his chance. When he leaped up to catch a bird he landed spread eagle in the birdbath! He never tried that one again.
Blacky lived for 14 years. He was my companion when I was growing up and I miss him to this day. I will always remember him. More Cat Tails to come……
Ghost Cat
Phantom
Phantom appeared soon after I lost Blacky. She was a beautiful gray long haired cat that would only allow a select few to see her, hence her name Phantom. One minute she would be there and then “POOF” gone like she’d never been there at all. I figured that she must have been an abused cat because she was so timid and afraid of people. She especially did not like men. She would run whenever she saw my dad or any man.
After many weeks of tempting her with food, Phantom finally grew to trust me and we became fast friends. She used to sleep with me in my room and when she wanted to go out she would scratch this poster that was on the wall. The noise would wake me instantly, and she knew that. She would scratch, scratch and scratch until I got out of bed (usually in the middle of the night) and let her outside!
She was incredibly athletic and used to climb trees like I have never seen. She would climb right up to where the birds had their nests; then she would rob them of the babies and enjoy a little snack! Amazing! When it was dinnertime, she had a ritual she used to go through. She would sit down in front of her water dish and wash her paws! dipping delicately into the the water. When they were all clean then she would eat and after dinner she would wash her face and paws in the water dish again, that same delicate motion, dip, dip, wash, wash.
I only had Phantom for about a year, I attempted to take her to college with me. She did not like that one bit! She got out on the balcony one night and disappeared into the mountains of Colorado…. I spent months looking for her, I put up flyer’s, looked everywhere, but she was gone, it was heartbreaking. I will never forget her and I am thankful for the time I got to spend with her (although way too short) and I hope she found a nice happy place to live with lots of trees for her to climb…..more Cat Tails to come
“Armani does not make a blue tuxedo!”
Ringo
Ringo came along quite unexpectedly and I was so glad to have him. I was still mourning the loss of Phantom so he was a breath of fresh air in my life. The college I attended had an animal health technology department. They had lots of cats and dogs that they would “practice” on. Well one day the department decided that they had too many animals so they let some go. ( this was the 80’s, today I think there would be more control over the treatment of the animals) One of those animals was Ringo. Several people had seen him scavenging through the garbage near the cafeteria. He was extremely cute, a little black and white tuxedo cat. One day It was snowing pretty hard and there he was looking in the garbage for something to eat, well I was smitten, I picked him up put him in my jacket and took him home.
Boy did he have an attitude! He was so full of energy that he would play for hours. One of his favorite things to do was to swing on the curtains. Now he was not supposed to do that of course, but did that ever stop a cat? He would run around the apartment building up speed and then WEEEEEE he would leap up onto the curtain and literally swing like Tarzan! His other favorite thing to do was to jump up on to the counter while I was on the phone or busy, that way I couldn’t’t get to him, again the 80’s BEFORE cordless phones! One day in particular comes to mind. I was doing the dishes and the kitchen sink looked out to the living room. There was a counter where you could sit and have breakfast. Well Ringo was running around building up speed to swing on the curtains, but at the last minute he decided that he would jump up to the counter. Again I was doing dishes with lots of soapy water. Ringo jumped up hit a place mat and slid right into the sink full of water! I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. I don’t think he jumped up on the counter again for quite a while!
Ringo also loves to eat, his favorite food is chicken, but one day I was cooking dinner inside my apartment, and we could smell something cooking nearby. Sure enough two balconies over my neighbors were grilling steak. Ringo got a whiff of that and disappeared out the door. He climbed up to their balcony, and resembling a scene out of Mission Impossible, Ringo absconded with the steak! Can you believe that? He was still a little tyke, but he was going to have that steak. He ran off into the bush and had a wonderful dinner. The neighbor never did figure out what happened, I’m not telling.
When I moved home I brought Ringo with me, “oh no” thought dad! But even dad’s can have a soft place in their hearts for a little kitty. Ringo adjusted well to life in a big house with lots of chairs to sleep on and endless amounts of chicken. He soon became a very spoiled and fat cat! So dad had a plan to get Ringo on an exercise program. Ringo always wanted to go outside, especially when it was snowing, he was a mountain cat after all! Well one day, early in the morning Ringo was meowing at the top of the stairs for someone to let him out! My dad is always up early and boy did he let Ringo out! The cat followed dad into the bathroom so dad just put him out the window onto the garage roof. It had been snowing all night and, well, lets just put it this way, Ringo resembled a fine Austrian skier that day as he “skied” down the roof! After that he always used the bathroom window as his own personal cat door, he just climbs up and down the tree to reach the roof. Hence the exercise program, he was soon a lean, strong cat able to take on ALL the other neighborhood cats!
When I finally moved into my own house, I attempted to take Ringo with me, after all he is mine right? Wrong! He wanted to stay with my mom and dad, why you ask? Because the food is better! He gets his daily dose of chicken over there. So, I reluctantly gave him to my parents. (secretly my dad is smiling, he loves Ringo, just doesn’t want all of us to know that) He is very happy with them and gets a wonderful kitty massage (vigorous scratch) from dad everyday. Sadly, Ringo passed away in April 2002, I will always remember him swinging on those curtains and I know he had a loving, happy home.
