Today is Thomas's third birthday, making him irrevocably, and in even the eyes of the most generous vet, a cat. He does not believe this. He thinks he's still the world's most super-sized kitten, as evidenced by the way he draped across my shoulder and attacked my braid this morning. He is goofy, insouciant, and utterly shameless, willing to flop and trill in the most undignified manner if it means he gets a little extra attention.
He is perfect.
When I first brought him home, he was all legs and tail and mischief, and could easily fit in my backpack. Now he is legs and tail and mischief and mass, heavy enough that picking him up is something to be considered carefully before it is done. The small orange stripes on his muzzle give him a permanent Cheshire grin, a smile with a cat attached. I can't imagine life without him.
So happy birthday to my puffy boy, to the first boy-cat I've had since my beloved Seymour died when I was fourteen. You are the best of brats, and I shall love you always, and all I ask is that you live forever. Okay?
Happy Birthday, Thomas Cat! May your life be filled with catnip, and things that make crinkly noises, and warm and cool places to nap, as you please!
Before we go wishing for him to live forever, though... some cats, especially males (even neutered), don't ever quite stop growing throughout their lives. My Loki, an orange-striped alley cat from the shelter, lived to be almost 17, and by that time he was 22 inches from tail-root to nose-tip. Not fat - quite proportionate, except for a little bit of a "sporran" as he reached middle age - just a BIG DAMN CAT. We had to give him one of those shallow under-the-bed storage boxes with the lid off, to use as a litter box; he couldn't get all four feet and his business end inside a "jumbo" litter box from the pet store.
So let's wish for all of Thomas' nine lives to be infinite, but that he stop growing before he's big enough to eat any of the other cats :-)
July 16 2013, 02:22:45 UTC 3 years ago
Before we go wishing for him to live forever, though... some cats, especially males (even neutered), don't ever quite stop growing throughout their lives. My Loki, an orange-striped alley cat from the shelter, lived to be almost 17, and by that time he was 22 inches from tail-root to nose-tip. Not fat - quite proportionate, except for a little bit of a "sporran" as he reached middle age - just a BIG DAMN CAT. We had to give him one of those shallow under-the-bed storage boxes with the lid off, to use as a litter box; he couldn't get all four feet and his business end inside a "jumbo" litter box from the pet store.
So let's wish for all of Thomas' nine lives to be infinite, but that he stop growing before he's big enough to eat any of the other cats :-)
July 23 2013, 15:49:58 UTC 3 years ago
July 24 2013, 08:09:54 UTC 3 years ago