Initially, I was going to write about something Important. Something to do with the Iranian election crisis. As a long time twitterer, it's been fascinating to watch as Twitter unfolded the story of the protests in Iran so much more effectively than any major news network. It seems like a revolution for democracy in Iran as well as a revolution in how many people--especially those who are non-tech types--are beginning to realize the vast potential of social networking sites.
But, then I realized the iraniantwitterevolution is the focus of almost every news site. Bloggers who are much more talented have offered detailed analysis on the story. My vaguely formed commentary had already been clarified and posted by others. I sat and looked at my almost-16 year old cat, Kate. She convinced me to write about her instead.
Kate initially belonged to our neighbors in Philadelphia. But, she seemed to prefer our house to that of her owner's. First sign of intelligence. I say that because, shortly before we adopted her, the owner's child had excitedly told us about her father having tried to hold Kate under water in their "bathtub over and over again, but she kept escaping". Kate soon had kittens and unsurprisingly, the owners were pleased when we said we were going to take both the cat and a kitten.
From the start, Kate seemed unusual. She has such a wide range of vocal commands that one suspects she's speaking in some kind of language. She's always been a bit vain, looking very pleased when catching sight of herself in a mirror. And when she would see her former owner walking by, she'd start gagging.
Soon, Kate became almost...spooky. She'd always been primarily attached to my husband. My husband has always been prone to migraines and when they were bad enough for him to have to leave work, Kate would regularly be under the covers on his side of the bed, making the area warm an hour before he'd lie down.
A week after I became pregnant, I couldn't sit down without her crawling under my top, pressing against my stomach, and purring loudly. Nine months later, when I went into labor, I went into the dark bathroom and saw Kate seated calmly on the edge of the sink as if she'd been expecting me. Given her previous near-drowning incident, the bathroom was the only room she had consistently avoided at all costs. And when we brought our infant son home, Kate went into immediate nanny mode with him, never letting him out of her sight. When he started crawling, in spite of a protective gate, Kate would throw herself across the top of the stairs to prevent a fall.
There're actually too many stories about her to fit in one blog post. I was once listing her uncanny behaviors to a friend who is a priest. At his increasing surprise, I laughingly said, "I know, in medieval times, she probably would have been burned as a witch."
"No," he joked, "You would have been the one burned for owning her."
She didn't like the exchange at all.
But, then I realized the iraniantwitterevolution is the focus of almost every news site. Bloggers who are much more talented have offered detailed analysis on the story. My vaguely formed commentary had already been clarified and posted by others. I sat and looked at my almost-16 year old cat, Kate. She convinced me to write about her instead.
Kate initially belonged to our neighbors in Philadelphia. But, she seemed to prefer our house to that of her owner's. First sign of intelligence. I say that because, shortly before we adopted her, the owner's child had excitedly told us about her father having tried to hold Kate under water in their "bathtub over and over again, but she kept escaping". Kate soon had kittens and unsurprisingly, the owners were pleased when we said we were going to take both the cat and a kitten.
From the start, Kate seemed unusual. She has such a wide range of vocal commands that one suspects she's speaking in some kind of language. She's always been a bit vain, looking very pleased when catching sight of herself in a mirror. And when she would see her former owner walking by, she'd start gagging.
Soon, Kate became almost...spooky. She'd always been primarily attached to my husband. My husband has always been prone to migraines and when they were bad enough for him to have to leave work, Kate would regularly be under the covers on his side of the bed, making the area warm an hour before he'd lie down.
A week after I became pregnant, I couldn't sit down without her crawling under my top, pressing against my stomach, and purring loudly. Nine months later, when I went into labor, I went into the dark bathroom and saw Kate seated calmly on the edge of the sink as if she'd been expecting me. Given her previous near-drowning incident, the bathroom was the only room she had consistently avoided at all costs. And when we brought our infant son home, Kate went into immediate nanny mode with him, never letting him out of her sight. When he started crawling, in spite of a protective gate, Kate would throw herself across the top of the stairs to prevent a fall.
There're actually too many stories about her to fit in one blog post. I was once listing her uncanny behaviors to a friend who is a priest. At his increasing surprise, I laughingly said, "I know, in medieval times, she probably would have been burned as a witch."
"No," he joked, "You would have been the one burned for owning her."
She didn't like the exchange at all.
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Koshka, (Russian for female cat - which she is), is not a lap cat. However, whenever one of us is ill, she lies on our stomach or near to us. Just before I was leaving for a two week vacation, she spent the days sleeping next to me, sometimes against my leg so I couldn't move. She knows so much more than we give her credit for. Thank you God for the insight and comfort (for me) you have given my cat.
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me how many cat owners are indifferent to their wise pets. Glad to hear how much you appreciate your wonderful Koshka!
ReplyDeleteSo many do not interact with their pets. Instead their pets are simply additional "adornments" or toys. They are so unique and fun. I see cats that become disinterested and aloof because that's how their owners have trained them. Our cats have never been that way because they are a part of the family.
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