Sebastard! OH, I mean SEBASTIAN!
Sebastian
Sebastian is a big black cat with an attitude! He came into my life because I wanted another cat since Ringo decided that my cooking wasn’t good enough. So off to the Animal Shelter I went. He was the last cat I saw. He had been abandoned on the highway and was extremely playful and maybe a little pissed off with his situation. I tapped on the glass of his cage and he immediately jumped up and started to play! He won my heart so I adopted him. ( I wish I could have taken all the cats home that day) Good thing I did, as he was to be put to sleep the next day! When we were checking him out of “kitty jail” he entertained all of us by playing with a ball of tape. The woman that worked there thought I should name him Pele after the great soccer player, but Sebastian really suits him.
Once I got him home all the adventures began. He is a friendly cat but sometimes he has a slight attitude problem, it comes down to this, he can’t STAND to be forced to stay inside, he is a true adventurer. I’d had him about three weeks when he decided that he wanted to explore the neighborhood. Yep, you guessed it, he disappeared! For three long days I looked for him, silly cat! Then he just appeared back on my doorstep. I was so glad to see him and that he knew where he lived, but that was just the beginning. As Sebastian got older, he got more and more brave. He decided that it was great fun to jump into cars. I received calls on several occasions from frantic people that had accidentally taken Sebastian for a joy ride around the block. I guess he was trying to tell me that he wanted to travel….well, little did he know, he was going to get his wish!
As Sebastian settled into my home he started to establish his territory. He had a cat door so he was able to come and go as he pleased, BELIEVE ME he wouldn’t have had it any other way! I can remember sitting in my back yard reading a book only to see Sebastian RUN by chasing the squirrel! This became the daily challenge, to see if he could catch it. He would wait and wait under the bushes and the POUNCE! Of course the squirrel was too quick and he would end up chasing it right up the tree! (where was Phantom when he needed her) Then the next challenge would be how to get down from the tree (didn’t think about that one eh!) Thank god he never caught one, because it would have ended up in my house somewhere! He loves to bring me presents; after all I am his mommy. Speaking of bringing me presents…
As every cat owner knows, there comes a time in your life that your cat wants to show his unconditional love for you. Or maybe he thinks that new diet you are on is making you toooooooo skinny (right!) Whatever it may be, at some point in the cat/human relationship the cat feels the need to FEED YOU!! Sebastian would bring me birds, mice and butterflies. His favorite were birds. I guess he was amused by me trying to catch the poor bird as it was flying around the house pooping on everything! I can just hear him now “why the hell can’t she catch that bird, it’s NOT THAT HARD!” The worst was when I would have to pry the poor bird out of “the jaws of death” I did this by tickling Sebastian’s feet! He would do his best to hold onto the bird but the need to STOP ME from tickling his feet always won and he would have to bite ME thus letting the poor bird go. He was especially good at gift giving when I had returned from a trip or something. It was like a little welcome home gift. I will always remember one gift in particular.
I had been in Hawaii and I had taken a long flight home. It was cold and snowy and I was dreaming of being on the beach in Hawaii when I heard Sebastian come through the cat door. The cat door was in the basement and Sebastian had to go up some stairs to get into the kitchen. Well I heard him come through the door and it sounded as if he fell down the stairs! Then I heard him in the dining room and it sounded as though he was playing with something. I got up in the dark and went to the dining room. I saw this black thing on the carpet, which I assumed was Sebastian until I turned on the light! It was a huge black frozen crow!!!!Sebastian had found it outside in the snow, pushed it through the cat door where it rolled down the stairs. He then dragged it up the stairs (it was about as big as him) and left it on the dining room carpet for mommy! It was lying there feet up in the air, completely frozen! To this day, I have no idea where he found it.
At some point Sebastian decided that he was lonely. He had a lot of cat friends that would come over, but they all had permanent homes. His best friend was a pure white cat with a striped tail. I would come home and they would be playing under the bed. I can almost hear the cat conversation now. “Hey, you want to come over?” “My mommy is going to be gone all day, imagine the fun we can have!” Anyway, Sebastian started to bring lots of cats home. One was a sweet little black and white cat that I named Duchess until I found out that he was a Duke. Unfortunately, Duchess was very sick and did not live very long. I made sure that his last days were filled with comfort and love.
And then came the day he brought home a Turkish Angora that looked like it had been on the road and out in the cold for a while. They really liked each other so I decided that I would adopt the Turkish Angora. I hadn’t even figured out a name for the cat when my dad called and said that there was an ad for a white cat that had been missing for about 10 weeks! I called the number and made arrangements for her to come over and see if he was her cat. The minute she walked in the door she immediately recognized him, his name was Roman. She was very happy, Roman, on the other hand, ran down to the basement! She went down to get him there was a lot of hissing and commotion but she finally got a hold of him. So we said our goodbyes BUT just as she was trying to get in the car with him he did a twisting maneuver and escaped! At the same time Sebastian came running out from under the car and with Sebastian at Roman’sside, they ran off down the street one black cat and one white into the darkness of the night. Poetic isn’t it! I told her that she could come back tomorrow because there was no way that we would be able to catch them now. About an hour later the two of them came home and jumped up on the couch together. Roman liked his new home and his new friend just fine and he planned to stay for a while. His owner came and got him the next day, much to the dismay of Sebastian. More cat tails to co
Buon Giorno Principessa!
