Cats!

Some people just don't like cats. I'm not one of them.

I got thinking about this when I went on a hike up the ridge behind our house. Jake, our dog, was with me and so was Majik (Krista's cat).

My grandmother, Nanny, loved her cats. She had Whiskers, Mitchell, Truman and more. Each had their own special personality and story. When Whiskers arrived, it just so happened that my brother had shaved his face and cut his long hair ... so Whiskers got his name. Of the three cats, Whiskers seemed to rule the roost. He was direct and dominant. If he wanted petting, he came over and you had better pet him or get a tiny scratch for your lack of attention. Truman, was ... well, Truman was cool. He was the jazz player going along to his own tune while still in harmony with the rest of the band. Mitchell, though the biggest cat, was afraid of everything. Mitchell's fur was so thick that you could have made a wig out of one brushing!

Growing up, my sister had a cat named Binky. I don't remember much about her except that she caught a rabbit bigger than herself and dragged it home .... still alive. She had 3 kittens who got the names: Winkin, Blinkin, and Nod. Blinkin and Nod found new homes and we ended up keeping Winkin. Winkin was probably the meanest cat I'd ever encountered and only had a soft spot for Dad. I can imagine that her growing up with us kids made a deep imprint on her personality!

For Kathy and I, we've had our share of cats, too. We started out with Oscar and Felix thus named because of how opposite they were. Oscar was relaxed, handsome and athletic while Felix was particular, peculiar, and a bit clumsy. In those days, Kathy slept on a fold-up couch in a studio apartment. Coming home from work, she wondered where Felix was. She called and called but heard nothing. Finally, she heard a muffled meow from inside the couch. When Kathy left for work, she made the bed and folded it up, the cat remained in the couch ... all day!

Eventually, we had a cat named Penny. She was our first calico cat with browns, white and black colors. She and Benji lived with us in Somerville, MA. I sat on the stoop of our Cameron Ave. apartment and watched as a large Great Dane came up the street. He walked slowly, obviously headed someplace, but alone and without a leash. Penny, a petite cat lay on the sidewalk. Benjie, the biggest cat I've ever seen ran around the back. Cameron Ave. is a wide street. It has room for parking cars on both sides and cars moving in both directions. It is also not a side street. It is one of the main cut-thrus between Mass Ave. and Davis Square. The dog lumbered along, looked up at Penny and she looked at him. She did not get up ... just a head lift. He crossed the street, walked up passed her and then crossed back. Penny put her head back down and fell asleep in the sun. I wondered if they had had a prior encounter of if the dog knew about cats that just don't move from the sidewalk!

Callie was also a Calico cat. She enriched our lives in Bellingham, MA and in Oak Hill, VA. As a youngster, she occasionally caught other animals. Tucker was young and one spring morning, Callie proudly brought a dead mouse to our back door. Tucker saw it and I wasn't sure how he would react. Would he be scarred for life? I used to worry about these things as if I had some sort of control over how the kids would turn out. Ha! You only think you have control! Anyway, we made a game of it and I suggested that Tucker count the things that Callie caught thinking that she might catch 3 or 4 over the summer. It was as if Callie heard me. The challenge was on! 45 dead and not so dead animals later, the summer was finally over and Tucker stopped counting them. Callie caught everything including mice, chipmonks, birds, and even squirrels.

Then there is Majik. She is another breed of creature. Her legend is one of grace, beauty, and sleek athleticism. Although when she is with Krista, she seems to get clumsy! We were looking for a dog and got Dusty, Majik came along with the deal. We were told that she was 6 weeks old and male. A trip to the Vet showed that she was 6 months old and female. She was very small for her age. She came along with the dog and was brought up by Krista. Krista cuddled her, hugged her, and squeezed her and sometimes I feared for the animal's life! Just one of too many times that I have been wrong because a bond was created there that never fails to impress me.

Majik grew up with Jake and Dusty. She would run by the dogs, swat one or the other and they would begin a chase. Generally, Jake would chase Majik and Dusty would chase Jake. After a short while, Majik would jump up on the couch and watch as Jake kept running and Dusty kept chasing. Sometimes, if they slowed down, she would jump back into the fray and get them running again. If the dogs were running around the house barking and chasing each other, you knew that the black cat asleep on top of the couch probably started the ruckus.

Much like Penny, Majik is not one to back down to a dog ... no matter the size. There are many stories of her encounters with dogs. She used to like to go along when Kathy would walk our dogs around our neighborhood in Oak Hill. As the dogs were on the sidewalk, Majik was often walking through the neighbor's front yards. Kathy met a gentleman with a Pointer dog. After the dogs sniffed each other, the Pointer noticed Majik and approached. "You might not want to do that," cautioned Kathy. The man's response still makes me chuckle about misplaced assumptions. "Oh, don't worry! My dog won't hurt your cat."

Kathy responded that she wasn't worried about the cat but by then it was too late. It wasn't a flurry of activity or even fur flying. It was a well placed swipe of the poor Pointer's nose that caused him to run back to his owner with a yelp. Majik sat there and calmly licked her paw.

Majik is a rare cat that when Krista calls her, she comes. Sometimes she even comes when I call her ... sometimes.

So as I headed out of the back yard, I expected her to turn and go back to the house. Up the hill we went through the "pine grove" and out onto the plateau. Majik stayed with Jake and I. Jake's cataract continues to give him depth perception issues and at one point, Majik was actually there helping him climb over the hills and rocks. I was further amazed as we climbed up to the top of the rock overlooking all of Hawaii Kai. She came right along! She sat there looking out over the water, the mountains and the clouds.

It made me wonder what she was looking at ... what she was thinking.

As we headed home, once again, she became Jake's seeing-eye-cat. She led the way and he followed her.

She is a great cat but she is more than that. She is our companion, our friend, and our confidant. She is always there when we need her most. She is a character in our lives who just make this journey so rich, so full, and so worth living.

Enjoy the characters in your life!

with love ... Johnnie-jack

Pictures below!

We head up the ridge ...

Her soft black coat is always clean ...

She stays close to Jake so he can get up the trail ...

Leading Jake

her domain?

Calm in her surroundings ...

Majik at the top!