Ode to a Cat and to Old Age
Yesterday’s solemn remembrance of 9/11 must be followed by something more whimsical, yet that whimsy turns to reflection that my life might be following the same trajectory as my cat’s. I hope that others will treat me better when I’m old and frail than I’ve been treating her. First, the whimsical poem:
My sweet little Trixie cat pops her head up to see what I'm doing on the sofa / Photo by Deborah Lynch
Curiosity Nourishes the Cat
Deborah Everitt Lynch
As she often does these days,my 15-year-old black cat slips into the bathroom beforeI can pull the pocket door fully closed.She follows me becausein the cold of the winter she warms herselfon the heated concrete tile floors;More importantly,she wants to watch while I shower, soshe can follow the water drops running off me.She’s mesmerized by waterbeading and rolling down the walls in Morse code patternsbefore it puddles on the floor. She’s got the curiosity of a kittenwith the focus of a cancer researcheras her eyes follow the water.Earlier in life,she used to push trophy rabbits and birdsthrough the screen door leading to the porch.Now, she prefers the indoors,the shadows and sounds, and movements of dust bunniesblown by heating vents.Occasionally, I can hear hersprinting through the upstairs bedrooms,chasing mice, ghosts – and dreams? Critics and catless people may scoffat her passing in the not-so-distant future,but I shall mourn.This mirror of my midlife spiritwho inspires me – to take solitary spring break adventuresin an aging VW --also reminds me that out-of-shape nudityis not worth a glance when more interesting thingsshould command my gaze.I study the water on the waxed green wallsand see a fresh spring rain drizzling down the windshieldof a Eurovan headed south.
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Trixie suns herself on the back porch while I write my blog / Photo by Deborah Lynch
Fifteen years and three months ago, our family adopted a cat from the Humane Society. We did what experts always say people should not do. We got our 8-year-old a cat for her birthday. This followed failed experiments with rabbits and guinea pigs.She loved the selection process at the local shelter that allowed her to pick a few cats, then try them out in a room where she could play with them. She chose two black sisters, half-grown kittens. One cat chased the string she pulled along and tried to reach for everything. The other was slower and more laidback. She wanted the playful one. Trixie, who did tricks from day one, came home with us.Just as her name later expanded to Fifi Trixibella (or Trix or Bellabella), her repertoire also expanded. She usually came to us on command. She chased strings – and mice and rabbits and anything anyone threw her way. She talked to us and told us when she wanted to go out. When we ignored her, she strode to the door, stretched as tall as she could and moved her paws over the doorknob as if to open it. She looked sadly at us and yelped, “Mee -- owttt.” Let me out?Whenever I told non-cat people these stories, they’d roll their eyes. “It’s a cat,” they’d say with exasperation. Cats can’t do that. Maybe they need to read a new book by John Bradshaw and Sarah Ellis called “The Trainable Cat.” In an interview with Fresh Air today, Ellis says people who are in tune with cats (Arielle, are you reading this? Haha!) can get their cats to come to them on command, wait for breakfast, and even to take medicine. It just takes training, patience, and reward – much like with a dog. She does acknowledge, however, that dogs are more attached to people while cats are more attached to place.
That's that arched black cat back / Photo by Deborah Lynch
Trixie, however, is not a typical cat. Trixie comes when my husband whistles loudly or when we call out for her. She’s more personable than most cats and actually wants to be around us. Lately, that means she is often displeased with us.My kids are graduated and gone, and Anna didn’t take her birthday present to her Vermont home. My husband and I are changing our routines, too. We split our weeks between two homes located two hours apart. What was I going to do with our aging 15-year-old cat who’s now on meds for hyper thyroid? My husband said we should get a carrier and transport her back and forth with us each week.After several trips to visit grandparents, I didn’t relish the idea of twice weekly two-hour car rides with Trixie. She’s vocal with loud, long drawn-out “meeeeeee-owwwwwwwws.” She throws up. It’s gross. He claimed that was because I had let her roam the car freely rather than putting her in a carrier. Maybe. I still didn’t want to test this long-distance relationship.I had another good reason not to move her with us. According to Ellis, cats are more attached to place than to people, and moving them out of a physical environment can take away a cat’s sense of safety and security. We couldn’t do that to Trixie, could we? What could we do?Our first week in the new condo, we had a friend’s son come by each day to feed Trixie and give her meds. At the condo that week, we got a letter from the association saying that someone had been spied leaving the building with a large dog. It was a reminder that no pets were allowed in the building. Out went that possible solution. I can’t say I wasn’t relieved.
Tribe claims all the turf
Our friend’s son Nick has become Trixie’s human companion for half of each week now. He comes over after school ends at 3 each day that we are away to feed her and love her a little. Still, the minute she hears the garage door go up on our return, Trixie runs to the door waiting and mewing for us. At first, she yells at us to feed her. She meows constantly until we pay attention. Then, she ignores us. She’s angry that we’ve left her mostly without companionship for four days.It’s a sad, lonely, and expensive end of life. I can’t lie by saying that I don’t contemplate her death every time I clean up the messes that old age, medication, and perhaps disappointment bring. Then, I think about my aging feet, but still good health, and hope that someday when I am Trixie, others will think more kindly of me. Perhaps, I need to continue to re-read my own poem, to revel in her curiosity and especially in her lifetime of atypical social companionship to our family.Come here, Trixie. Let’s brush your fur to a beautiful healthy sheen.
Work Consulted
“Who Says You Can’t Train A Cat? A Book Of Tips for Feline-Human Harmony.” As Heard on Fresh Air – NPR. National Public Radio. 12 Sept. 2016. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2016/09/12/493277364/who-says-you-cant-train-a-cat-a-book-of-tips-for-feline-human-harmony?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20160912