Charlyn’s Web

I went out to call the men folk in to dinner one night and as I was standing on the porch, I thought I heard something, something not like a chicken or a bird but more like a kitten, yelling.  I noticed The Boy heading off in the direction of the sound so I figured they had it covered.

They came in a bit later and Col. Panic looked at me with a funny look.  In code, so as to not alert the girls, we discussed what they had found.  A little kitten.  The kitten appeared friendly and came out to them.

Now a word of explanation.  Col. Panic has my mother and others convinced he hates cats.  Although not totally true, they are not on the top of his favorite animal list.  In fact, I don’t think they even make the favorite animal list.  They would more likely make the top of the Least Favorite Animal List.   The last cat we had we took in as a favor for a neighbor.  He was old when we got him, who was to know he would live so long to torture us?  Actually, he and I got along fairly well but he drove The Col. nuts because he was loud and jumpy.  He finally died and that was the end of the cat era in our household.  I figured it would last until one of the girls looked at him with big eyes and said “Please, Papa!”  He would grumble at that suggestion saying that they had better be old enough to take care of it themselves.

So here we were talking in code about an apparently abandoned little kitten.  The kitten had already made points by being friendly.  We knew if we left him out there he would end up as coyote bait.  After dinner we all went trumping out to the weeds- it was easy to find him as he was still yelling, maybe calling for his Mom?  The girls, predictably, loved him.

So now I would like to introduce to you our new family member- Tuxedo.

We decided that Tuxedo was a better name than Coyote Bait.  Although that is his middle name.  His little eyes were blue when we first found him but have changed to yellow now.

Tux lets himself be wrapped up in a blanket and carted around- he is actually asleep in that picture with Pixie.  He will just lay down where ever he is and go to sleep- even on the floor with tons of kids playing around him.  The girls think they need to carry him over to his food and water even though I tell them he is perfectly capable of getting there himself.   He will let them know when he has had enough with a meow or sometimes more if they aren’t listening.  He loves to play- the rat he is wrestling was slightly larger than he was when we first brought it home for him.  He loves to wrestle with it.  He will play with anything- potatoes, corn husks, plastic eggs, crayons- just about anything lying around on the floor.

Tuxedo figured out what the litter box was for right away and has not had an accident.  However, he doesn’t seem to realize that the great outdoors is perfectly good for that also.  He’s been known to run into the house straight to his box.  I’m wondering how we are going to teach that one.

So The Col. has allowed another cat into the family.  Shhh!  Don’t tell, but he’s really a softy.