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| I THINK THEREFORE I AM |
He roams our neighbourhood by day and by night. When it comes to relating to people he is an affable and gregarious creature with human friends of all ages. We all know his name which is Tommy. When called by his name he responds; unless of course he has important business on his mind. He is often to be seen on his way to some urgent or mysterious appointment.
Like many cats he avoids dogs and dog owners. He can sense a dog's presence long before it comes into view. He will casually glance toward his intended escape route long before the dog gets near.
One time, I saw him being attacked by a crow which flew low several times with angry shrieks. The bird had carelessly dropped its bounty and wished to retrieve it but Tommy kept the crow at bay by waving a paw in the air and finally claimed the morsel for himself.
In my picture you will see that his whiskers are forward. This is a good sign. It shows that he is curious concerning my camera and also that he is not afraid of it. He is actually posing for the picture; just like a human in such a situation he shows his best side. He is already figuring out what his reward shall be.
He will decide between something to eat and something to drink. He will tell me with a sign and I will fetch the appropriate item; a glass of milky water or some meat.
Sometimes he repays my generosity by depositing a dead mouse in front of my door in the night so that I will find it when I go outside first thing in the morning. It's his way of saying 'thank you'.
He is over 10 years old and I have known him since he was a young cat. He is not my cat. I think he is not really anybody's cat. He can tell when somebody has died in a house. And he likes to watch children playing. He knows much which he keeps to himself. And he never stops thinking.
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This is not the same cat shown 3 posts below.
Cats are very wise Gwil and don't let anyone ever tell you anything different.
ReplyDeleteI agree Pat, and I find that these red and white cats are particularly so.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with cats. My mother took in strays and no sooner had one died than—miraculously it seems (Nature can’t abide a void)—another bedraggled creature would find its way to our back doorstep and worm its way into our hearts. I was never allergic as a child but seem to have developed an allergy to them as an adult which is annoying because I would love to own one. We have a goldfish who was supposed to live in the bowl on my desk but grew so big we had to buy a dirty great tank for him and who now refuses to die so that I can buy some tropical fish and we have the cockatiel which my wife rescued from being killed by a magpie who has now been with us seven years and has become the centre of our world. I would never have believed that a wee ball of fluff and feathers could have such a character but there you go. He’s not a cat though but he’ll do for now.
ReplyDeleteJim, I like cats but I don't let them in the house as they sometimes make me sneeze. Outside it doesn't seem to bother me.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't get attached to a goldfish but I think they are useful because they can predict earthquakes by suddenly swimming around erratically and if I was really hungry . . ..
I have two crows but they are also wild and free to roam. As with cats, I don't let them in the house either.
Like the cat... We're down from 6 here some years ago to 2.
ReplyDeleteHow's the telescope?
Dominic It was either cloudy or I forgot to take the cover off the end ;). Will try again tomorrow.
ReplyDelete