Those of you that are military will understand when I say “let the chaos begin” those of you who are not can only read and learn! We decided to get married in Denver so I took 6 months and planned a winter wedding. (Mike was at sea) Now October rolls around, the wedding is scheduled for December well, the US Navy will not move my stuff to Italy unless Mike and I are married BEFORE December 1! Heavy sigh….so Mike and I decide to marry on the beach in Hawaii at sunset on November 11 and then still have the big wedding in Denver that way our “official” wedding date will comply with the Navy rules. (those of you who are not military are shaking your heads right now) So we have a beautiful ceremony on the beach and have dinner at the Old Moana right on the beach everything is peachy. Then we get our marriage certificate in the mail and it has deficient stamped on it!! OK, so the guy that married us was not properly registered with the state of Hawaii (oops) so we called him up, got him registered we got ANOTHER license and singed off the correct paperwork in the hallway of the department of health, wedding number 2. THEN we flew home to Denver for wedding number 3 and hopefully the final wedding! Whew! Now we can move to Italy! So the next hurdle to jump over is how do I get my two, yes, two cats to Italy with us? Well, the Navy had all sorts of ideas like putting them in the cargo hold of the plane, and making them stay in a kennel until we find a house “RIGHT, NOT GOING TO HAPPEN”, so I ask my parents if the cats can live with them until we get settled in Italy. They said yes of course, so we moved the whole family into Mum and Dad’s bitchin bed and breakfast and gourmet chicken house. More Cat Tails to come….
Sebastian, Coco and the GREAT ITALIAN ADVENTURE!
It was soon time for Mike and I to pack up and move to Italy, where we planned to eat pizza and drink cappuccinos. It was a tearful goodbye at the airport, but the one thing I knew, was that Sebastian and Coco were in VERY good hands. Besides, this gave us time to find a house and get settled, that way the cats didn’t have to live in a kennel!
The cats settled into “grandma’s” house in no time. Coco established herself as queen and Sebastian and Ringo were just there as entertainment, and Mum of course was the royal chef, Coco was quite content. Sebastian pretty much took over the garden and Coco took over the kitchen…..OK, the WHOLE house! Poor Ringo was banished to the living room, and only came out for the great chicken feast! It soon became clear to Mum that in order to have a peaceful house, she had to let Sebastian outside, once that happened a feeling of ZEN washed over the household and everyone was happy.
So everyday, after breakfast, Sebastian was allowed to go outside. One day, Sebastian didn’t come home for dinner, so Mum got in her car and went over to my old house, which was about 2 blocks away. Well, there was Sebastiansitting on the porch! The people that bought my house had no problem with him being there, in fact, they wanted to adopt him but my Mum explained to them that Sebastian was temporarily living with her and would be moving to Italy soon! Everyday Sebastian went over to the old house , AND EVERY DAY Mum would have to go over with the car, call for Sebastian, he would come out jump in the back of the car and she would drive him home for the night.
Meanwhile, the competition for chicken between Ringo and Coco escalated toOlympic proportions! Mum would throw pieces of chicken across the kitchen, and Coco and Ringo would then battle for the prize. Coco is small, but she is fast and if speed didn’t work she would just biff Ringo upside he head and steal the chicken! Ringo must have been thinking “WHEN are these two moving, I just want my house back!”
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh Napoli!
Well October rolled around and it was time for the cats to come to Italy. So my parents made arrangements to fly with the them under the seat, they all flew to Rome first class of course. During the flight Mum would take Sebastian to the bathroom to smell things (LOVELY) and Coco just traveled from lap to lap sampling the many delicacies that first class has to offer! That is still an issue for my husband, the cats have flown first class and he never has! Poetic justice I guess. Anyway, Mike and I met the whole gang in Rome.
Now it was time to drive to Naples, 2 hours south of Rome. It’s not a bad drive, but when you have been on a plane for 24 hours it can be a little hectic, you see Italians don’t drive like Americans. Matter of a fact, Italians don’t drive, they “race” down the Autostrade, especially southern Italians. Mike and I soon learned that if we were going to get anywhere in Italy we better learn to drive like an Italian. What’s the saying? When in Rome, do as the Romans. Well we did. So we were in the car racing down the Autostrade to Naples going about 100 MPH when Sebastian decided that it was time to pee. He was sitting on Dad’s lap and he looked back at me and did his pee pee meow! I immediately showed him the box on the back dash of the car. He tip toed over Dad, luggage and coats to get back there and then…..peed and peed! Thank god Mike didn’t have to slam on the brakes or the whole shebang would have flown forward! After he was done, he just settled down for a nap.
