The Family Cat: This Author's (Other) Companion

A while back I wrote a blog about my dog Bo Jackson. In ending, I promised my readers that I was a cat lover too and that there would eventually be a post about my cat. Today, October 29 is National Cat Day so I thought it best to introduce you to this family’s other four-legged friend.

This is Walter Payton.

Let me begin with this. I’m convinced cats pretty much run the show. My cat, Payton has never chased a ball or retrieved anything. However, somehow I find myself on my hands and knees retrieving his toys from under the china cabinet, from under the couch, and from under the oven, which takes more effort as I have to use the fly swatter to blindly search under the appliance hoping to eject it. All the while, Payton is watching and waiting and if I don’t produce in a timely matter, he finds something better to do, like his daily grooming or an afternoon nap.

Payton also claims a spot on my shoulder each evening demanding a neck massage. It doesn’t matter to him that I can’t see the TV from over his head or if I get a few cat hairs in my eyes and mouth. As long as he’s happy then all is good. When it’s time to eat, he’s at my ankles, intertwined in my movements, tripping me up until I stumble to the cabinet to get his favorite gourmet chicken stew.

However, retrieving a squeaky toy or pulling a cat hair off my tongue is a small cost for loving the family cat. I’d miss the little guy if he weren’t around. Though it does seem like cats can be quite aloof, I’ve noticed that Payton can be just as compassionate as Bo. Cats might be notorious for demanding attention, but these furry friends can be our companions too. When I’m at my desk writing, Payton quietly nestles himself beside my computer before I notice he is there. Yes, it could be the warmth of the desk lamp that has summoned him, but I like to think that he’s there because I am there.

As mentioned in an earlier post, I completely understand why authors write about their pets. We are entertained by our four-legged friends. We may remember great dog stories like Ribsy, Winn-Dixie, Marly, and Lassie. Though seemingly fewer, there are cats intertwined into storylines that are worth an honorable mention.

We have Cheshire Cat in Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland. Crookshanks, Hermione’s cat in the third Harry Potter book. Cat in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. There is Pete the Cat, The Cat in the Hat, Charlie Anderson, the cat with two names and two homes, and Beverly Cleary’s Socks.

One thing is for sure. Animals have a special place in our heart and in our home.