Cruiser the Cat

Cruiser the Cat Part 6

I’m not sure exactly when the campaign began, but sometime a few weeks ago I realized that Sue was serious. I thought she was teasing a little when she said that Cruiser, our cat, ought to have a companion. I thought that I was a good companion for Cruiser. When I got up in the morning, Cruiser and I were close friends as he led me straight to the kitchen where his food dish was located. He paraded in front of my computer as I tried to read my email, letting me know he wanted to be petted. And he would often trot over to me when called and coaxed. We were buddies.

But Sue persisted and informed me that the Humane Society in Brooksville had the perfect cat for Cruiser’s companion. It was female, spayed, declawed, treated for most cat disorders, and only four years old. It had been brought to the society because it had been abused by other cats, according to the narrative on the website. She did add that the picture on her computer showed a large, friendly type cat, with an ugly face. She felt sorry for it. I didn’t think I wanted an ugly cat. What if Cruiser thought it was ugly? He has standards, you know.

Well, I finally gave in and we drove to the Humane Society to look at this ugly, female cat. There she was, lying all by herself at the back of her cage. Her face was hidden behind her paws as she slept. And no matter how we tried to coax her, she just stayed there, making no effort to respond. Not a very good beginning to a warm relationship. We had time to look around at the other cats the society had gathered so we roamed the room, pausing to scratch a few felines, both young and old. The young lady from the society guided us to a nice black cat that she said had been left there only three weeks before.

Now, you have to understand that “used cats” have a story just like “used cars”. This “used cat” saleslady told us in confidence that the cat had been owned by an elderly couple. The husband had passed away, and the widow had decided she had to move back north, and was getting too old to be able to take care of the cat. Sue bought the story, hook, line, and sinker. And I thought, oh, yeah, and the old lady only took the cat to and from church on Sunday. As Sue held the cat, she was thrilled how it purred in her arms and liked to be petted. Oh, she was getting real hooked.

Then we heard the rest of the story. The cat was male, declawed, and neutered. So far so good. The cat was one of a pair that had lived together for years. The other one, also male, declawed, etc, was white and 10 years old. And Sue’s black pick was 12 years old. Just what Cruiser needed for companions, two Senior Citizen cats. And I said, “NO, NO, NO!” to three cats. Sue agreed about not having three cats, but insisted that this black cat would be an ideal companion for Cruiser. It was, she insisted, in excellent shape for an older cat. “Yeah,” I said, “He may be in good shape but is he retired and living on Social Security? Does he have Medicare?”

Sue did not think that was very funny.

Truthfully, the cat did look pretty good for an old-timer. The ears, skin, and fur were clean, the eyes were clear, there were no signs of fleas. This cat needed a good home. Most people would not be interested in adopting an old cat. So, we finally decided to adopt this black cat and before long we were driving home with a little old black cat that would soon be introduced to Cruiser as his playmate.

That is how we became a multicat family.

What did we name the cat? How did the cats react to each other? I know the suspense is killing you but you’ll just have to wait for the next story to find out.

Cruiser the Cat

Cruiser The Cat Part 5

I’m not the boss. And like Bill Cosby, I don’t think I was ever the boss. But with Cruiser now a part of the family I know who is really the boss. “Don’t sit there, it’s the cat’s chair,” said Sue. And I replied, “Don’t move too quickly, you’ll spook the cat.” How did we lose control? And whose house is this, anyway?

Cruiser has become very curious about every little thing in the house. He climbs over, under, and around every object. When we are watching television, Cruiser has to prowl around it, sniff at it, and distract us from the TV show. When we go to our computers, he has to investigate the desk and every article on it. This delays our email or instant message operation. When Sue says its time for dinner, she means it’s time to get out the cat food.

Sue used to get up in the morning, put on slippers and brush her teeth. Now she gets up, looks for the cat and changes the litter box. And the worst part of it all is that the cat doesn’t have to do a thing to enforce his authority. Cruiser has the run of the house, his every mood is catered to, and the litter box, food and water are always ready and waiting.

