Some of you may remember Dirty Dog!: A Sunday Pooch Poetry Post about my daughter’s yellow Lab Jack who is a bit of a rascal. Jack is frisky. He loves to chew on all manner of objects. It’s doesn’t matter whether the objects are edible or not.
Jack has a younger brother—a cat named Rudy. Rudy is also “out of control” at times…just like his elder sibling. Rudy loves to tease Jack in a number of ways—including hiding behind walls, waiting for Jack to come around the corner, and then swatting Jack in the face with his paw.
Rudy disdains his scratching post. Instead…he prefers to claw the moldings around doorways.
Rudy is an indoor cat who is always trying to sneak out of the house. He is fast on his paws and often slips outside before his owners even see him at the door. One time, Rudy got up on the windowsill above the kitchen sink, pushed out the screen, and jumped to freedom.
In the past, Rudy has gotten into Christmas ornaments that are stored in bins in the basement of the house. He likes to bring them upstairs–along with screws and nails he finds while roaming around the cellar. Yesterday, when my daughter and her husband arrived home after being out for a while, they found that Rudy had knocked down the Christmas tree that they had just decorated a few hours earlier. There was the tree–prostrate on the living room floor–its white lights twinkling like fallen stars…several of its ornaments shattered…the carpet soaked with water.
Like his older canine brother, Rudy is also lovable and loving. He always comes to greet guests with his special “Rudy hugs.” He’s gentle and he never exposes his claws when playing with people.
I felt I shouldn’t play favorites with my daughter’s pets—so here’s a little poem in which Rudy talks about himself:
I’M CAT
I’m cat.
Come pat
My head.
I’ll purr.
Please stroke
My thick
And silky fur.
I’m clean,
Serene.
I lick.
I preen.
I sing.
I spring.
I’M the king!
– Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
Cat. Sand in the bucket holding the Christmas tree. Need I continue? No saving the Christmas paper that year!
This is such a sweet story, Elaine… completed by the great pictures (and Rudy’s poem) — Rudy seems so small next to his “companion”, Jack. And he’s a poet, too — what a clever cat! 😉
Many cat lovers on this blog, myself included — I enjoyed all the comments… And, Isabel, your snoring somnabulist should be on YouTube, IMHO. 🙂
Isabel,
My cat Abby has gained a few extra pounds over the years. She is not so light on her feet now. When she comes down the stairs, she often sounds like a heavy-footed human.
I’ve never heard of sleepwalking cats before.
The late lamented Albert Darcy [19 lb. tuxedo cat] once brought down a 10 foot live Christmas tree in the middle of a dinner party. He was the only one of the three who was interested. I replaced the real tree with a fake one and never had any problems.
My older Himi is not only snoring now, but “talks” [and “walks”] in his sleep. One night he made such a “human” noise I woke up in a start, thinking there was something in the room.
lottakatz,
My daughter and her husband attached a cord to their tree last year and screwed it into the wall. They didn’t get around to doing that before they left the house to do a little shopping yesterday.
*****
Blouise,
My cat Abby always managed to remove her collars. I haven’t bothered to put one on her in years.
My daughter’s cat hates a collar. My daughter’s cat loves to climb the Christmas tree. My daughter hung a few cat collars on her Christmas tree. My daughter’s cat now simply sits and hisses at the Christmas tree. Peace on Earth.
LK,
It has been my feline experience that some amusements a kitty never out grows. 😉
Rudy is a great looking kat and it sounds like he has a lot of personality.
LOL, you can’t begrudge Rudy his fun with the Christmas tree, it sounds like he’s been bringing up ornaments and trimmings for quite a while in anticipation of ‘his’ tree. It seems like a shame to deny him his special time playing with it.
When my kats were kitties the just went nuts over the tree, it was their best jungle-jim ever. I just took all of the ornaments off of it after a day or two and shored it up so it wouldn’t fall over and the 3 kitties became the ornaments, hiding in it and disputing with each other for the top spot. I haven’t seen my Christmas ornaments in 10 years; maybe I could start putting up a tree again since all of our kats are now older. Or just hang cat toys and treats in it, the kats are older but still demonic.
Great post mom…Rudy wins the trouble maker contest for the weekend!
Love-
Sara
Elaine,
I have a similar situation. I try to give Gabriel all the attention he asks for because I love him more than just about anything. He’s been a constant companion through good and bad. It’s what I owe him for services rendered and his unfailing unconditional love.
Elaine M.,
That is what happens when a cat get older…just wants to be petted….
Buddha,
My cat Abby is quite elderly. She is the loudest purrer I have ever heard–and can she snore! She demands a lot of attention now. When she sits next to me, she’ll keep poking me with her paw until I pet her.
Elaine,
I have shown your poem to my Feline Overlords.
They purred in approval.
And demanded a treat. 🙂