My Crazy Cat

According to the vet, Cuddles was about four weeks old when he joined our family in early August. I’d mentioned the possibility of acquiring a new cat shortly after I retired in May, but I hadn’t made a definitive decision and I wasn’t really prepared when he and my son arrived at my door one evening.  Obviously fate (or maybe my son) had made the decision for me.  The tiny kitten had been rescued from where he was living under a house (my son and a co-worker pulled him out) and he had no place to go.

Originally smaller than the palm of my hand, Cuddles parked his feet under my table, began to eat like he was making up for lost time, and started to grow.  This was reminiscent of the eating and growing behavior of many children who shared our home through the foster care program during the 1970’s

With the exception of an occasional trip to the vet, Cuddles spends his days sunning in my garden window, sleeping on the top shelf of a carpeted cat tree, and exploring the nooks and crannies of the home where he’s lived for the last 6 months.  He also loves shredding paper, sleeping on the corner of my bed or the top of my computer monitor, sitting on my lap while I’m gathering, and fighting with shadows, and reflections. When locked out of a room accidentally or by design, Cuddles cries loudly and insistently for however many minutes or hours it takes to make the door open.  Every morning, Cuddles jumps on the kitchen counter and tries to eat grounds out of the canister while I’m making morning coffee and he often tries to bat at the stream of running water while I’m washing dishes.

Like most cats Cuddles is partial to tuna, chicken, cheese, pudding and ice cream, but he also has a number of other favorites that are a little less common in members of his species.  While I was initially surprised at his appetite for Jell-O, I’m even more astonished when I see him devouring a variety of other leftovers from fresh fruit, vegetables and salad to rice, potatoes and pasta. But the biggest surprise of all was when I caught him drinking from my coffee cup.

Cuddles, you never cease to amaze me.