When we finally arrived in Naples both the cats started to wrinkle their noses. Naples is quite aromatic so they had a lot to smell. There was burning trash, volcano farts and nasty exhaust from old cars, welcome to Bella Napoli! It had to have been one of the worst pollution days I had ever seen. And we arrived right at rush hour! Then I said, “The only thing that would top this, is a traffic jam in the tunnel.” Need I say more, you guessed it, we got stuck in a traffic jam in the tunnel. As we were sitting there I heard the not so distance siren of an ambulance! Yep, that ambulance needed to get through the tunnel! “Where is he going to go?” my Mum exclaimed! I said “Right here between these cars!” “There’s NO ROOM!” She said, “Yeah, I know, so maybe we better put the side view mirrors in.” I said in an unusually calm voice. Then here it came, like a Tasmanian Devil! It went right between us and another car, with inches to spare (“good thing we put the mirrors in” I thought) then there were 5 cars in hot pursuit! That is how Neapolitans get through rush hour traffic, they follow ambulances! Just another Naples day! WHEW, glad that ordeal was over, now we can focus on getting home to the peaceful tranquility of our Italian villa. When we arrived, the cats didn’t even care, all they wanted was dinner and a big cat nap, can’t say I blame them….
Casa della Gatti
Sebastian and Coco spent the next few days getting used to their new Italian Villa. It was a big place with a wrap around balcony and a rooftop balcony so they had plenty of space to explore. There was also a garden full of lemon trees and grapevines. It was a kitty paradise, or so I thought…
Naples is rather over run with stray cats and dogs so I didn’t feel comfortable letting Sebastian and Coco explore the garden. They spent many hours looking longingly at it from the balcony. Then one day I just couldn’t take it anymore and I decided to let Sebastian out. Well, just like a good kitty he disappeared. I thought “GREAT! I’ve lost him in Italy!” I spent the afternoon looking for him, then at about 4:00pm I heard the not so distant sound of barking dogs! I went out on the balcony to see what the commotion was and here comes Sebastian running at full kitty sprint down the street with three hungry Naples dogs in hot pursuit! They had a look in their eyes that said lunch! I screamed for Mike to come quickly and just as he made it outside Sebastian made it to the safety of our gate! Once inside the yard he collapsed under the car, he must have been thinking “Shit! That was close, I think those dogs literally wanted to eat me for lunch!” Once he could breathe again I dragged him out from under the car and took him upstairs. Coco greeted him with the usual biff upside his head and seemed to be saying “You fool, I told you that would happen!” Needless to say, he didn’t express any interest to go outside again for a while.
A few months later a little kitten appeared in the yard. Our neighbor adopted him and he became the garden cat. We named him “Billy” as in Bill the Cat. He was one of the sweetest cats I have known in a stupid, silly kind of way. He got along with everyone including Sebastian. They would chase each other for hours in the garden. I don’t know if Sebastian was really enjoying it, but Billy sure was. Coco just looked down at the commotion from the balcony glad not to be a part of it. Well, one cat in the garden soon led to more. Billy went out and brought home two of his friends, Bianca and Tigger. Bianca was pure white with beautiful green eyes and Tigger, well she looked like a tiger! The three of them became the extended family as Mike called them. We took good care of them, got them their shots and had Billy fixed. We also provided a warm blanket in a box that was inside our hallway. At night, they would all curl up together and dream of chasing each other in the garden. Life was good at “Casa della Gatti” (house of the cats).
Kittens, Kittens EVERYWHERE!
Sebastian and Coco spent their days lounging on the balcony in the sun watching the garden kitties play with each other. Then one day Mike and I noticed that Tigger and Bianca were getting quite fat! Apparently a male cat found his way to our garden, and………well you know! OK, let me spell it out for you, they were preggars! That made both of them really hungry, they ate everything in sight including pasta! Cleaning out the fridge was always a blast, we would just throw food over the balcony and the cats would devour it. Poor Billy couldn’t figure out how all this happened he just knew he was the lowest on the totem pole when it came to eating meals!
Then one fine day I opened the front door, and there was Tigger on the welcome mat having kittens! Welcome to Italy kitties! I ran and got a box with a towel for her. She had four little ones. When she was done, I got her a new box with a fluffy pink blanket in it, she was very happy. Two days later Bianca had her kittens. She had them on the neighbor’s balcony in a box with newspaper and it was outside in the wind. She stayed there for about three days then she came in the hallway for dinner one night and saw Tigger’s set up. A minute later we heard this meow and here comes Bianca with one of her little kittens. She put it in the box with Tigger’s and then went and got the rest. She piled all of them in the box and kicked Tigger out! I had to get a new box for Tigger and her kittens, but most of the time Bianca just took care of all 7! Tigger would rather be out roaming around then nursing kittens.
Sebastian and Coco kept their distance, they didn’t want anything to do with all those cats! Pretty soon the kittens were old enough to go outside in the garden, much to the relief of Sebastian and Coco. And when they were no longer nursing, we got Bianca and Tigger fixed….more cat tails to come
Mission Impossible…or is it?
