January 7, 2002
-
Weird
I have a cat, sort of. He lives with my parents because, when I moved to the west coast, the first place I moved in to wouldn’t allow me to bring him. So he’s been in Texas his whole life.
He’s huge and black and semi-feral, meaning he spent some of his misspent formative years without human companionship, meaning he can be a real asshole of a cat. It’s more like living with a tiger than a housecat. In all fairness, though, he mellowed out after the vet rendered him unable to breed, and in the last few years he’s become positively civilized. He’s still got an attitude, though.
He used to like to bite my mom’s ankles. He almost got tossed out of the house as a result, but finally there was some form of parity between them and now he doesn’t challenge her much anymore. He never really challenged my dad. I’m not sure why. He used to challenge me all the time, though, in a big way. I still have the scars. For one thing, I think it was hard for him to understand that people lay down on couches for vastly different reasons than cats. For cats it seems to be some kind of social heirarchy thing to be in the best spot, while for humans it’s just about sitting around and watching TV.
But there’s one thing about Weird that always makes me happy, and it’s when we go for walks. He loves to walk around with me in the middle of the night. It must look terribly odd to anyone who’s paying attention to such things: A man walking around at 3am with a huge black cat following him.
When we go on these excursions, Weird becomes Ninja Cat! His mission: Venture into enemy territory and rub scent on as many flat areas of cement as possible, while not venturing too far from Alpha Cat One (me).
I’m just walking down the street, but for him… He zips ahead of me about 23 feet, waits for me to pass, all the while glancing around furtively, as if The Enemy could attack at any second. Sometimes he’ll rub his back on the ground. After I’ve passed, and gone a suitable distance, he leapfrogs me again. When he’s running up from behind me, his tail’s down, but as soon as he passes me, it sticks straight up in the air. If he were a person, he’d be a Marine, and if he were a Marine, he’d be saying, “I got point now.”
Tonight we went for one of these walks. I promised him earlier today that we’d do it, and he held me to it. He’s one of those cats that knows what you’re saying, and will pester you to keep your word. Really. It’s scary sometimes.
We went off to the school yard near my parents’ house (the one you may remember from the Hover stories). The school’s added on a few buildings, so it’s no longer possible to walk around it, which used to be our usual path. So we just went to the back and then came back out the same way. But in the back there’s this tree, and every dog and cat in the whole universe must mark this tree because Weird spent a full ten minutes examining it. He even followed a few trails away from it, looking off wistfully when he got to the end of the scent. Tracker cat!
I’d like to bring him back to Seattle with me, but definately not this trip. Maybe in the summer. I dread four days in a car with Weird in a cage, though.
Comments (10)
Weird makes me extremely happy for some reason. I used to have a cat who’d go on walks, too. Maybe that’s it. But I like cats with an opinion. Attitude. My cat challenges me all the time, puffy sidling sideways steps, ridge-fur raised and brow furled, chin tucked under. She becomes Igor.
But I speak her language, and we respect each other. Nosing her is important, approaching her and nosing her nose. Never raise a paw…er, hand to her first. This is aggressive. She will respond in kind, and her paws are very much sharper and faster than yours. But she will never, ever bite or scratch your face. Lick your nose, maybe. All my friends know how to approach her with their faces.
And when she’s curled, under the comforter, in the crook of my knees, and I can feel the thrum of her purr as she falls asleep, I know who one of my truest friends is.
-m
Hi! *shaking hands* Wanted to come by and introduce myself… Thanks for stopping by and subbing my site! Love your cat story!! Makes me want to get another one. ~Xanga’s Irish Heart
*lol* Awwww.. you need him with you, I think.
I once walked from Fremont to Green Lake. Somewhere in Wallingford, a cat started doing that with me (it was also evening/dark, too). Followed me all the way to the lake, but when I crossed the road to the Green Lake path, he stopped. I shrugged my shoulders and walked around the lake. As I was coming back (an hour later), the same cat was still sitting at the same street, waiting for me. He followed me all the way across Wallingford, too. I enjoyed our walk very much.
now *that’s* a cat. spunky. smart. independent but still loving. if there are no objections, i’d look further into the taking him to seattle with you bit. seems you two fit each other.
Of my six, my favorite is LEG|ON jr. who is the dominant cat among the others.
When I first got him, he figured I was his, and that was that. He ruled the roost, and the roost included me. He yelled at me, Homer, I swear to god. MWROWWWWWWL! MWROWWWWL!!!!…
Things changed the second time he decided to run away from home. We didn’t find him for a week, and when we did, he was cowering in a little burrow he’d made for himself. There were brambles all around, beneat and above him, so he felt fairly safe…but his fur was covered in them.
We spent a couple of hours getting those out. Before he’d let me, I had to show him who’s boss, which involved taking him by the ruff and holding him there until he submitted. He did…eventually….a few scratches later…
Now he’s my love…he head butts me when he wants some affection…follows me around the house adoringly…and has adopted the youngest kitty in the house as well.
From tiger to kitty, just like that.
Loved this story.:) Thanks for sharing!
V~
i love your cat. i dig cats in general, but whenever i meet one with attitude i try to become friends with them, which usually doesn’t work because of the attitude thing. oh well.
*grins*
my cat does that too. he seems to have this overwhelming idea that i’m in terrible need of protecting, so, when i go outside for walks and he happens to be around he runs circles around me watching for the Enemy.
and he’s the most smart aleck feline i’ve ever met.
i tease him all the time and he just looks at me like he’s thinking “yeah, what do you know, unlettered Human,” and then a couple minutes later comes up demanding me to rub him belly.
he’s discovered an affection for feet ever since i got into the habit of going outside to read and only being able to pet him with my feet because hands were occupied by book. now he expects any human of worth to be as dextrous with their feet.
oh, my, i’m babbling about my cat. i should stop already…. i could go on… and on…
my cats wouldn’t walk with me anywhere unless i was carrying a can of food. your cat sounds downright engaging.
What a great cat you have! Cherish him as long as you can! Mine will turn 13 in April! I love her to bits!
Comments are closed.