Leslie J. King

http://www.lesliejking.com

 

 

Family

 

"SINK - Single woman with no kids! Not exactly."

 

EBONY March 4, 1982-September 30, 2005

Ebony was actually my brother’s cat when he was younger. He was purchased from the Cleveland Animal Shelter and from the start, we knew that he was special. He would come when called (at least when I called him) and would do tricks on occasion. He was pretty active as he liked to be outside during the day. Of course, he didn't stay outside as he wanted in and out privileges. My brother used to throw him out whenever he misbehaved, but he always managed to get back in and never ran away like our other cats did. He was here to stay! He was a typical cat where he would bring the occasional "gift" in the house, which was usually a small mouse, to show his love -- much to my mother's chagrin. He didn't mind adults too much, but couldn't stand children as he would take off running and hide until they were gone. His favorite time of year was Christmas as he would allow us to tie a bow around his neck and he would look at the lights and sleep under the Christmas tree among the presents. Occasionally, he would try to swat an ornament (or two) before he was caught. He actually had the nerve to be sad when we took the tree down and would stare at the spot where the Christmas tree was for days.

He was very attached to my mother as he knew that she was his "mom" too. She would be the only one he would try to trip when she came downstairs in the morning. He had a unique talent of always knowing where my mother was when he wanted to come in. First, he would bang his head against the back door, then he came to the front, and when all else failed, he would climb the tree to get to her bedroom window. She would fuss at him because she had to open the window to let him in and he would just meow and jump through the window and go downstairs like it was nothing. When she was in the hospital and returned a week later, she called me because he kept following her around the house. I told her that he missed her very much and was depressed. It was the house rule that the first person awake in the morning had to go feed the cat. If Ebony arrived in the evening and you were sitting in the family room, the first person to get up after he stared you down had to go feed him.

Ebony had his share of illnesses -- he managed to get addicted to milk and we had to wean him off of it like a junkie. Whenever he drank it, he got very hyper and ran around the house. A couple of times, he got a blocked bladder, which was very painful for him. He even survived a bout with feline pancreatitis. As he aged, it was getting hard for him to move around and he slept a great deal. It was decided that he should be put down as his quality of life was diminishing. He went to sleep in my brother's arms and was cremated. His ashes are buried in my mother's backyard in the spot where he liked to lay in the sun. He was 23.5 years old and lived a long life for a cat.

 

KAE aka "Miss K" or "Girl"

Kae is female. She "walked" into my life (literally) in August 2006.

She was so small and was about to be attacked by the neighbor's dog when I called her over. She was a little thin, so I decided to feed her some turkey as she hid under my car. When I went back outside, I didn't see her, so I went back inside. When I went to close the door, I felt something blocking the door. I opened the door and looked down. She ran down the basement, sat down and looked up at me practically begging me to take her in. How could I resist those large sad eyes? Oh well, I went to the store to get supplies since I had never owned a pet before and she's been with me ever since.

She's somewhat moody, but will answer me and come when called 95% of the time. She loves to eat and doesn't mind being petted, but doesn't like her belly rubbed. She took over one of the bedrooms and is an early riser ... 4 am. She's a very quiet cat; so quiet, I hardly know she's around but I definitely hear her around dinner time and when Mikey's bothering her. She poses for pictures and doesn't mind the camera. She and her "brother" take turns waking me up in the morning. She will either sit on my shoulder and purr (she is a heavy cat) or she finds a piece of paper or something plastic and will rattle that until I hear it. If I'm not up fast enough, she will jump on the bed and start digging at the covers until I get up. When I used to have a waterbed, the digging got faster with every attempt to wake me up. She would get the bed really moving. At times, she is overshadowed by her "brother", but is patient and manages to get attention from me in her own quiet and understated way.

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MIKEY aka "Dog" or "Dude"

Since I'm on the go frequently and didn't want Kae to be lonely, I adopted Mikey from the Petguards Animal Shelter on a rainy October night in 2006.

While at the shelter, he followed me with his eyes and was quiet. I held him and he actually purred. I brought him home, and of course, Kae didn't like it. It was touch and go for a few days as she struggled with sharing her space with him, but eventually, she got over it and now tolerates him. He's the more active of the two as he loves to run around. He plays fetch on occasion and will bring me his toy when he wants to play. He has a routine where he likes to be groomed before he eats and likes "gravy" in his food. He sleeps with me at night and has a tendency to hog the bed.

Sometimes, he acts more like a dog than a cat and is somewhat demanding. If I'm not moving fast enough, he'll either yell at me or will come and stare me down until I follow him. He can’t stand for me to be on the phone for long periods of time - starts to meow loudly and taps my arm when he wants my attention. To wake me up in the morning, he first taps me awake, but if I'm not up fast enough, he will walk back and forth across my body until I get out of bed. He doesn't like the camera very much and will either walk away or turn his head at the last minute. It’s all about him -- what a divo!

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