When all the kittens finally started to live outside we decided it was time to find them homes. We just could not take care of 12 cats! I found homes for all except 2, Tigger and Ginger, but I heard through the Italian grapevine that the couple that moved into our place after we left Italy adopted them both. I hope that all the Italian cats are happy they certainly gave us hours of entertainment!
As our time in Italy grew short we took many trips through Europe. One time we went to Germany and we had a friend (Yvonne) stay at the “villa” and take care of the cats. Well, Coco has a routine in the morning. When it is time for her breakfast she will bug you until you get up and feed her. After all she is up so you should be up too! Did I mention that she is a princess? Anyway she plays this game, she will sit on you and put her cold wet nose on your nose and if that doesn’t work she will paw at you until you wake up! Pat, pat, pat, purr, purr, purr. Well, Yvonne wanted to sleep-in one morning so she shut the bedroom door. At 7 am Coco was there, in her face, wanting her to get up! “How did you get in here?”Yvonne said, and a mystery was born! The same thing happened the next morning. On the third morning Yvonne set the alarm to wake her up BEFORE 7am to try and catch Coco getting into the room. The door to the bedroom is closed and there is this pane of wavy glass so it’s private but you can still see through the door At 6:45am Yvonne is awake and waiting, she sees a dark blob on the other side of the door, you guessed it, Coco! Coco waited patiently until 7am and then began leaping up in the air and hitting the door handle! It took her about 3 times before she finally got the door open. Smart cat! Our friend was very impressed, we were not surprised, after all it’s Coco were talking about!
Soon it was time to leave Bella Napoli! As we drove out of town, we looked back at the great shape of the volcano Vesuvius being illuminated by the sunrise. We were both sad but also thankful that the volcano decided NOT to erupt and we hope to live there again someday. During the drive to Rome for our flight there was a huge rainstorm, this might not sound like a big deal BUT the roads in Italy do not have proper drainage so it made us late, and therefore we missed our flight! Picture this, little tiny car, loads of luggage and two cats stuck at the Rome airport! We were so late we just drove up, parked the car in the NO LOADING ZONE and ran in, all in perfect view of the Caribinieri (Military Police). He says “No Parcheggio qui!” (no parking here) and I said “solo uno momento?” (only for a moment) He just rolled his eyes and waved us in! Once inside Mike says “what are we going to do with the rental car?” “I HAVE to return it don’t I?” “There’s no time!” I said “Just leave it there!” We both knew we weren’t getting on the flight anyway. We were exhausted, the cats were exhausted we made a valiant effort, but not good enough. We gathered our bags and the cats, went back outside, climbed in the car (yes it was still there, not even a ticket) and found a little hotel close to the airport. Once settled in the hotel the cats just slept in the closet, I think they wanted some peace and quiet! We on the other hand, spent the rest of the day touring Roma and enjoying “la dolce vita” (the sweet life). The next day it was off to the airport with plenty of time to RETURN the rental car. All the Italians in the airport just loved Sebastian and Coco, so there was plenty of entertainment prior to the flight. Once on board both cats just settled into their little carriers under the seat and slept the whole flight back to the USA. They are such good travelers!
Washington’s Wild Discovery
After a long trip from Italy, my parents picked us up in New York and all of us drove to Connecticut to our temporary duty station. I told you these cats are good travelers. We lived in CT for 5 months, just enough time for Sebastian to get into some trouble. Coco is content to stay inside, NOT Sebastian! He insists on exploring. One day Mike found him about to climb over the fence onto the secret part of the Navy Base! He is lucky Marines didn’t shoot him! After that little incident Sebastian was not allowed outside without supervision, but that didn’t stop him from trying! I finally had to put a leash on him which he HATED! He used to growl and growl at it, but the desire to go outside was so strong that he put up with it!
When April rolled around, it was time to leave CT and head to our new home, WA. We planned to drive across country; (I will never do that again) We went from CT to DC then to Huntsville AL via the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was a winding road through beautiful scenery. For the first half of the drive, my parents were following us and Mike was going at a decent speed, then my Dad decided to pass us and ZOOM, suddenly Dad was flying like the pilot he is! Coco just slept on the seat but Sebastian has to be part of the action. He sat right between Mike and I and “skied” the road, leaning into each turn just like Alberto Tomba! It was funny and impressive; he didn’t even get carsick. Eventually we made it to WA and our new home.
With cats in tow we moved into a new house with a huge back yard and lots of forest around us. The cats love exploring in the yard. Almost from day one our back yard has been transformed into something you might see on the Discovery Channel or Animal Planet. Sebastian catches at least one mole or mouse a day. Here is the routine.
Sebastian will go out hunting while Coco waits on the porch, god forbid that she would be caught hunting. Sebastian brings the mole or mouse to her, leaves it at her feet and then moves on to other adventures. Meanwhile, Coco proceeds to play with the poor thing until it is dead then she eats the head and leaves the body on the porch for me to find. Nice kitty! Now usually Mike and I are the only ones that get to enjoy this, but lately Sebastian has been doing this in front of other people, particularly dinner guests, how appetizing! One recent dinner guest was amazed at the variety of creatures Sebastian finds. He brought us a gecko and a mole within an hour! Usually the men find it entertaining and the women find it disgusting. CE la Vie!
