JJ’s Cat

Posted on November 13, 2013 by TJ

Yesterday when I got back from the post office, I found a drop of blood that was slightly smaller than a dime on the floor. I thought that probably one of the cats had injured himself, so I began to search for more drops, hoping to find the injured animal. I confess that I imagined myself to be a legendary tracker or a world famous sleuth following a blood trail to the murdered victim. I sort of EEEEKed with surprised when my tracking led me to an actual dead body with the murderer standing over it. Our cat Little Bear was standing over the body of a dead mouse in the kitchen. I deduced that the mouse must have been killed where the blood was pooled and the body carried to the kitchen. I was so proud of my forensic skills. I cleaned up the crime scene by sweeping the mouse into the dustpan and unceremoniously throwing it out into the yard. and then I mopped the blood off the floor.

Our cat, Luke, has some sort of chronic urinary problem so he has to be on special food from the vet, probably for the rest of his life. When he doesn’t have the special food, Luke tends to pee in Danny’s food dish and other containers, which is disgusting and just plain wrong. We are taking special care of Luke because not only is he JJ’s beloved cat, but he is an amazing cat who taught himself to pee in the toilet. The vet, himself, said that Luke must be a genius–because although he’s heard of people training their cats to use a toilet, he has never heard of a cat who taught himself. Luke can also open closed doors. He sometimes stares intently at me, and then I am able to understand what he wants. I think the Force is strong in him.

The special cat food is very expensive so only Luke gets to eat it. Having one cat on a special diet is tricky to accomplish in a home with multiple cats, but we periodically shut Luke into the bathroom so he can eat. After a few minutes, when he’s had time to eat a bit, we let him out and put the food dish back in the cabinet under the sink so the other cats can’t access it. If we aren’t quick enough, Luke opens the door himself and then the other cats rush in and gobble up the expensive special food.

This special treatment seems to be going to Luke’s head. He was always a very loving, cuddly, quiet cat, but now every time I move towards the bathroom, he runs in and wants to be fed. His meows have changed from sweet to imperiously demanding. “Feed me. Feed me NOW!” he practically barks. He is reminding me, more and more, of Simon’s Cat.

His imperious attitude is affecting other areas of his life. Last night I was sitting in the Lazyboy chair with my feet up and the computer in my lap. Luke sat on the coffee table next to me and demanded. “MEOW!” as he stared intently into my eyes. I moved the computer so he could sit on my lap. His Jedi mind-tricks work on me.

Sometimes I say to Luke, “What do you think you are…special or something?”

“Pwrrrrt!” he agrees verbally and telepathically. Absolutely.

I think soon Luke will begin to walk upright and use tools. Then he will seize control of the TV remote.

A friend bought JJ a gift certificate for Chubby’s, his favorite local restaurant–a gift he has been thoroughly enjoying. Yesterday JJ was hungry for Chubby’s food, so we called in an order and then walked the two blocks to pick it up. Deanna, one of the owners of the restaurant, wanted to help JJ so she has put out a donation can to raise money for his medical costs. As she was deducting the cost of the meal from the gift certificate, she pointed out a man at a nearby table. “That man,” she said, “put a large amount of money into the donation can.” (She told us a dollar amount, but JJ and I were so tired that the numbers didn’t register.) She called out to the man, “This is the young man whose medical care you contributed to.” We went over to meet him. He was old and carried oxygen with him. He told us that he had wanted to contribute because he, also, has struggled with cancer several times and he knows how difficult the battle is. We thanked him profusely for his generosity and shook his hand. He was moved to tears. We struggled with tears too. It was one of those special encounters that you sense have great importance, maybe affecting the space/time continuum. The old giving to the young. The one who has suffered giving a gift to the one who is beginning to suffer. A gift given and received.

Last night I couldn’t sleep so I came downstairs to rejoin my family. We had many discussions, including whether or not the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles could be more accurately classified as superheroes or crimefighters. JJ thought they were crimefighters because they had no special ability to fly or control weather. I said that Batman has only gadgets, but he is a superhero. JJ argued that Batman is a crimefighter, not a superhero. EJ and I both thought the turtles were superheroes because we think they became human-like after encountering toxic waste, which often causes a person (or turtle) to gain super powers. I also said that all superheroes are actually crimefighters, so there isn’t really a distinction. That settled, we moved into more serious discussions, which I might write about some other day.

EJ fell asleep an hour or so later, but JJ and I still couldn’t sleep so we stayed up through the night. I finally went to bed at 5 a.m. EJ and JJ usually sleep through the mornings, but I always wake up earlier. I was so tired that I fixed a quick lunch, got it warming on the woodstove, and took a nap. Later EJ dropped me off at the post office on his way to work. The new retractable leash I had ordered had arrived, so when I got home I took Danny for a walk. He hasn’t had many walks lately, mostly because I have either busy or tired and his old leash broke and hurt my hands. This new leash is wonderful. After we got home, I brought firewood into the house, did dishes, swept the floor, fed Luke, and talked to my friend.