Cat Stories

I have three cats living with me - Zora the Geek, Grendel and Algernon. Algernon is Zora the Geek's son, and they hate each other as only relatives can. In this case, the mother and child keep a constant watch for ways to make the other miserable. In this, nearing the end of our second year in our house, Zora the Geek has moved out of the second floor, and now roams the house (as of the middle of the summer). Algernon, the only cat to resist warming up to the dog, seems to have takem her place: now he doesnt want to come more than halfway down the stairs. He will ambush you when you go upstairs to use the bathroom, and try to jump in your lap while you sit on the toilet.

I lost my beloved cat The Skulking Skumbo just over three years ago; he left a strong impact on my life, and a strong imprint on the three still here with us. He lived about fifteen years, and spent more than half of his life in one ground floor apartment with constant outdoor access. In this building, our upstairs neighbor also loved cats, and would often host strays - sometimes lots of them. The Skulking Skumbo liked people, liked cats, and liked fighting cats, dogs, raccoons, squirrels, and probably other critters as well.

The cats that came through that apartment building - we were there almost twelve years, we saw lots of strays, as well as a parade of tenants cats come through. The upstairs lady had a cat named Cat that was a Maine Coon Cat; it was super cool, and a deadly fighter. There were more in the winter, it seemed - one would get fed, and tell his pals, and soon there would be four of them camping in the basement, and one year I found an insulated box in the back yard set up like a cat sized igloo.

I had one other cat as an adult, Ziggy the Coon Cat. I had him for three years in Maine; I lost him and I never found out what happened to him. I always hoped he found some great home that kept him inside.

So, I have had a lot of cats - or, perhaps I should say I have spent a lot of time with a few cats. However I say it, I have a lot of cat experiences I would like to share; the above paragraphs outline the cast of characters.