Weekend Onesie: Catching Up With The Crew

Weekend Onesie: 

Catching Up With The Crew

Hi. It's been awhile since I've shared anything of a personal nature. So, I thought I would start with the easy stuff... all the four legged wonders which have been populating my days and nights. 

Yes, it's time to catch up with my own personal pussy posse!

The photo above was taken by The Boyfriend last fall. He is also the one responsible for all the labels attributed to each of our feline wards. 

Boomer

"Bully"

Oh, my. Boomer truly is a bit of a bully. He loves nothing more than to intimidate, taunt, chase, and physically attack all the other residents at Casa de Demasiados Gatos, all the while looking like the hobo cat he was prior to coming indoors. With all the flair and dare of a pirate, he continues to annoy and disturb any being travelling through his self-proclaimed high seas. 

I think he's a sweetie, just misunderstood. He wasn't socialized correctly. When he has Mr. Beasley in a headlock and is chomping on the top of his head? What he's really saying is, 'I love you.' 

Whenever I go into the bathroom, Boomer follows. This is his opportunity to get unlimited pets and face scrubbings. Outside of the few times he's hopped on the bed and I've given him some chin scratches, this is the only time I get to hear him purr. 

He remains very food centric. I don't think we'll ever convince him there will always be more food. He must eat all the food... now!

And he likes to try and get outside. The times he is successful, he roots around in the dirt under our back porch and never goes far. In fact, if he comes out from under the porch on his own, he will immediately plop over onto his side and lay there until you pick him up and put him back in the house. It's his way of surrendering to the authorities.

Boomer is a very curious fellow. He likes to be right on top of anything that is being done which is new to him. We can tell he's trying to process something because he tilts his head back and forth as if to ask, 'What is this? What is this?' 

He's very drawn to people food. Loves anything that goes 'crunch'. He also has a weird fixation when it comes to condiments. 

Despite his FIV, he remains incredibly healthy. 

He is a huge bruiser of a cat. 

Momma Rose

"Whiner"

Well, if you were the only girl in a house filled to the rim with guys, you'd whine, too. And Momma Rose does... at every opportunity. If another cat even looks at her, she gets upset. She is such a tiny girl and very pretty... but very very crabby. She seeks out a lap all the time, but does not share well. 

Health-wise, we have been very lucky - there hasn't been even a hint of any kidney issues. She continues to have tons of energy and sass. We know for a fact that she does not miss her kittens. Our youngest, Mr. Beasley, will try and cuddle with her and, when she is receptive, she spends her time alternating between grooming him like a Momma and biting him hard so he goes away.

She tolerates Tuxedo and Theo the best, though I frequently wonder if she wouldn't be happier being an 'only' cat.

LeRoy

"Aloof"

LeRoy continues to rule over the roost, though his attitude seems to be one of 'to each their own'. When it comes to mealtime, he is the loudest, calling our attention to the hour with his mighty 'mew'. Like Glenn Close, he will not be ignored! Unfortunately for us, he is terrible when telling time and often begins his call for dinner a full hour before mealtime.

I think he may resent all the other cats. He spends most of his time ignoring them as best he can. Mr. Beasley loves to tease him, but he's not having it. With a raised warning paw and a definite hiss, he will walk away. 

On occasion, I will pick up one of the cat toys - the stick with a string with a fake mouse attached - and I will catch site of the LeRoy of old - engaged, playful. But the moment Mr. Beasley gets involved, that interest is extinguished and he will walk away sulking. 

His sinus issues are truly horrible. But there's nothing we can do about them, but clean up after him and take the occasional tissue to his nose. 

While I think he, like Momma Rose, would prefer to be an only cat, I suspect he would miss all the activity the others bring to the table.

Mr. Beasley

"Dork"

Mr. Beasley remains a kitten. He loves sitting on the BF's lap and they are a truly bonded couple. He tolerates me, but barely. He's the most playful of the bunch - tons of energy, which attracts Boomer's attention the most. Once engaged, he frequently finds himself on the losing end of that equation, with Boomer holding him down and biting him like a big bully. 