Lions may be kings of the jungle, but Cruiser has become the lord and master of all he surveys, the Royal Monarch of the house. I told Sue just yesterday, “I think we’ve become just a little too familiar with the cat when we call him Cruiser. Perhaps we should just address him as Your Majesty.”

Cruiser has assumed his throne on the predominate chair in the living room, sitting upright with an air of ownership. We’ve lost the use of that chair. Sue used to read her books there but now it belongs to the boss. And he likes to brush up against our leg alerting us that it is time to pay homage to the king with a mandatory pat on the back.

And what gets me is that he wants to smell your hand first to see if you’ve been petting some other animal, or perhaps he wants to see if you’ve washed your hands. When he approaches I know it’s time to pay attention to him. He arches his back to alert us that he is ready to receive a royal pat. The odd part is that he turns his rear end around and faces away from us during this back arching. Frankly, that’s not his best side, I’d rather eye him face-to-face, but we don’t correct him, we just go ahead and pat him.

Cruiser had been introduced to every room in the house and then we opened a door to the patio and let him explore the Great Outdoors. He took the grand tour outside and after being satisfied that it was a safe place to roam, he returned to the warmer interior of his castle.

The grandkid’s room with its four bunk beds was especially appealing as Cruiser explored under the beds and then climbed the ladder to the upper bunks. There, he could survey the world below. He loved the little tent we had installed on the top bunk for the kids to crawl through or sleep in, which was called a tree house. But once up there, how was he going to get down? Cats don’t climb down ladders, only up. We tried to coax him into our arms but our mighty monarch was going to get down all by himself. Finally, with one great leap he propelled himself out into space and landed adroitly on all fours.

We were quite relieved at the safe landing of our cat, and he paraded proudly past us as we knelt in homage and chanted, “All hail Cruiser!”

Cruiser the Cat

Cruiser the Cat Part 4

Cats can be curious, aloof, skittish, playful, but most of all, be whatever pleases them at the time. We were in bed settled down for the evening, waiting for the weather report on television before going to sleep. Cruiser had settled into his favorite spot at the foot of the bed. And then Cruiser discovered the cord from the light and ceiling fan just above the bed. There was this neat little plastic object at the end of the cord, and it dangled just a few feet above the bed. Cruiser eyed this object for awhile and then rose up on its hind feet and swatted it.

That started it. The object swung to and fro and Cruiser followed with swats from one paw, then the other paw, and then both paws. We watched this entertainment with awe at the cat’s agility and some occasional laughs at the antics. I thought how we had purchased cloth and plastic mice, colorful bouncing balls, and jingling toys, but none had appealed to Cruiser like this bouncing, swinging plastic object. Finally, Cruiser tired of the game and settled down. And then Sue asked, “What did the weather report say?”

“Are you kidding?” I replied. “What weather report? The TV news is over.”

Sue is very considerate of the cat lying at her feet. When she has to get up to make her nightly visit to the bathroom, she checks out to see where the cat is, and then slowly and carefully moves her feet to the side of the bed so she won’t disturb Cruiser. Then she removes the covers and silently pads into the bathroom. And she is just as careful when she returns, slowly moving the covers, and lifting her feet into bed. As Sue continues her efforts to prevent disturbing the cat, Cruiser is watching. When Sue is finished and snuggled back in bed, Cruiser pops up and bounces off the bed to check out his litter box. So much for not disturbing the cat.

I thought that cats paid no attention to television or other such objects, but Cruiser could easily become a computer freak or an avid TV viewer. He likes to jump up on Sue’s computer desk and watch as Sue writes some letters on the screen and moves the cursor around. Cruiser has even taken to swatting at the screen as something moves about. You might think that the cat would be interested in the little object called the mouse. You can call that little thing used to manipulate the cursor anything you want, but to the cat, it is definitely not a mouse. What moves on the screen is a lot more interesting. I think the cat theory is…..if it moves, swat it.

