Mitzie

My profile says I have "varied interests" -- yet, it seems all I blog about is the economy, or my anger toward the current regime.

Did I ever mention we have Cats?

Of course we have Cats.

Are you surprised?

Every one has been rescued from a shelter. Every one has had "issues". Every one is happier now than they were when we adopted them. I guess "three hots and a cot" along with feline friends, lots of pettage, and good medical care will do that.

Some are "special needs" cats.

I'll tell you one story.

We saw Mitzie online at the Siamese rescue site. She was from a cattery (I think "kitten mill") in Montreal, Canada. She is a very pretty Black Oriental Shorthair -- her health papers were in french, and she was / is very skittish. In fact she will not allow you to approach her -- look at her and she runs away. It seems she was never socialized. It appears she was kept in a cage, and her only function was to have kittens. I guess her only contact with bipeds were very frightening. She was not feral, she was a prisoner - used to make money for others. She gets along with the other Cats, has close cat friends -- and, after four years seems to understand we will not harm her.

Every so often her need for pettage is so great she wakes one of us up in the middle of the night and DEMANDS to be petted. She hurls her body against you until you respond. Gets petted , scratched, and cuddled until we both fall asleep -- but -- if you sit up in bed -- she's gone.

Mitzie (actual name Mitsuko) walks like a supermodel, is sleek and graceful. Most Cats lie down very gracefully. They seem to flow -- Mitzie plops. It's as if she falls over, yet she does everything else so smoothly. I wonder if it's connected to living in a cage for so long?

She never comes to us, never sat in a lap, never wants our attention.

She does have friends -- at the same time she does not like Lily -- our Senior Lilac Point Siamese who has health issues. It seems that Lily really might have been a cat "supermodel" in her youth. She is still very slender, well formed. Mitz has put on a couple of pounds, and is no longer in "catwalk" shape. They have "issues" with each other. Of late they have avoided contact. That's a good thing.

We think another four or five years and she might just let us touch her. She is getting more accustomed to having us in her home, and we are happy to have given her some stability in her life.

It's a good thing.