Me and Cats

My relationship with cats is quite a story.  I remember that when I was little my sister and I had a cat each.  I think mine was Tinkey and hers was Winkey.  I have no idea how the names were created.  We might have been in primary school.  It was a long time ago.

We lived on Railway Terrace, (at then Ballara Park in Adelaide), and as readers can guess it ran parallel to the train line - the Marino line.  One morning we woke up to discover that one of the cats had been run over - we can only assume by a train.  She had carried home her tail and a leg.  In those days there were no veterinarians to euthanase an animal - and our father had to kill our pet cat with a spade.  He was very depressed about it for a long time afterwards.

When our children were little, we lived in Melbourne, and we had a cat called CFer - C for Cat.  However, she contracted a disease and died.  We've never owned a cat since.

For a long time, I was allergic to cats.  I'd sneeze and my eyes would run if one came near me.  If I went to someone's place and they had a cat, I'd beg them to keep it away from me, but cats love to sit on my lap.  It was a hard life for a while. In 2000 I started drinking Tahitian Noni Juice and my allergies cleared up.  

Really, the only cats I spend time with are ones where I am house sitting.    

Lulu is 17 years old - and I have known her for most of that time.  She was Bill's cat - and he passed some years ago, but Lulu lives on.  She can be a cantankerous cat - and is known to swipe with a paw with claws outstretched.  She is deaf and blind and these days swipes when taken by surprise.  

So far I have missed a swipe this time.  She is very demanding.

She has rather wonderfully coloured fur - with black, grey, white and ginger. 

It was not easy to take a photo of her, but I managed a couple.  She refused to sit still, except with her back to me.  It was meal time and she was more interest in getting me to fill her dinner bowl.  For a cat that does nothing but sleep all day, she's got a big appetite.



At night she comes in and massages me!!  It's quite funny.  And she won't settle and sleep (on my lap) until she is satisfied that I have been pushed all over. 


I do like cats.  



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