Shadow is 20. In recent years she's gotten very skinny, limps, but has a good appetite. Routinely she jumps from the breakfast table (she's the only one of the four cats allowed on it) onto the kitchen island (where I feed her) a bit over 3' away. She stands at the edge of one and calculates carefully and then bravely jumps over. I try to stop her before she jumps, and just move her from place to place but she is determined to do it. Daily. And jump back, often using a shoulder of my husband sitting at the table. You can just see her gathering up her courage before jumping!
She's always been allowed to go out in the daytime in our quiet neighborhood. As far as I can remember, she hasn't caught a bird in many a year. Yesterday I let her out early, went off for a haircut, and when I came back there she was with bird feathers stuck in her mouth! She was happy. I didn't let her out again, extracted the feathers, and thought she must have gotten a baby sparrow. She wanted to go back out. Our daughter came home and said she'd seen her with live bird in mouth as she was leaving on the way to work but didn't have time to deal with it (we're pragmatic: in the past we've rescued many a bird but.. ). We let Shadow out and within 5 minutes she had proudly PROUDLY brought the dead bird (a robin!) to the front doorstep. How she caught it I have no idea. *
But this cat's tenacity: dammit, I'm sore, but I have a job to do here. I'll lie down and take a nap AFTER I patrol my property and arrest intruders. I'll go to the proper place to eat my dinner because I don't want anyone to think they have to make special allowances for me - never ceases to amuse/amaze me. A role model.
* I'm a bird lover too. Our two older cats, Shadow and Masha do go out, but Masha mostly does a dusk run and comes back in. Shadow never leaves the close vicinity, and occasionally one of them will bring home a vole. But it must have been ten years at least since one has gotten a bird! Once years ago we had a crow for nine years - he couldn't fly, lived in a large flight cage, and gave the cats hell. Following him we had a robin in that cage that we'd rescued and hand-raised. It warbled when it heard Mozart. Only lived a couple of years. Our two young boy-cats (altered) don't go out, keep each other amused, and hopefully won't get the idea to become hunters.
I also try to accomodate my senior cat's needs but he will have none of it. If I pick him up and put him where I know he wants to go he will jump down and do it himself. He gives me a real dirty look.
briegull, what a wonderful post about Shadow and your other cats! I enjoyed reading it very much.
doneit, that sounds like a lot of people I know as well! <grin>
We once had a cat that rewarded us with mice! She would catch them and leave them on the step by the back door! She was thanking us for taking her in....she had gotten into a territory fight with the other female cat in her household when the other cat had kittens, and drove her from her home. After our next door neighbor went on a search to see where she came from (she just appeared on our carports meowing one day - and we both fed her, then she wanted in!) - the neighbor called the people and they came and got her and took her to the vet and got her shots, etc., and took her home. 24 hours later, she was back - and stayed. She was a loving cat. I let her in when she wanted in, and out when she wanted out. In the winter, she wanted to stay inside at night, but not in the summer. She was a very polite cat - never scratched on anything, and never had an accident in the house! And I never bought kitty litter for her either! She also visited the widow next door, and the bachelor across the street. It was funny because the bachelor also fed her and gave her the run of his house too! If we were going to be gone, we told him and vice versa - to make certain that she had food and a warm place when the weather was cold. Because she was a "shared" cat, when we moved, we didn't try to take her with us, though I missed her terribly. She still had two homes to take care of and those two people who lived alone needed her more than we did.
Years ago we had a cat that could go in and out at will. One day my mother was having a tea party with several of the neighborhood ladies. The cat came walking into the room where they were, carrying a very live mouse. The cat put the mouse down on the floor and started to play with it, not letting it get away. The women all wanted to scream and climb on chairs, but were afraid that would distract the cat and let the mouse get away. All in all it was very amusing.
it does sound like alot of folks we know! my son had a russian blue named Chester, would regularly leave dead geckos on his pillow at nite.. sharing his 'kill' with the pack? divvi
Briegull, I had no idea cats lived to be 20 years olf! What fun stories you have. I'm so glad YOU have them. I would faint if I found a gecko on my pillow or a mouse in the mouth of my cat. Thanks for sharing those funny stories....
I have a little Havana Silk Dog (Havanese) and he's in charge of" loving". If I tell him I am in need of "loving'" he'll rush across the room, jump into my chair and he puts his head on my chest between my boobs and holds it there!" It's the most adorable thing! When I hug my husband, he wants to be right in the middle of the hugs. So jealous! Hugging and loving is "his department" and he never wants to be left out! He goes to sleep every night with his head on my shoulder.
nancy, my chihuahuas do the same-hilarious, i get on hands/knees on the floor and holler, 'group hugs!"""" and they both come from wherever they are in the house and lick my face and get up under my chest and rub -the female flips over under my chest for her belly rub as well. i agree i would be lost as a goose without my special hugs from my babies. divvi