Melodi wrote a blog yesterday about a cat we used to have named Scatter. This blog brought back so many memories. Tommy and I talked and laughed all the way through "Gunsmoke" about the antics our family had with this cat.
I remember the day Tommy brought two little kittens home from Mr. Krampe's farm. They were about six weeks old and scared of everything. One was gray and white with long hair, the kids named her "Poof" because she looked like a little ball of uncontrollable fur and energy. The name fit perfectly.
It was several days before Scatter's name was chosen. She was a calico colored cat and very skittish. One day, after I finished reading the paper, I tossed pages of it down on the floor. Scatter pounced on the pages, ripping them to shreds, almost in a manic state. We all thought this was funny. Out of the mess, "Scatter" received her name.
It was soon obvious that Scatter was my cat. She was everything I ever wanted in a cat. Loving, kind, funny, and loyal to me. Same requirements for a man only add sex. Without a doubt Scatter was my cat. Every morning she sat in my lap, while I drank coffee and read a book.
Poof belonged to the kids. Tommy refused to claim either one. He was just happy that we were happy. He is a dog person. His only opinion of cats is usually summed up in his famous words, "Cats are fine as long as they are cooked right!"
We had these two cats for several years. I didn't know how much Scatter was hated by everyone until years later. We were all together telling stories, laughing and the girls started telling their "Scatter" horror stories. I couldn't believe that was my cat they were talking about. She had a face I never saw.
When they were little, I thought the kids were picking on "poor Scatter" when they told on her. Later, I found out they were telling the truth. Actually, I didn't like Poof. She shed and always missed the litter box. I took that personally. Poof didn't like me either. Around me, she suddenly went deaf. We shared the same house but that was about as far as our connection would ever go.
These cats were house cats and never allowed outside. One day someone "accidentally" let the cats out, when they came back they were pregnant.!!! I was far, far from happy. Although I must admit Poof and Scatter were calmer and smiled a lot!!!
It was getting close to Prom time and we were busy shopping for just the right dress for Lisa to wear that night. When we returned home, Tommy said, "Mama, YOUR cat is waiting for you to get home----she is ready to have her kittens!!" I laughed, thinking how silly that was. I remember sitting on the love seat, listening to how Scatter had behaved while we were gone. Scatter came over and sat down by my foot and meowed a few times. With each meow the volume intensified. She flounced on the carpet, rolled from side to side. She looked at me for help. Within a few seconds Scatter moved as close to my foot as she could get then preceded to have the ugliest kitten I had ever seen, right by my little toe!!! I was speechless. My eyes, mind and voice were completely out of sync with each other.
There was silence for about a minute while we absorbed what we had just seen. Then everyone started talking at once. Scatter cleaned her kitten and we made a place for her and her kitten in an old box. Scatter never liked that box and moved her kitten under Lisa's bed. Two days later Poof had kittens in an open drawer in Lisa's bedroom. I think Poof had four kittens. That made 7 cats in a small house. As soon as the kittens were weaned, they had to go to other homes.
Easier said than done. Giving kittens away was about like trying to talk someone into a free finger amputation. We found homes for a few kittens and took the rest to Jimmy Gill's. He adored cats, had probably a hundred cats outside and always welcomed more. He fed the cats too. How I will never know, but he did.
When we arrived home, our house suddenly appeared bigger. We could walk without stepping on a cat's tail, or tripping over one of them while they slept in the middle of the floor. Were we sad? Not really, our home had become so chaotic with seven cats, it was nice to have some breathing room. At least until the next morning when I woke up and had my routine going, coffee, a book, my rocking chair and there was no Scatter to share the beginning of the day. Then I missed my cat!
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