Animal programs on television get the most attention from Cruiser. Elephants, alligators, and zebras don’t mean much to him, but lions, tigers, and bears seem to interest him. Birds and running mice really fascinate him. Just in case you think the recent addition of Cruiser to our home has changed our life, we still maintain a pretty good schedule of activities. We hurry to go shopping for kitty litter, pick up cat food and all sorts of cat treats, drive to the doctor so the cat can get a shot, and next week we are going out to find the DVD of the movie “The Lion King” so Cruiser can watch it. Our social life may have suffered a little lately
with all the time we spend shopping for Cruiser’s benefit, but we seem to be getting a lot more exercise doing it. So, thanks to Cruiser for keeping us healthy

Cruiser gets some exercise in the next episode of Cruiser the Cat.

Cruiser the Cat

Cruiser the Cat Part 3

Now that Cruiser is an accepted part of the family, I have to say that I’m glad we got a cat and not a dog, or a horse, or, Lord help us, a little bundle of joy. We couldn’t have afforded anything else. Sue had to shop at three stores for kitty litter, litter boxes, bags of food and kitty candy, plus brushes, toys of all kinds and catnip. The final price came to three figures. I’m sure the sales people thought we were raising an army of cats.

I understand all the food and litter material. All the grooming supplies are useful I suppose. And toys are nice. But I’m not so sure about catnip. How Cruiser cavorted when Sue gave it a little catnip has me worried. I think that stuff is kitty cat marijuana! And isn’t that stuff illegal? If we get nabbed for drug smuggling, blame it on the cat.

The midnight excursions of Cruiser are something else. We closed the bedroom door so he can get used to staying with us at night. His excursions are limited to the bedroom and the adjoining bathroom. But he makes the most of that limited space. First it’s a tour around and under the bed, a journey behind the verticals, under the bureau, and then a leap onto the bed. Cruiser then jumps heavily on two bodies as he leaps his way across the bed and seeks out the night stand. And then it is time to play with the cords for the venetian blinds.

This little maneuver has awakened both Sue and me from the five minutes of sleep we were able to manage since his previous tour. Sue explained to me that cats are nocturnal animals. No kidding!! Cruiser was chugging around the room like a runaway diesel train. But, after awhile, Cruiser decided to give us a break and he settled down at the foot of the bed on Sue’s side. Sue also told me that cats have terrific night vision. Well, so do I after watching the cat circling the room for an hour.

Peace, quiet, and a respite from intense activity have finally descended upon this scene of a family seeking a little sleep time, and that includes Sue, me, and the cat. Until…oh yeah…there’s an until coming…until I have to get up and go to the bathroom. And that’s going to happen about twice a night. “Don’t scare the cat when you have to get up,” warned Sue. The moment I pull the covers off and try to step on the floor, I’ve scared the cat. And when I come back to bed there are two eyes peering out at me from under the bed. And that’s just Sue.

No, I’m kidding. It’s really the cat. But now Cruiser has an excuse to hop around the room again until he decides to settle down at the foot of the bed. I’m not going to complain. I understand what Sue means about cats being nocturnal, that they are easily scared, take a little while to get used to their environment, and need their own space.

But I need more than an hour and a half sleep each night. If I can’t get more sleep at night I might just as well get up, smoke some catnip, and have a blast!

And then I’ll write the next episode of Cruiser the Cat.

Cruiser the Cat

Cruiser the Cat Part 2

Cruiser, our male cat, was introduced to our house about four in the afternoon. Nice day, plenty of sunshine. And the house was warm and cozy. But that apparently did not impress Cruiser as he touched the floor and looked around with fright. And fright soon turned into flight. Cruiser promptly disappeared under a couch and there was no way he was going to be coaxed out. We tried tasty cat bits, water, bouncing balls, crumpled paper, yarn, and even play toys like cloth mice. Nothing worked.

We finally tipped the couch and Sue picked him up and cradled Cruiser gently in her arms. Sue sat on the couch and cuddled the cat with a blanket and the cat dove deep under the blanket where we could see only some whiskers and two eyes peering out. Well, this is somewhat normal for a cat that has been brought into a strange environment by two strange people. That’s not to say that Sue and I are strange people. A little crazy maybe. But I guess we were strange and new to this cat.

Whenever we retrieved Cruiser from beneath a chair, couch, bed, or whatever, we tried to be loving parents and we petted and brushed Cruiser quite gently. He did manage to do a little exploring and found that he could hide most anywhere, preferring beds and couches but also hiding behind the verticals. Of course, this was a little disconcerting to us so we reviewed the contract for the cat and it gave us five days to determine if we wanted to keep or exchange the cat.

