A Good Cat

Just like people or dogs (so I’ve been told) cats come with their own personalities. We’ve had three cats in our marriage. Our first was living on a farm in Wichita, KS when we got her. Tom agreed to the experiment (with some reservations since he was allergic). I promised she would be an indoor/outdoor cat and it would be great. It was. Patches was full of fun and smarts. She’d come running to the backdoor when we pulled into the driveway (very dog-like I thought, having never actually owned a dog). She’d climb the back screen door so she could peek in the window and meow where we could hear AND see her. She knew how to “box” which endeared her to Tom. They spent a great deal of time playing. And she LOVED laps. Truthfully it got a little annoying because you could never sit down anywhere without her jumping on you. We were despondent when she disappeared one night while prowling the backyard. Our second cat came to us as a kitten while we were unemployed. She was a little bundle of joy in a scary time in our lives. Missy (short for Mischief) started out very curious and playful. She was beautiful with longer black and white fur. But as she grew up she became quite timid. We always felt like we misnamed her. To be fair there was at least one neighborhood cat that regularly ambushed her, which probably contributed to neurotic ways. She was the kind of cat who hid under beds and ran when someone new came to the house. Soon after our move to our present house she disappeared. We hope she was taken by someone who turned her into a pampered indoor cat…
Micah is our present cat – passed on to us when living in a townhouse with my brother and his family drove them all crazy. She was immediately happier with us where she could be outside and pursue her love of hunting! We have had all sorts of animals in our house since she joined the family – mice mostly but also moles, bunnies, birds, and even a small snake once. Mostly these animals have been alive and we’ve been able to return them to the “wild”. I think it is the chase Micah loves the most. Even at ten years old she will play like a kitten if you dangle a string in front of her. She’s even been known to play “fetch” with a tinfoil ball. The most charming thing about her is the way she likes to be with people. We’ll be working in the yard and she will come “hang out” with us. She’ll come sit while we are visiting with friends. Every evening when Tom and I go up to our room she follows, curling up on her blanket. When we turn out the lights she’ll take off to do “cat” things but not until the possibility of company is done. She is a sweetheart and we hope she beats the odds for outdoor cats and lives a long time.