sometimes you just know that the other creature knows you’re from the same tribe
This scruffy little tough guy is a Scottish charmer who knows a cat person when he sees one. An old Aberdonian tomcat who roams the streets of tiny (and also charming) Footdee, he has a whole Facebook group talking about him and worrying over his welfare. He patrols Footdee pretending to be a stray to collect treats and attention, but is very much loved and cared for by his owner-person. Completely ignoring my non-cat-loving colleagues, Scruffy sauntered up to me tonight in Footdee (pronounced “Fittie” by the locals) and circled my legs, doing the “doncha love me” figure 8 cat-dance. Of course he got a chin-scratching, head-stroking, scruff-ruffling petting session. He had me pegged as a cat person from the moment he sniffed me.
We’re from the same tribe, Scruffy and me, and we know it.
I named this photo Stray Cat Strut, even though Scruffy (my name for him) isn’t a stray. He does rock his walk, a strutter indeed.
More on “Fittie” later – it rocks! (It’s a tiny town worthy of Scruffy.)
Because the world doesn’t have enough cat pictures, here’s Fiona on high alert after she heard a very loud and unrecognizable sound. She was hanging out with the Grill-Meister and me during our weekend morning routine, which we affectionately call “Happy Coffee” (more on that another time).
Mature and circumspect Fiona; she rules the yard (during supervised outside play time)
Fiona is a rescue cat who was found huddled in the hood of a car at a nearby mechanic shop, very frightened, dehydrated and severely undernourished.
Fiona when she joined our family; the vet said she was about half the size she should have been at her age, guesstimated at 12 weeks
Fiona’s rescuers, the owners of the car shop, saw the signs from our desperate search for our missing cat, Scout (who was never found), and called me. Their message was this: we have a scared, abandoned, almost feral kitten who needs a home, and since your cat is lost, would you like to come over and meet her?
The rest is history.
She has me wrapped around her little paws
Fiona has been with us for 7 years now. She’s in charge of the house here at Glover Gardens, a fact that the other cat, two dogs, numerous fish and both of us humans don’t dispute.
But let’s help write the next chapter for some other fine animals – please consider adopting a rescue animal when you get your next pet. There are many excellent organizations that take on the special commitment to make a good life possible for homeless animals.
One of my favorites is Austin Pets Alive!, an amazing example of how an innovative mindset and an ever-growing group of very determined people can save furry lives and connect them with loving homes. Their mission: “to promote and provide the resources, education and programs needed to eliminate the killing of companion animals.” I can get behind that! Also, Austin Pets Alive! has a special place in the heart of many Houstonians because they stepped up and took in thousands of displaced Houston pets during the floods in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. So did many individuals across our state and beyond – one friend in Louisiana fostered 8 or more dogs after the storm! Anyway, here’s to humans who care about animals, and to the animals themselves who deserve a happy life with a forever family.
This week’s photo challenge from The Daily Post is about variations on a theme – any photo(s), any theme, any variation. An easy one for me is our feline family members. So, for your cat-picture-viewing-pleasure, here are variations on the theme of feline togetherness at Glover Gardens, Fiona and Godfrey in various poses, with a little haiku to close it out.
Because there aren’t enough cat pictures or random haiku in the world.
cat
cat
you and me, kitten – we’re in this thing together – slumber party dreams
This little bird makes me happy.She just ate a seed from one of our feeders, flew to a tree, and now she sits.
Looking.
A feathered still life.
A perfect and unique little being.
See her there, on the branch?
Is she contented? Is she contemplating that next seed? Is she thinking what a great day it is to be a bird in the sunshine, in a sanctuary-like environment where the predators wear warning bells and the feeders are always full?
(Glover Gardens predators are lazy indoor felines who enjoy supervised backyard visits.)
“Predator” Godfrey
“Predator” Fiona
Whatever she’s thinking (the bird), what I think when I look at her is that she’s a perfect reminder to be in the moment, and that every living creature is unique and special.
February 20 is “Love Your Pet” Day, thankfully not a day that requires an obligatory greeting card (or profuse apologies after forgetting), but still a good time to celebrate our furry and feathered family members. Or, as the cat below asks, shouldn’t every day be Love Your Pet day?
Photo from Catwisdom101.com via Pinterest
To observe this important holiday, below are a few of my cat posts and a photo spread, because of course, you can never have too many cat pictures on the internet.
I thought, erroneously, that there might have been enough cat pictures out there to satisfy cat picture needs for generations to come. And then I posted a picture of my cats in this blog (see Two Live Cats and a Talavera One). From the views and clicks, apparently new cat pictures are still very much the thing.
So here you have a haiku inspired by Godfrey, a 6 year-old tuxedo cat (and family member) who nibbles on his tail, is afraid of his shadow, and is also the sweetest lap cat EVER. And of course, some pictures, too.
Haiku for Godfrey
Godfrey, in repose:
because the world doesn’t have
enough cat pictures.
Kitty beefcake by the archPoised and ready to attack that falling leafOn red alertA little snoozyIn repose by the hot tub, watching for birdsDreaming of a world where we all just get alongGodfrey in his noble, “I’m a future leader” pose
Godfrey is named after the lead character in My Man Godfrey, a wonderful screwball comedy movie from the 1930s. Read about it here. We watched the movie, about a millionaire posing as a “forgotten man” and accepting a job as a butler, the night before we welcomed Godfrey into our family. And of course we had to name our new tuxedoed family member after the William Powell character. You can see the resemblance, can’t you?
One of my favorites is 
She just ate a seed from one of our feeders, flew to a tree, and now she sits.