Cat toys continue to fascinate him, as he is the most-likely to chase after whatever toy is tossed. 

He also possesses the loudest purr, especially when on the BF's lap. It's fun to watch him walk over and plop himself down on whatever part of the BF's body is most available. 

He also really and truly wants Momma Rose to mother him, but, as I mentioned, Momma Rose's maternal instincts have taken a permanent hiatus. 

I keep waiting for more of a personality to emerge, but I think he's really just a little no-mind, content just to go with the flow and seize whatever the moment offers.

Theo

"Slut"

I don't think Theo is a slut; he simply likes butt scratches - lots of butt scratches. He will go out of his way if he thinks he can get you to give him a scratch. He is the oldest of the pack and as small as Momma. There's really nothing to him - he weighs nothing. I have taken to scooping him up and cradling him like a baby which he enjoys for about 20 seconds.

His favorite place is on the bed, on his furry grey blanket. Anytime I fix the bed and place this blanket like a cat bed on the BF's side of the bed, I will soon find Theo there, all curled up and sleeping. 

He possesses a very quiet personality and I appreciate it. 

He would make an excellent librarian. 

As long as there were butt scratches.

Tuxedo

"Tsundere"

Tsundere - a Japanese term for a character development process that depicts a character with an initially harsh personality who gradually reveals a warmer, friendlier side over time. This suits Tuxedo to a 'T'. I have never met a more discerning animal. His gaze is intense and a bit of a warning to be heeded. 

That said, he is fixated on me. I think it was all the time we spent getting to know each other while he lived on my front stoop for two years. He adores being an inside cat, but has been very cautious never to take up too much room. Like other tuxedo cats I have known, he stands apart and rarely engages. When he does engage? Things can get intense. He really, really likes me. And I quite demonstrative and demanding when he wants some attention. The BF and I both adore the way he talks to us. Of all the residents at Casa de Demasiados Gatos, he has the largest vocabulary. I particularly like the way he seeks me out with his "merrrow?" which ends in a question mark, as if enquiring 'where the hell are you guys?' 

He gets quite worked up at times and that is problematic because I am never sure what it is he wants. He will start kneading a blanket, then marching with all four feet going, while angrily meowing at me. If I try to pet him, he gets angry, but he also doesn't want me to ignore him. The BF thinks its because he really, really likes me and doesn't know how to express it. He's not a cuddler, except at night when I go to sleep. Then he comes and curls into me and we spoon throughout the night. 

He gets along with all the cats, even Momma, who gives him the occasional kiss. 

He also spends a lot of time alone and is very stationary. This has caused him to become the roundest of sons. In fact, if I saw him on the street today, I would swear he was cooking a batch of kittens in his tum tum. 

Of all the cats we've rescued, I am proudest of Tuxedo. That he is safe, well-fed, and happy means a great deal to me personally. He's the reason I still keep two little warming houses out on the porches and food and water in a heated dish all winter - just in case there is another needy little soul out there who recognizes a good thing when he sees it.

Winston

"Newest Arrival"

We learned about an abandoned cat - the people had moved in early spring of 2023 and left him to his own devices. The lady next door fed him all summer, but, because her cat wouldn't tolerate another cat, she couldn't take him in. Winter was fast approaching and she reached out on one of the neighborhood sites and asked if anyone could take him in. The Ex went and got him and the BF and I isolated him on our heated sun porch while waiting for a vet appointment. He came back with a clean bill of health and struck us both as an easily adoptable cat. 

Turned out we needn't have looked far.

A void had been created in The Ex's world. The newly-christened 'Winston' turned out to be the perfect fit to fill it. 

Winston is a great cat. Beautiful, large, polite, and he goes with any décor. He is perfect and perfect for The Ex, who no longer has to stress about getting home to let dogs out. 