Sebastian’s all time challenge is to catch the squirrel. It is much too fast and it can climb the tree. One day however, he caught a chipmunk. I caught him with it in his mouth and tried to free it as usual. I turned him on his side a proceeded to tickle his feet, which he hates! It was enough of a distraction for me to pry his jaws of death open and free the chipmunk. Once the chipmunk got over the shock he chittered and chattered all the way to the tree. I’m sure he was cursing at Sebastian. Coco just watched from the porch and when she saw she wasn’t getting a snack she went inside….more Cat Tails to come
Pampas Grass and Swaying Trees
As anyone who owns cats knows, trips to the vet are a way of life but Sebastian should really rent a room at the vet! He is always getting into some kind of trouble! One sunny (rare in western Washington) morning Sebastian went outside, everything was fine. He came back an hour later with stuff coming out his nose and mouth! It was disturbing and scary! He looked like something from a Stephen King novel. So off to the vet we went. They informed me after a thorough investigation (that included the thermometer up the butt, which Sebastian despises) that he had a piece of pampas grass stuck in his nose! Thank God it wasn’t serious, but how does one get a piece of pampas grass stuck in one’s nose? He apparently tried to throw up grass and it went into his nasal passage instead, poor kitty! It was constantly tickling the back of his throat causing the gag reflex. The vet had to knock him out to remove the grass. When we went back later that day to pick him up, the vet says “he’s pretty pissed off, you better go back and get him!” I said, “yeah, I’m used to it!” We took him home and he was fine. What a way to spend a Sunday!
Sebastian was up to his old tricks pretty much immediately following the pampas grass episode. Early one evening I said to Mike “where is Sebastian?” He says “I don’t know.” So I go to the door and call him….now I can hear his bell but I can’t see him! So I call for Mike to come and help look for him. We are walking around the yard, which is pretty much a forest, calling and listening. Finally I say, “look up!” There is Sebastian WAAAAAAAAYYYY up in a tree! By now it’s completely dark and the wind is blowing making the tall tree sway, Sebastian is hanging on for dear life and all the while we hear the tinkle tinkle of his little bell. After surveying the situation Mike’s Navy training kicks in and he decides on a plan of action to get Sebastian out of the tree. He climbs up on a fallen tree, balances a ladder on top of it, then proceeds to climb up the ladder as far as he can. Then I hand him the laundry basket which he holds out for Sebastian to jump into. In he goes, then Mike lowers him down to the fallen tree like an elevator, Sebastian jumps out, like nothing has happened, and goes inside to eat! The things we do for that cat!
And so the wild adventures continue. I have had the pleasure of meeting all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures thanks to Sebastian and Coco. I have had snakes and geckos in the house as well as mice and moles. It gives a whole new meaning to the title of mother! Even if it is mother to a couple of cats. At least it keeps me entertained as I sit here in Washington State waiting for the sun to come out! More Cat Tails to come…
Reflections and Tears
Here is what I think happened to him. We had a family of Coyotes living down the valley from us and the day Sebastian disappeared the neighbors and I heard them howling. I am 99% sure that he was taken by a Coyote and Coco witnessed the whole thing. When she came running in that day she had been really spooked and now if she even hears a dog bark she freaks out a little. This has been a traumatic and horrible experience and I’m not sure what I am supposed to learn from it but I urge all of you to keep your kitties inside especially if you live in a wooded area. There are so many things I wish I could change and not letting Sebastian out that day tops the list. I miss him….
When Mike arrived home to this tragedy he tried to help by looking day and night for Sebastian, but you see, I had already done that. Never-the-less we looked together it was nice to have him home and not have to go through this alone anymore. January turned to February and still no Sebastian I was feeling really low, lower then I have EVER felt in my life. It was the Saturday before Valentine’s Day and I was on-line checking the Humane Society in case Sebastian was there, when I came across a little Russian Blue kitten that was up for adoption. I mentioned to Mike that I thought he was beautiful so he grabbed my coat and said “lets go have a look.” So we went, but when we arrived the kitten had already been adopted, but did I really want another cat? I was still mourning Sebastian as I am right now. Anyway, we went home empty handed which was OK too. Then on Sunday, Mike was looking in the classifieds and there was a Russian Blue advertised for sale. So we called and off we went to the apartment where the cat was. I have never in my life bought a cat they have always just shown up in my yard or I get them from the Humane Society, but this little kitten NEEDED to get out of where it was living. The apartment was filthy and overrun with cats, the woman that had him was obviously a drug addict so Mike and I quickly adopted the kitten and got the heck outta there. His name is Alexander, Alex for short and he has started a new chapter in his life and brought much needed joy and laughter to mine…….more Cat Tails to come…….
Big Voice, Small Package
Alexander
Alex came into my life just when I needed him most. Coco also needed a mate as she was still trying to figure out what happened to Sebastian. She would walk around the house meowing for him, it just added to the stress of the situation. So Mike took things into his hands and started pursuing getting another cat.
