Tag: cats

theartofmichaelwhelan:

GENTLENESS (1997) by Michael Whelan

Acrylic on Canvas – 11” x 13”

Not a classical Virtue, but based on observing my young son with our aging family cat. It’s how I hope we’ll care for all the earth’s creatures.

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Sorry for the absence over the weekend. We lost our dear cat Isabel after several weeks of vet visits, a hospitalization last weekend, and a sudden turn for the worse on Thursday.

Watching my son comfort Isabel in her dying hours reminded me of this painting of Adrian and Pepper, the gentleness of spirit that connects boy and cat.

We adopted Isabel 14 years ago when she was just an oddball kitten. In those early days, she used to snarl like a dog as she tugged on toys. Back then both she and her sister Jasmine were small enough to fit in the palm of my hand at the same time, so as you can imagine her displays of fierceness and spunk were quite adorable.

Isabel was a constant presence in our house for so many years. It seems odd to lay down at night and not hear her greetings. As she approached from the foot of the bed, she was always anxious for permission to curl up beside me. She was the sweetest, gentlest cat I’ve ever known. We miss her terribly.

~ME

Source: michaelwhelan.com

I don’t understand why any cats like me. At least half my interactions with my roommate’s cat is mild harassment (like poking him or trying to spook him, nothing cruel or painful of course, just messing with him), calling his name loudly and randomly and meowing at him when he doesn’t answer, that kind of thing. And yet he frickin’ loves me. I pet him in ways you’re taught to never pet a cat and the whole time he purrs like a motorboat. It probably helps that he’s a breed with that kind of temperament, but still.

All I’ve done with campus cat is give him food and sit and hang out by buildings with him, and now he’ll rub up on me and come trotting over when I find him each night, and follow me to wherever I decide I’m going to sit. And after he eats he’ll groom himself and sometimes “nap” a bit. I know it’s probably just because I’m the food lady and I give him actual cat food, but I like to think he genuinely enjoys my company because he feels secure around me. As of today I’ve known this cat for two weeks.

Not sure who else to ask about this, so I’ll just throw it out there.

Does anyone have advice on what to do with a stray cat who decided I’m its friend now?

It lives on campus and hangs out in the same general area every evening, and sometimes people feed it chicken from their lunches and such. I’ve been taking it cat food for like ten days now and mostly I’ll just sit and hang out with it. If I get its attention from a ways away, it runs over, and then we go sit by a building while it eats. Now it asks for petting after finishing the food. One night it followed me all the way to my car, and if I go to another building it follows me. When I need to leave I’ve been going inside a building and leaving out the other side so it won’t follow me, because I genuinely think this cat might try to go across the street with me.

I had a cat growing up, and my roommate currently has a cat, so it’s not like I’m clueless on how to care for one. But I’m definitely a dog person. I like cats, but I don’t think I would go out and pick one to adopt, you know? I want to help this one, and it’s very sweet, but I don’t know if I’m the right person, I guess. I don’t understand cats as well as dogs and I wouldn’t want to unfairly end up expecting that kind of a relationship out of it, if that makes sense. Although this does seem like the kind of cat I could harness train and take on walks through the woods.

I haven’t adopted an animal on my own before and the idea of committing to a cat that I’d have for at least the next decade kind of scares me. I’ve thought maybe I’ll foster it after we take it to the vet to be fixed (because at the very least I’d like to do that). But what if it doesn’t work out as an apartment cat? What if my roommate’s cat can’t stand it? I can’t just dump it on campus again, can I? Is it better to just continue on as I’m doing things? Having a cat will limit where I can live for the rest of the time I have one. Plus there’s all the expenses. I’m literally the only other Bio grad student here right now that doesn’t have at least one cat, so none of them can take it in. I’ve asked.

Any advice? Is this something I could discuss with the vet? There’s a shelter in town that I’m pretty sure is no-kill but it’s not the greatest and I just want to do what’s best for the little thing.