Winston loves toys and plays with them all. He loves food. And is simply a really cool cat. I love how he loafs on the cat tree watching birds or in his bed on the couch. The Ex has gone all out, providing his new love with tons of toys and things to keep him occupied. 

I think Winston landed in the best of places. 

--- ---

The sad news. 

I lost two dear friends in the fall of 2023. 

Pepper

First, my Mom's Jack Russel, Pepper passed away. It was a long, lingering thing and my Mom just couldn't accept that Pepper's time had come. It was very sad to see her go, as she was the last living link my Mom had to my Dad. During my Dad's final years, Pepper and her brother Billy were glued to my Dad's sides like sentinels, daring death to come and take him. My Mom has now been without an animal in the home for just over a year, and while it has given her more freedom, I think she misses the companionship. She has recently mentioned that she may be interested in getting a cat. Or a monkey.... she would really like a monkey.

Hercules

A year ago, September - although it seems like ancient history to me now, I was on my way to celebrate a friend's birthday - we had reservations and the whole thing - when The Ex called and told me that our Hercules had suffered some kind of seizure, was yelping in pain, and unable to walk. Hercules suffered from Cushing's disease and it had reached a critical stage.

I canceled my plans and went to see Hercules. During the hour he regained use of his front legs and eventually his back one's too, but I knew that if he had yowled in pain before, he would soon again. The Ex called an in-home vet who specialized in helping people say good-bye to their pets. 

I spent the hour waiting for the vet to arrive in the backyard with Herc. It was a beautiful day and the sun seemed especially sweet. When he would stumble, I would rush and pick him up assuring him it would all be okay. 

I never let him go. 

I held him when the vet gave him something to put him to sleep and immediately returned to the backyard. I placed him on the ground and allowed him to pee on more time and walk around. At the first sign that the meds were taking effect, I scooped him up and cradled him in my arms. I wanted him to feel the sun on his face and body for as long as possible. When his eyes closed for the last time, I waited awhile before going back inside for the finale. 

I continued to hold him and felt the moment life left his body. I took his favorite blanket and wrapped him up in it and carried him to the vet's vehicle where I placed him in a basket for his final ride. 

Herc was the sweetest dog. Dumb. But just a sweetie. I like that he was not smart. He lived to please. And he was one of the reasons I made it through the COVID crisis. We went on daily walks. I miss his face.

He also represented the last link between The Ex and I. Our family of dogs... six in all - they were now all gone. We both agreed - no more dogs. It had simply become too hard to say good-bye.

The loss of Hercules hit me hard. I lost interest in everything. Music - practicing was like pulling teeth. I didn't want to play games. I felt lost. It really wasn't until this spring that I found my footing again. 

Grief is a weird companion. It never really speaks to you, yet you wear it like a shroud. It is everywhere and everything, coloring all it touches.

I think I was probably grieving a lot of things at once. With retirement, I lost my identity, my pattern of life. With Hercules' death, I had to also grieve a nearly thirty-year relationship with The Ex which had undergone such a gradual transformation that I hardly felt its sting - until the day I did. 

I grieved the fact that I was no longer a dog owner. I grieved the passage of time and all the change that came with it. I had to come to terms with loss, one I couldn't really quantify, for it felt like it had no parameters. 

I got it all mixed up.

And I didn't want to share it with anyone.

So, I shut down for a while. I wrote. I went through the motions of what was expected of me, or tried to. But joy seemed out of reach. 

Anger, on the other hand? That was not in short supply. I became explosively reactive. Little things. Stupid things, would set me off. 

With the dawn of last spring... I got better. I began to feel better. 

I'm still getting better.

I remain unsure of everything... 

But then, such is life.

--- ---

Pet ownership is a fulltime affair.

Please consider your income and lifestyle before adopting a pet.

Pets are not disposable. They are family. They require your time.

- uptonking from Wonderland Burlesque

And So It Goes - Billy Joel