We found Alex in the paper as I mentioned above. He was a beautiful little 2 pound kitten with green eyes. He was VERY shy and during the ride back to our house he didn’t make a peep so I thought “wow, this is a quiet cat” BOY WAS I WRONG! That night Alex was adjusting to his new home and he was NOT happy. He “kitten screamed” all night long. I tried to have him with us in our room, but I couldn’t catch him. Instead he preferred the office under the desk. So we left him in there with a bowl of food and a cat box, but still he cried all night.
The next morning Alex finally fell asleep, I think he wore himself out! So I went into the office to try and see if he would warm up to me. NOPE, he would have nothing to do with me and then he started meowing again, did I mention that he is loud? So I shut the door and tried to give him some peace. After about 2 hours of this I called Mike and told him that I didn’t know what to do, he said “just give him more time.” I finally decided that the only way this cat was going to get over his fear of me was if I could somehow get him NOT to run away every time he saw me! So I went and got a cat leash. I carefully coaxed him out from under the bed (he had moved to the guest room) and miraculously I got the leash on him! I put him in his carrier and took him outside on the patio, after all it was a rare sunny day in WA. He was still meowing quite loud and I was beginning to wonder what the neighbors were going to think! So I decided to give Alex some more of his food, well he turned his nose up to the stuff, apparently he really didn’t like it. BUT there was some of Coco’s food nearby and he went for it! He ate everything in sight. I bet I fed him three cans of cat food! He was HUNGRY, that’s why he was meowing so loud and he didn’t like the food that the breeder had been feeding him poor kitty! After he gorged himself he washed his face and promptly curled up on my lap and went to sleep! AMAZING! After that it was smooth sailing for our family. Alex gets along famously with Coco, she grooms him and they play together, it’s heart warming.
Just as Alex was getting settled it was time for us to move across the country again, this time to Washington DC. I was so glad to leave Washington State and yet, it was bitter sweet, I had to leave my beautiful Sebastian there. Moving day was both a sad and incredibly happy day, if that’s possible. As we drove away from Washington State I cried and cried I was saying my goodbyes to Sebastian and it was terribly hard….I will never ever forget him….
It was a peaceful drive towards our new life, Mike and I thought “this will be a piece of cake.” But then came day three, the day that Alex discovered the sun roof. I don’t think he had ever seen the sun before! Anyway, here we are driving and Alex decided that he wanted out of the car through the sun roof! He quickly got up on the back of my seat and hung there like King Kong on the Empire State Building, yowling at the sun roof! He was determined to get out! It was a very interesting sight, I think Alex had had enough of being in the car! Coco in her usual principessa style, just biffed him upside the head as if you say “stop whining, it’s not that bad!” Mike quickly closed the sun roof and Alex calmed right down. More Cat Tails to come……
Jolly Green Giant!
Our time in Denver was short, but Alex and Coco had a great time at grandma and grandpa’s. They got along great with Ringo and got plenty of kitty treats.
We arrived in Washington DC in April and moved into a four story townhouse, boy talk about stairs! Alex enjoys chasing Coco up and down and up and down, it is very entertaining. After renting for a year we decided to buy our own house and in June of 2002 we moved into our very own town home in the same neighborhood with a wonderful park view. I always say that if Sebastian were still here he would be bringing all sorts of wildlife from the park into the house! But now I have Alex and he does his share of bird hunting even though he’s an inside cat, sort of…
Alex can go out on our balcony, not good news for the birds, but hey, he’s a cat right! One day Alex was out on the balcony, hiding in the geraniums, not a big deal, he’s always out there….or so I thought! I had just gone upstairs to have a morning of beauty. You know, deep cleansing mask on the face, nail polish, you get the idea. WELL, Alex caught a bird as it was flying, yes flying, by! He immediately brought it in the house and started to bring it to me! Of course Mike is chasing him around and yelling for me to come and do something (remember the beauty morning) sooooooooo I’m in my robe with a GREEN mask on my face and cotton balls between my toes, I mean it was classic. And here comes Alex with the bird. Well Alex had never seen me with the mask before so he didn’t recognize me, I don’t think Mike did either, Ha Ha. He was so startled by my green face that he dropped the bird! Now we have a bird flying around the house a cat chasing it, a husband trying to catch it in the laundry basket and a wife with a cracking face!!!! That poor bird finally just flopped to the ground and Mike got him in the basket and put him back outside. Alex was very upset that we took his prize, but I told him he was a good boy, and fed him a big plate of turkey!
Alex has many other talents besides being a first rate hunter. He is also not afraid of heights. He actually prefers to be on the highest place in the room. His favorite perch is on top of the kitchen cabinets, he likes to keep an eye on his kingdom. He also plays fetch and when he wants to play he will go to his toy box pick a toy and bring it to you, as if to say, “OK I’m ready to play now” He is a very smart cat and he has taught Coco to fetch as well!
