Newbie
Saturday, February 2
After Dover the cat died, 18 year old Nelly went into a harangue (other
cats would have gone into a decline, but not her, no siree). This
surprised us. They'd lived together for 13 years and she never really
warmed up to him, but now it was clear she missed the large untidy white
cat with the lousy table manners and excess toes who used to galumph around.
She started yowling. She yowled and yowled. She yowled one night for 9
hours straight. Nelly is part Siamese, mostly the voice part. We took her
to the vet, who said she was a fine, amazingly healthy 18 year old cat and
advised us to get her a new companion. She prescribed tranqs. The tranqs
made it worse.
So we went to the Humane Society and picked out another cat. Most of the
cats were either too young, or too big. Most of them were some variation
of black and white. Most of them were quite charming. We came away with a
three year old spayed female "tuxedo" cat named Mittens.
Denny said "I hope you aren't attached to that name..." I agreed with a
shudder that I was not.
It's been two weeks. Fenwick, as we named her (we considered Gauntlet as
a suave variation on Mittens but it just didn't suit her. I looked up
Mittens in French and German. The French was Moufle, which makes it sound
like she's made of eggs. The German was Fausthandschuh, and forget that!)
still sleeps upstairs at night but she and Nelly are gradually learning to
tolerate each other. Nelly's only tried to kill her twice.
Fenwick has youth and an extra pound on Nelly but Nelly has claws and
years of experience, so Fenwick is always the one who runs, with Nelly in
hot pursuit. So far no blood has been spilled. Mostly they interact by
staring fixedly at each other. Nelly's yowling has gone back to Pre-Dover
Demise levels. We are relieved.
We still miss Dover. Heck, I still miss every cat and dog I've ever had.
But now the page has turned and there is something new to read.
The weather this winter has been quite a contrast to last year. Last year
it was hideously cold. This year it's only been below zero a few times here
in the Twin Cities. Very little snow. A week ago it was so warm Denny sat
outside with Nelly in his lap for a half hour.
People keep worrying about it and wondering when 'real' winter will hit,
complaining that this just isn't your average Minnesota winter. I've lived
here since 1983 and I have yet to experience a winter the locals thought
was average. There's something extraordinary every year. Record snow
falls, no snow for weeks, record ice storms, a warm January, a below normal
February, dandelions in December, blizzards in early April, early ice on
the lakes, late ice on the lakes, occasional thunder, and once a tornado.
It's Minnesota: you never know. That should be the state motto.
Ah. Fenwick has informed me that there is a horrible monster out the
window and I should come and help her growl at it. All I can see is the
dog two backyards away peacefully frolicking and eating snow, but I guess
duty calls and I must practice bonding and togetherness with the new
feline. Umm, grrrrr?
Stay warm, my friends, and take good care of yourselves.
Terry
Of Juice and Thrips and Ceiling Wax
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