Memories about Cats

Just finished a visit to the Hemingway House in Key West, FL. Each has his own likes and dislikes. I found the cats as interesting as the history of Hemingway. They keep about fifty on the property at any one time. Females are allowed to have one litter and they they are spade. Only two viral males are on the property at any one time. After a life of service a new male with the right genes takes the older ones place when he is neutered. Most of the cats have six toes; it grows like a thumb on the side of the foot. Some cats can even grasp their food, as you and I would, and lift it to their mouth. You will find the cats every where, on furniture, on beds, under chairs, on table tops, under shade trees and they are of every imaginable color from calico to white, black, spotted, orange, grey, and brown. Many welcome loving strokes; those that do not, usually find a resting place where they will not be disturbed. The cats are very protective of their habitat. If a strange cat ventured in, the Hemingway cats would chase them out.

The tour of the Hemingway House is well worth the admission. I learned many new, interesting pieces of information about the pen master. But in the end we spent more time playing with the cats than it took to take the tour. The older male, father of the clan, was very playful and loving. If I lived in Key West, I'm sure I would be there every day.

I titled this "Memories about Cats." Life for me began on a small chicken farm in the mid-west. Because we stored lots of grain, it was essential to keep cats around. Each morning at 5:30 AM I would haul grain from the basement of the house to the far end of the property where 2,000 chickens were raised on wire for meat production during WWII. It was a side business my father had. "Snookey," at tabby orange (I do not know why she had that name), would follow me. While I filled each of the four feeding trays, she would climb on the roof of the fourth and last pen. When I finished, she would begin to meow and would not stop until I let her jump on my shoulder where she stayed until we reached the house. Then she would join me for oat meal and milk. She liked hers runny.

I remember a grey cat that dropped a kitten on the front door of every neighbor on our cul-de-sac, the pre-elementary kids were impressed. Of course, once they were weaned, we had no trouble finding homes. I also remember a brown cat, an orange tabby cat (this one was to go to college with my daughter, but never did) and a black and white cat who was devoted to my oldest son. He was the one she chose and had little to do with anyone else in the family.

But of all of our cats the coal black one is the favorite. She was all mine. The grandchildren had given her to me as a Christmas gift. They chose her because she was affectionate, playful and accepting. At first we raised her as a house cat. Like a magnet she was wherever I was. I read the paper; she read the paper. I watched TV; she watched TV. One Christmas she chewed and swallowed a piece of ribbon, which eventually blocked the intestine. I noticed something was wrong when I saw her fall down while walking. Later in life we let her roam the back yard. She learned the boundaries and never went beyond property lines. And she would immediately come when called. She was a true companion and loving friend. She is gone now buried next to a beautiful maple in the front yard. She was a wonderful buddy, and I miss her.

She and the other cats are the reason I had interest in developing "Pet Luv Emporium." Visit www.petluvemporium.com or www.petsuppliesmallguide.com to find many more articles about cats and dogs.