The Sad Tale Of Stripey

So Jonah's mother had this cat named Stripey.  Unlike Jonah and I, who consider our cats like children, to her Stripey was just a cat.

We found out a few days ago that she took Stripey to the shelter.

It made me so sad.  If we didn't already have three cats to care for and if we didn't think Stripey wouldn't have adapted well to her new living environment with us, we would have gone there and adopted her. 

I really liked that cat.  And I understand that with Jonah's dad having passed away, perhaps it's harder for Jonah's mom to care for Stripey in addition to the two dogs she already has (which were Jonah's dad's), but it was the matter-of-factness with which she was given away that upset me.  There was no remorse or sorrow.  She was just an animal.  But to me, who gets very attached to animals, it was like she had just given away her daughter.  Anyway, the whole thing was upsetting to me.  I wish we could take her on ourselves, but she's a wild cat, and ours are more domesticated.  Besides, three cats is already a lot.  Anyway, I'm just sad about it.

Not Stripey

The Gift Of Cat Urine

I've mentioned before that Jonah and I own three cats.  I love them all, but the oldest, Trooper, seems to have a special affection for me.  She adores me, and I really love her a lot, too.  She generally sleeps right next to me at night, and she's always wanting to cuddle and for me to rub her tummy.

There is a rather disgusting, chewed up, slobbered-over toy that the cats love.  We call it the "Purple Baby."  I often find the "Purple Baby" on my side of the bed.  I know the cats put it there to express their love, and even though it's kind of gross-looking now, I genuinely am touched when I find it.  It is definitely the most well-traveled toy in the house.

Trooper has been especially affectionate lately.  Yesterday when I was petting her, she wasn't just being her regular purring self: she would playfully "attack" my hand with her head and lick it (Trooper isn't typically a licker, so when she does it, I know she is expressing love and gratitude).  I swear when I looked in her eyes I could feel some sort of telepathic bond where I really felt she was saying, "I love you.  I really love you."  Maybe that sounds weird, but I really felt it.

This morning I was half awake and felt Trooper grooming me.  She was licking and cleaning my hair.  She does this every once in a while, and even though it's the same tongue she uses to drink out of the toilet bowl and lick her butt, I am strangely flattered.

Shortly after this, I heard her scratching in a place that wasn't a litter box.  This is never a good sign.  It means she is either about to pee or that she already has.  The place she happened to be scratching around was on the floor where I put my jeans and shoes.  It's where I always put them and she has never peed on them.  Jonah's clothes, yes.  Mine, never.

Until today.

My jeans were wet and there was a puddle of urine in my shoe.  The same shoe where I put my watch and wedding ring.

Grrr!

I was upset.  There is a perfectly good litter box less than 15 feet away.  Why did she have to pee in my shoe?

The more I thought about it, the less upset I became.  Cats often pee to mark their territory, to claim ownership, and I actually believe that in her own way, Trooper was telling me that I belong to her, that I am hers, and the pee was simply her way of making sure I knew that.  I do not feel it was malicious, and even think she felt bad that I didn't immediately understand her intentions.

Of course this didn't change the fact that there was still cat pee in my shoe and on my jeans.  The good thing was that it was fresh, and we were able to wash them before the urine soaked in.  But this also means I can't put my shoes and jeans on the floor anymore.  Once a cat marks its territory, it thinks it's okay to keep peeing there, and that is not acceptable.

Hopefully we have got the smell out.  The shoes are fairly new, so I'm not too excited about having to possibly get rid of them.

I'm glad my cat loves me; I just wish she would other ways of showing it.