I believe God sent me a cat to teach me patience. Hating to admit being a
semi-perfectionist, I like things to happen in a certain way, but with a cat,
anything goes. Anything you don't expect a cat to do, it will. And forget the
sense of order you used to have in your house. Mine has been in disarray for two
years. That is Precious's age. Not to mention the smell of cat litter than can
take a grown man's breath if you forget to change it after a few days.
All these things and more I have learned to cope with simply for the fact that
she loves me. This cat loves me without condition. I have watched her focus on
my hands, just imagining I was scratching her or giving her a daily body massage
that she enjoys so much. She understands words and can sit on command. She does
these things because it makes me happy. She hides when I yell at her as any cat
owner will tell you is often.
Last night was one of those nights. She kept insisting on going outside. A pit
bull has moved in next door so I have been keeping her indoors lately and she
doesn't like it. She kept pulling at the blinds in the windows and I kept
telling her no as I was trying to eat my dinner. In the back of my mind I was
thinking that is why I have digestive problems. Cats come with a lot of stress.
Finally, I grabbed the spray water bottle (my defense), yelled, "NO", at the top
of my lungs, and closed the blinds.
Precious ran and hid. I thought that was the end of that and she would be back
out in a few seconds. She never hides long enough. This time she stayed hidden
and I went on to bed.
I got up this morning and opened the door of my bedroom where Precious is
usually waiting to trip me as I stumble through the living room, just trying to
wake up and find the coffee. It's like walking an obstacle course. This morning,
though, she wasn't there.
I walked through the house calling her name with no response. "That little
dickens is still mad at me for yelling at her", I thought out loud. I looked in
all her favorite hiding places but still no Precious. I was wondering if she had
somehow gotten outside but nothing seemed out of order around the window. I had
closed it while she was in the house, I thought.
I looked out the window on the front door and there she sat, on the love seat on
my patio like nothing had happened. How she got out, I really don't have any
idea. Cats are so fast, it amazes me. She evidently jumped out the window before
I closed the blinds somehow.
If you ever played the game tic tac toe, then you will understand why "the cat
got it". I will bet that whoever invented that game was a cat lover. Precious
can outfox me more times than not and it keeps me busy trying to keep ahead of
her. I'm not sure that it's all that bad. She gives me a challenge that I
wouldn't have in my life. She also gives me love in it's purest form because she
doesn't know anything else. Only love.
Sharlett F. Hunt Sharlette863@aol.com
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