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It’s a good thing I’m not house proud, though I suppose if I was I wouldn’t have entertained the idea of adopting multiple cats in the first place!
No sooner had I laundered the sofa cover than one of our little treasures re-anointed it.
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Inevitably, when you set about cleaning up one such mess, you come upon another.
Grant saw me stripping the sofa again:
“We should just get rid of the sofa.”
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I’d had the same thought, but it’s not that easy to offload a sofa and we have run out of room for storing removed furniture.
To any sane person, this must sound like an unacceptable state of affairs.
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There was one other person I knew who might have lived the same way. She loved her animals far more than the people in her life, with good reason.
The last time I saw her, she was hand-feeding one of her ailing dogs while she herself was dying of cancer.
Every time I get frustrated with the dear darlings, I think of that brave woman.
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The arrival of Little Man was bound to upset the apple cart which was already in danger of tipping.
In multiple-cat homes there tend to be behavioral issues and advancing age can bring other problems.
Our cat population had reduced from 13 to just 6 which gave the girls more space resolving some of those issues, but I knew the moment a kitten turned up the fun would start!
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So why take him in?
Look at that face. Could you turn him away? Could you take him to a shelter?
As ridiculous as it may seem, when this little chap turned up in our hedge, apparently out of the blue and attached himself to us it was as if meant to be.
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Apart from the two occasions when Little Man turned his vet visits into a fiasco, he has been no trouble at all and although he is a typically irrepressible kitten, he doesn’t often chase the girls.
They were wary of him of course and not impressed when he came aboard, but they soon accepted him.
More or less.
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Little Man may be the most affectionate animal I have ever known. He doesn’t especially like to be cuddled, but he loves to ride around on our shoulders and to drape himself around our necks.
When he suddenly catches sight of you or hears you call, he rushes toward you wanting to be picked up.
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Even Grant was amazed by what I told him the other day.
Little Man allowed me to bury my head in his tummy.
Many cats will shred you for attempting to even touch their bellies and I wouldn’t try, but this little lad is different.
It’s a little scary to love an animal as much as I love him.
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It doesn’t mean I love Willow any less. Simply they are different.
Willow does not like to be picked up and while she does like attention, it has to be in moments of her choosing and of short duration.
Willow likes to be near me, or at least to know where I am. We have an understanding and a special bond.
I have had close bonds with other animals, all unique and all precious.
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Lucy was one of three cats that came to my foster home in Washington. The moment I saw her I knew I would not be able to let her go and she soon migrated upstairs to join my permanent gang.
Panther, Grissy, Cisco. I lost them all within a year or so of each other along with the bunnies and one of the fosters we loved deeply.
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With all of them gone, Lucy and Lily grew very close to me.
Willow then arrived informing me I was her person but she was not going to confront those two for a place on my bed or anything like that. As long as I acknowledged I was hers, that would be fine.
When we moved cross country, merging the upstairs group with the remaining fosters, it took time for everything to shake down. Lily decided to give me into Lucy’s exclusive care while she moved down with Grant.
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“I’m off downstairs, Blackie. Keep an eye on her, OK?”
Blackie had attached herself to me in the Washington garden. Any time I was out there, she came to sit and supervise. She was terribly shy but she began coming to the porch for food and one day she crossed the threshold into my house and heart.
Blackie doesn’t pay much attention to the other cats. When she wants to be close she walks all over anyone who is in the way. And she gets very close, right up in my face which isn’t awfully convenient but fortunately she soon moves to her favourite bed.
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Caring for a lot of animals is hard.
Patches was a kitten with bad knees. I couldn’t bear to have such a young animal put to sleep, so I agreed to the surgery and she came with us to New York. I had a very soft spot for her but she was nervous of the others.
When Lucy died, she began coming to me at night for cuddles but sadly she too was gone six months later.
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Patches, Willow and Toby only ten days before we lost Toby and Penny, this time last year.
Toby had been with me for 9 years and he had decided later in life that he really rather liked me.
Cats do things at their own pace.
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What gaps they leave in our hearts.
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With Lucy, Toby and Patches gone, Lily seemed to think she ought to check in on me and spent a few nights on my bed but she was torn. Really she wanted to be downstairs.
So maybe she had a word with Willow because that was when Willow finally began sleeping at the foot of my bed, and Lily went back down.
She still comes to check on me during the day which makes me very happy as I love her dearly.
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Dear old Tinkerbelle disliked me almost to the end, but some three months before she died, suddenly she let me pet her and her eyes were soft when they looked at me.
Before they had thrown daggers at me.
Deep down I knew it was a sign.
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Don’t love animals if you don’t want your heart broken.
The sort of person who would say this cannot possibly know the joy they bring.
Love and sorrow go hand in hand.
Your closing comment is so true, and not only of animals!
I really enjoy reading about all of your cats.
Little Man is so adorable! His personality can be seen, in all of your pictures of him.
I am so happy that he found you! ❤️
Catherine
All your cats are totally adorable. Seems to me that Little Man is one of those “draping” loose limbed cats. (Based on the pics.)
“Don’t love animals if you don’t want your heart broken.
The sort of person who would say this cannot possibly know the joy they bring.
Love and sorrow go hand in hand.”
Yes, yes, and yes.
As always – thank you. My daily dose from Cats in Cambridge is one of the way to stay …well, I won’t say”sane”, …just stay will do.
So again – Thank you.
Little Man sometimes curls up behind my Epsin printer so one of his names is now Epson Draper. Grant’s contribution.
My mum was like the lady you mention, looking after her pets when she was seriously ill herself. She never got over the loss of a single pet, just as I will never get over losing Ollie. I am glad that Little Man makes you so happy.
Best wishes, Pete.
It’s amazing to read how much your cats are different from each other – each with his/her own personality. And that you love each one in a different way. I’m glad Little Man found you guys — in the right place at the right time.