Karnak Street Kats

Miss Kitty came to live with me last year. She is a long-haired, orange tabby. Her owner asked me to care for her when he knew that he must serve a prison sentence. Miss Kitty had been his mother's cat. Her owner was in tears when I agreed to take her. (He and I had a history because his dog had helped kill my cat, Abner, the only cat I ever lost to dogs in my 50+ years of having cats.) I knew an older cat had little chance of adoption. Her owner told me she was sixteen, but I think she is not that old.

Miss Kitty moved in and immediately made it clear that she did not like other cats. Her yellowish eyes would narrow as any cat approached, then she would yell in rage if they came closer. This tactic worked well with every cat, but Shackleton. Soon, Miss Kitty had her chair and eating area staked out. She settled into life with my crew.

I learned that Miss Kitty did not like to be handled. She whined the minute I picked her up. The whine became a wail if I did not release her immediately, but she did nothing else. I soon learned that her wail was her general comment on life. However, if I deposited her in my lap, so she was not being held, she relaxed.

Miss Kitty loves to be combed. Actually, she loves for her back, neck and sides to be combed. She thinks anything else is a hideous experience to be commented on with her loudest wails. Since she is long-haired, she must be combed all over. So, despite her protests, I comb her tummy, legs, tail and chest, too. She always stalks off with a swish of her tail when I finish.

I don't know when her owner will return. His sentence has turned out to be longer than he thought. I suspect that Miss Kitty is a permanent member of the family.

Labels: cats, Miss Kitty, orange tabby. long-hair, Shackleton, wails