On the plus side, Cruiser made no noise, did not scratch anything, and did seem to like the petting and brushing. On the minus side, it was getting tough to see the cat while bending over and looking under beds and couches. At this point Sue was referring to the cat as “she” while I used “it”.

The second night we brought “it “ into our bedroom with a cat litter box, food and water, then closed the door. We retired to bed and waited. Within an hour the cat emerged from his underground hideout and actually came up on the bed and began to explore the bed, the night stands, the dressers, the drapes, and all things it could either crawl under, prowl over, or sniff. And then a miracle occurred. He settled down at the bottom of the bed and rested there for most of the night.

The next morning the cat joined us for breakfast until he heard a doorbell, noticed that the door to the bedroom was open, and quickly bolted to the bedroom and disappeared into the depths of the underside of the bed. And he remained there for hours. Nothing coaxed him out. We reviewed the contract again to be sure the option to return him was still in effect.

It was early evening when I was on my way into the bedroom to fetch something and I saw this apparition peering at me from our bedroom doorway. It was Cruiser, sitting at the door, awaiting our return to the bedroom for a good night’s sleep. And he joined us once again at the foot of the bed for the night. Sue and I no longer call the cat “she” or “it”. The cat is now called “Cruiser”. He has earned the right to be referred to by his proper name. And we no longer review the return option in the contract. For better or for worse, Cruiser is ours to keep.

And this is just the beginning of the story of Cruiser the Cat

Cruiser the Cat

Cruiser the Cat Part 1

It was inevitable that after two and a half years together that Sue
would become expectant. Yes, Sue expected to get another cat to
replace the petite Miss Priss that she had loved for years. A slight,
shy, gray striped female cat, Miss Priss was still a warm and fond
memory to Sue.

It would take an extraordinary cat to replace Miss Priss, so Sue
thought about it for a long time before deciding to get another. This
one, however, would be a little different. Male, declawed, neutered,
larger, but just as friendly and playful. So one day Sue made a
decision and said to me, “We’re going to have a little one.”

And I was thrilled to think that soon we would hear the pitter patter
of little feet. The search began almost immediately as Sue went to
her computer and began to ask Google for sites on the web that
advertised cats for adoption, such as the Humane Society and the
local SPCA. In no time she found a gray cat at the Humane Society
that seemed to match her desires. It was named simply “Kit”. That
would have to change to something more in line with our interests and
lifestyle.

We set off in our little PT Cruiser and found the Humane Society on
the outskirts of Brooksville, Florida, One of the buildings was
appropriately named the Cat House. There must have been two dozen or
more cats of various sizes, ages, and colors nestled in cages in one room. There were grays and whites and blacks, kittens and mature cats, active and sleepy ones. Kit was lying peacefully in a cage as we entered with a smokey white one caged below. The white one, younger and smaller, reached a paw out and seemed to say that she ought to be the chosen one, look how playful I am.

We looked at them all as they responded to our fingers through the
cage bars. Two young black ones were particularly appealing and
friendly as they pawed playfully with our finger. Others just nuzzled
the bars out of curiosity. Kit ambled over to the side of the cage
and smelled our fingers, seemed to accept them, and then stared
wistfully at us. For Sue it was love at first sight. Within a half
hour we had made all arrangements, placed Kit in a cat carrier, and
prepared to take Kit home in our PT Cruiser.

The ride was fine. The cat seemed content as Sue stroked him and
cooed at him. Indeed, the cat even seemed to enjoy the ride. We
discussed a new name for the cat, and in his docile state, my first
suggestion was calling him Felix, The Comic Cat. Sue rejected that.
Next I volunteered Bruiser, The Attack Cat. Sue rejected that also.
And then by inspiration I called out PT Cruiser, The Cat That Likes
to Ride. And believe it or not, Sue liked the name of Cruiser. And
that’s how Kit the cat became Cruiser the Cat.

And we will continue our saga of Cruiser in another installment, for
there is much to tell of our experiences in “Cruiser the Cat.”