Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The Best Cat I Ever Knew
Satin was the best cat I have ever known. She was a fluffy, long-haired, black cat that belonged to my childhood friend. Her mother was the infamous neighborhood terror that once chased a boxer over a block, even though she did not have kittens at the time. I don't know how Satin was selected to remain with her mother, but it was a brilliant choice. This was a cat for little girls to play with.
My friend and I would regularly dress Satin in doll clothes. She never complained, even with a bonnet on. Placed in a doll bed wearing a nightgown and bonnet, she lay on her back with her paws draped over the coverlet and did not move. She always seemed happy to be with us. She never struggled, scratched or bit. She always purred.
Satin loved to go bike riding. We had baskets on our bicycles, and one day one of us put Satin in her bicycle basket and took off. I don't remember which of us did that first. I do remember that Satin sat in the basket as if she had been riding in it all her life. After that, we regularly took turns giving her rides, not once, did she jump out.
Satin did have one bad habit. Every Christmas, she climbed the Christmas tree which was usually about eight feet tall. Satin climbed until the tree fell over, then she never bothered it again. The result was her human family put the tree up undecorated and waited until cat and tree fell over. After that annual event, the tree was decorated and remained unmolested.
The whole neighborhood had a crisis the day a speeding vehicle hit Satin. The driver did stop. He received a scolding from the crowd that formed quickly. I doubt he ever drove down Karnak Street again. Satin's jaw was broken and had to be wired back together. Satin had to eat baby food for weeks. She recovered completely, but managed to convince her owners that she still needed baby food once a week. She lived to be an old cat. The whole neighborhood mourned her passing.
My friend and I would regularly dress Satin in doll clothes. She never complained, even with a bonnet on. Placed in a doll bed wearing a nightgown and bonnet, she lay on her back with her paws draped over the coverlet and did not move. She always seemed happy to be with us. She never struggled, scratched or bit. She always purred.
Satin loved to go bike riding. We had baskets on our bicycles, and one day one of us put Satin in her bicycle basket and took off. I don't remember which of us did that first. I do remember that Satin sat in the basket as if she had been riding in it all her life. After that, we regularly took turns giving her rides, not once, did she jump out.
Satin did have one bad habit. Every Christmas, she climbed the Christmas tree which was usually about eight feet tall. Satin climbed until the tree fell over, then she never bothered it again. The result was her human family put the tree up undecorated and waited until cat and tree fell over. After that annual event, the tree was decorated and remained unmolested.
The whole neighborhood had a crisis the day a speeding vehicle hit Satin. The driver did stop. He received a scolding from the crowd that formed quickly. I doubt he ever drove down Karnak Street again. Satin's jaw was broken and had to be wired back together. Satin had to eat baby food for weeks. She recovered completely, but managed to convince her owners that she still needed baby food once a week. She lived to be an old cat. The whole neighborhood mourned her passing.
Labels: bike, black cat, Christmas tree, little girls, Satin
# posted by January Cat @ 7:14 PM 
