POT PURRY
T’was the night before Christmas and all through the flat, Not a creature was stirring except Thomas Cat. What was he doing while everyone snored? Chewing up tinsel and electric light cord! What will be found when the family awakes? Poor Thomas deceased from a big belly ache!
Need I say more? One trick I’ve learned that seems to keep my crew away from the tree (plastic ornaments only) and eliminates the need for tinsel is snow–the kind in a can. When you have hung all the ornaments, spray the tree thoroughly with snow. It seems to have the best cat repelling odor available. Too bad it looks so funny on the furniture! I know one big red tabby cat who will have a very Merry Christmas; and so will his girl friend «Little Ollie». It took a year, but Freddy-the Freeloader finally has his own house complete with loving landlady and a big park to hunt in. When I arrived in Columbus, I had only one red cat, Seth Parker. About two months later, when I stumbled out at 5:30 AM to serve breakfast I found that Seth had acquired a crew cut during the night. Then I got both eyes open and realized that I had two red cats, and that the guy with the crew cut was a total stranger! He was happily stuffing his face, totally oblivious of the fact that he had invaded the private quarters of two monstrous tomcats who could have swallowed him whole and not even hiccuped. Oddly enough, Seth and Henry didn’t seem to mind at all. I scooped him up and put him out. By the time I went back to serve fresh break fast he was in again. A second attempt at eviction had no better results. He looked clean and healthy and I had to go to work, so I gave up. That evening I erected a baffle around the boys outside run to keep the stranger out. line for the raw kidney at dinnertime!
Guess who was first in nothing I tried could keep Freddy-the-Freeloader away from his are of the kidney. Since he was not exactly the type I wanted courting with my girls (at this point he wasn’t quite old enough to be interested) I persuaded him to compromise. If I gave him his kidney at the front door, he would usually stay on his own side of the fence.
So for nearly a year, Freddy reported promptly at 5:30 AM, 4:30 PM and bedtime for his handouts. He accepted the fact that kidney was served once a day only and made known his choice of cat foods. At first he did spend some of his time elsewhere which made me think he must have a home. I asked my neighbors but no one knew anything about him except that he had been around before I moved in.
Before long, Freddy established himself under by travel trailer in the drive. He would, if invited, come in and visit, but always wanted out after a short time. Most of the winter he slept on my bedroom window sill shich is sheltered by an over hang and also warm because I keep it open. On the coldest nights I brought him in and put him in my big cage–Andy didn’t approve of him so I couldn’t leave him loose. Freddy appreciated this arrangement well enough to request it when the mercury dropped.
He also made other requests, one of which stumped me for awhile. He would come to the door and make an urgent plea, but he didn’t want food, nor did he want in. I finally discovered that he wanted Heidi (my Sheperd) to come out. Freddy and Heidi had a «love at first sight» friendship. Usually Heidi doesn’t allow strange
cats or dogs in our yard and I confess to having urged her to chase Fred when he started his invasions. The most shw would do was follow him around, Freddy assumed his share of guard duty and helped Heidi chase intruders. As the months went by, Freddy had a trip to the vet for minor surgery–3 weeks too late. Six weeks later Molly presented me with Freddy, Jr. He was cured of ear mites, had his shots, was treated for a scratched eye and wormed, and changed from a gangling adolescent into a handsome 13 lb. gentleman. I finally decided that his in-again-out-again life style had to change. If he was going to live with us he would have to move in bag and baggage. The rest of the tribe had finally accepted him, even Andy who obviously considered him a bum. Well, I had no better luck keeping him in than I did keeping him out! Freddy’s independent soul would not be confined!
Then the solution appeared in the form of a friend who wanted not one cat, but So for about a month I conditioned Freddy to being an «inside-at-nightOcat «– two. I shut him in the spare bedroom. Two weeks before he was to move, I brought Little Ollie home. She was a «raised-in-the-woods» eight week old tortie and white doll. Little Ollie fell in love with «Uncle Freddy» immediately and he reciprocated. He was happy as a lark to have some company in that blasted bedroom!
They are now living happily in Albany, Georgia where Freddy is lord of the manor and Little Ollie is his adoring shadow. Incidentally, Freddy, Jr. now known as Mr. Skitters has his own happy home here in Columbus, and Little Ollie’s mother (thanks to the efforts of Big Ollie) is almost tame enough for a trip to the vet so she can live in her backyard «wilds» without the periodic appearance of unwanted kittens.
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ALL THE GANG AT HEIDI HO!!!!
Connie.