When I divorced my ex, it was such a wonderful feeling to move into my own apartment, with my two cats. Freedom was finally ours. Happily, I put the furniture where I wanted it to be, and my knicknacks up on shelves. They had previously been banished to the curio cabinet when my ex and I lived together, because he hated anything that didn't pertain to golf or football. Now, my books, animal sculptures and large collection of CD's could be where I could use them. Freedom felt good. My pets had a nice, new place to play in and a balcony to birdwatch. All was good.
Generally, cats are well-behaved, with a urge to play now and then. My two adult male cats are couch potatoes, so nothing ever bothers them. Having such a big place, I decided to adopt one more furry family member. My new cat came from an online rescue organization. Beau is a large, beautiful pure white male with one blue eye and one green eye. As soon as he was acclimated to his new surroundings, he decided to make a few changes to make his new home more livable. Knicknacks on shelves? Be gone! Desk papers just hinder his coveted sleeping spot under the stained glass desk lamp, a.k.a. his suntanning bed. They end up on the floor whenever he sees them there. Marbletop tables are for cats and not for silly things like accent lamps. When I got home from shopping, the small lamp was unharmed, but lying on the floor. Bouquets of flowers are not just for decoration, in Beau's mind. They make good salad, whether or not they are actually real doesn't matter. Those plastic stems sure feel good between the fangs. Yikes! This mayhem had to be curbed.
It was apparent that I had to do some re-arranging of my apartment. This time to please a foot-tall, 16 pound furry male instead of the 6-foot human one I'd left behind. The cats watched with interest as I moved knicknacks to another room with a closed door. Same with the accent lamp and flower bouquet. My spare bedroom sure looks great; too bad the door to it has to stay closed all the time. But, Beau is worth the trouble. He is a little rascal but the most loving and sweet animal, who seeks me out for love, acceptance and safety. His kittenhood had been treacherous - getting declawed then taken to the pound to be euthanized by their cruel owner. A nice foster family rescued them, and now they have his sister and I have Beau, forever. He smiles, sleeps near me at all times. Even if he loves clearing shelves, desks and any other horizontal surface he can get his paws on, he does it all with innocence. If something falls, he looks at me, as if to say, "Did I do that?"
Two years have passed by now. I have learned patience and happiness living with this lively ball of white fluff. From his spontaneous bursts of song in the middle of the night, to meowing out the windows at the neighbors, Beau makes life around here more interesting for my other two cats and myself. Now that I've learned to co-exist with a curious kitty, now I know to "catproof" my surroundings. Sure, he does a few funny antics here and there, like perching himself somehow on the coffeemaker, on the range hood, and on the top of my stereo speakers, but he's at least cute about it. I run over and rescue him, and he just purrs. Somehow, I think this may be a plot to get my attention, but it's all OK. At the end of the day, he is sleeping between my feet as I go to sleep. We are all one very happy, mostly furry, family. It pays to have patience and grow together with an energetic cat, because they are never boring, and make life a lot more fun in the end.
Carolyn McFann is a scientific and nature illustrator, who owns Two Purring Cats Design Studio, which can be seen at: http://www.zazzle.com/twopurringcats Educated at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, Carolyn is a seasoned, well-traveled artist, writer and photographer. She has lived and worked in Cancun, Mexico, among other interesting professional assignments in other countries. Clients include nature parks, museums, scientists, corporations and private owners. She has been the subject of tv interviews, articles for newspapers and other popular media venues.
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