Time keeps passing us by and it only reminds me that my precious princess Coco Chanel will not be with us forever. She is 13 and Alex just turned 2 so it is time to think about getting a cat that is closer in age to Alex. So November 2002 Mike and I expanded our cat family to include a new addition. Her name is Cleopatra, Cleo for short, and she is an Egyptian Mau, hence the name Cleopatra
Bittersweet Memories
Cleopatra was born July 24th 2002 and like I said it was time to think about getting a cat closer in age to Alex. Mike and I decided that we wanted an Egyptian Mau being that we have visited Egypt and I have studied Egyptology, I too wanted to own the “cat of the Pharaohs.”
Cleopatra looks like a little snow leopard and she has beautiful green eyes. We picked her up on November 16th and she has been a joy to have around. We were concerned about how the other cats would react, but that fear was put to rest the first night when all three of them slept on the bed together! There was a bit of hissing but no cat fights, thank god! Cleo is an extremely playful kitten, which is exactly what Alex needs, now Coco can enjoy her retirement! Funny enough Cleo does most of the chasing even though she is half of Alex’s size! Alex really is a chicken! Coco joins in on some of the playtime, but she really prefers to watch from her queenly perch.
Although we have only had Cleo a month she fits perfectly with our family. She is also a very smart little cat; she loves to play with her “sticky mouse” (mouse on a stick). When she wants to play she will claw my leg, I’m trying to break her of that habit. She loves it when I throw it down the stairs, she chases it and runs at full speed back up the stairs with it in her mouth! AND the newest thing is to climb the Christmas tree, I’m almost ready to take it down because she is destroying it! And I thought Alex was the climber!
Cleo has settled in nicely with our family and in true Navy style it is time to move AGAIN! Guess where we are going…..NAPLES ITALY! I seem to be having moments of déjà vu!
So here we go again, we packed up the house and flew to Munich and then Napoli, yes, with three cats. About 4 hours into the flight Coco decided she wanted OUT of the cat carrier so we let her climb into Mike’s lap. So picture this, we were seated in coach, middle seats a business man on one side me in the middle and Mike. So it’s a bit dark in the cabin so Coco just blends in BUT at one point the business man turns and see Coco sitting there! He kind of does a double take and I say “I’m sorry are you allergic to cat? We can put her back in the carrier if you are” He says “no, just surprised to see a cat!” I say, “actually, there are three!” At that moment I unzipped the carrier and Cleo pops her head out! Now she has these incredible shining green eyes and the macho business man says “oh how cuuuuuuuuute!” I thought it was funny! At about that time Coco was noticed by the flight attendant so we had to put her back in the carrier! We had a crazy 5 hour layover in Munich but that was OK, because the kitties could get out and walk around.
Upon arrival in Naples, I realized that nothing had changed! Still polluted and crazy with stray cats and dogs running around everywhere (what am I doing living here again? We ended up living in a hotel for a while and every night Alex and Cleo would chase each other under the bed, over the bed, under the bed, over the bed. There was also swinging from the Italian silk curtains and the most fun was laying on their backs under the bed and dragging themselves around on the tile floor! I think the hotel was glad to see us move out! We eventually found a lovely villa to live in with a view of the water and an amazing garden. Cleo and Alex immediately fell in love with the garden and played chase around the lemon and tangerine trees, Coco just enjoyed sleeping in the sun.
July rolled around and something terrible happened…Cleo was struck with a bizarre illness called Pyothorax after many horrible trips to the Italian Vets, where they really didn’t know what they were doing, she died……it was a horrible experience and it made me want to come home more then ever! Alex was extremely upset too, he lost his playmate and we lost part of our little family. She was just 2 days shy of her 2nd birthday. We will always remember her.
Beautiful Companion
OOPS upside the head, I said OOPS upside the head!
There she was, sitting on the stairs, cute little Egyptian Mau with bright green eyes and huge feet! I could tell she was going to be very entertaining, she just had this attitude about her. There were all these little Maus running around wanting to play with her, but Nefertari kept her distance. When I brought out the little mouse that I had for her, she snatched it right out of my hand and ran under the table with it, as if to say “mine, mine, mine!” She eventually came back out from under the table and settled down enough for me to pick her up……..I propped her over my shoulder when she promptly pushed away from me and then proceeded to WAP me upside the head! THWACK!!! I said “WHOA, she’s going to kick Alexs’ ASS! Then Marie-Christine said, “yes, yes that one, she is a pistol” “Greeeeaaaaat” I thought. Mike just stood there grinning, I could tell he was proud to have such a feisty cat joining our family!
Soon it was time to go, we said our good byes and back to Paris we went with Nefertari (Tari). She was very comfortable in the car and even in the hotel room. She settled in, after a huge dinner of crunchies, for a long nap. The next day we flew home to Naples, again, she was no problemo on the plane. We started discussing the plan for introducing her to Alex and Coco, we thought it would be best to keep her in the guest room for a bit and let them sniff each other under the door.
We followed our plan, but Tari doesn’t like being told what to do, soooooooo out she came! Poor Alex was waiting in the hall and boy did he (and the neighbors) get an ear full! No cat fight, just a lot of hissing and howling. Then as if to say “I’m glad that’s over” Tari and Alex began to warm up to each other. Coco was just happy to have a lap to sit on again and didn’t really care that there was another cat in the house.
Digging Holes
Alexander
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