Friday, May 3, 2013

SEPIA SATURDAY: BLACK CAT....

I confess: I’m a reformed smoker.
“There’s nothing worse,” people say, “than a reformed smoker.”
I’m not so sure about that. I can think of a lot of things worse than a reformed smoker (a radical anything, for example) but it’s too soon for me to veer off point.
So, back to the beginning: I’m a reformed smoker. The Sepia Saturday photo intrigued me, for I’ve never in my life seen a vending machine that dispenses a lit cigarette – how did they do that, anyway?

I never smoked a Black Cat, but I sure do own one...

This is Howard – Howard Paine Gould, to be formal about it all. I always name my pets after my forebears; Howard is named after a great-uncle of mine, one who thoughtfully left me some money (I figure that anybody who leaves me money deserves the honor of having an animal named for him)! My great-uncle was a bachelor; this Howard is, too, although I suspect for entirely different reasons.
He’s a domestic longhair (maybe a bit of Coon) with absolutely enormous feet, impressive ear tufts and a magnificent ruff. He’s solid black – at night, when his eyes are shut, he’s nearly invisible.
He’s lived with me for nearly twelve years now, providing just enough interaction to provide companionship while maintaining (fiercely) his independence.
He has his own door (one of those nifty pet doors cut into my dining room wall – it opens out to the back porch) so comes and goes whenever he wishes; I secure that door only during blizzards – I don’t want him wandering around when the snowplows are active.
He used to bring wildlife back home through that door, but has calmed down a lot now that he’s older! He used to sort his prey: things that could fly went into the toilet bowl; things that crawled went into the bathtub (from where they could not escape, you see, thus providing hours of entertainment...). I tried everything to curb his enthusiasm: different harnesses and even a bell, but he learned to trap the bell underneath his chin to prevent the noise.

He has several daily chores: he rearranges all the bed pillows every day (I am not questioning motive here), keeps gray squirrels off the back porch, watches my neighbor’s rabbits, helps with the weeding in the flower gardens and warms the east end of the living room couch in the evenings.
And he’s there each and every morning, snoozing on his window seat, waiting for his breakfast.

So there’s my Black Cat, one that’s far better for me than the smoke-able  kind, don’t you think?

To see what other Sepians have to offer, visit http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com



21 comments:

  1. I love Howard. He sounds like a wonderful pet. My cats roam around outside in our grove (it's fenced) but they do bring lizards (minus tails) and snakes onto the patio to show off. I'm going to tell them about Howard's terribly clever sorting method to see if they can learn anything from him. Although, from your description, I'd say he's very unique - one of a kind, smart AND so handsome! The fact he learned to trap the bell under his chin is astounding.

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  2. What a clever twist on the theme. Howard is a very special cat, that's for sure.
    Nancy

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  3. I used to have a black cat named Ebony. She was not as clever as Howard, though. It was a lot more fun reading about Howard than about smoking.
    Barbara

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  4. What a cute putty-tat, well-worth his weight in Friskies.

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  5. Howard sounds like a sweet cat. My older cat now waits quietly for her breakfast, but my younger one drives me crazy in the morning and when he wants to play.

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    1. Helen, Nancy, Barbara, Wendy & Postcardy -- you're all cat lovers, I can tell! Thanks for your comments...

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  6. I'm also a reformed smoker (there must be a lot of us about) but I don't think I bang on about it either.

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    1. Brett: I think the people who find us annoying are usually people who have yet to quit smoking; I don't rant about it, either, but I certainly did when I first quit! You?

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    2. No, I don't think I did then, but I tried very hard not to go places where people were smoking, so as not be tempted.

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  7. I'm not a cat lover but Howard is one black cat that I could take to. So much better than those cigarettes.

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  8. I love how you went to Howard and shared him at his best! A certainly neat guy. Jerry, my hubby, is an ex smoker but still today he never says anything to other smokers and claims it (the smoke) bothers him not.

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  9. I was hoping we might hear about cats not cigarettes, for me much more loveable these days !

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  10. What an adorable cat! I too am a reformed smoker, I grew up in a smoking house, both parents loss their life to it, and so it goes, the evilness of smoking. I enjoyed your post too, as I really didn't promote the smoking in my post either, but more the really awesome and bizarre vending machines that once were!

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  11. Howard's getting an inflated ego due to these nice comments -- I guess I'll have to live with the consequences!
    And, Pat -- tell Jerry that the smell of a freshly lit cigarette still can bring me to my knees...16 years later!

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  12. Well, it is so nice to meet you, Howard! (I name our pets real names too). Someday there will be somebody named Louiza and Talitha (my great-great-grandmothers).

    Sounds like Howard is quite smart, and he sure is handsome.

    I remember cigarette machines into the 80's, in restaurants where I worked. That was before you got fined hugely for selling cigarettes to minors. The machines were kind of "emergency" outlets, due to their high prices.

    Good for you for quitting. I have never smoked. Mom said that after she quit, sometimes after 20 years she would still have dreams about lighting one up.

    Kathy M.

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    1. Oh, I like Louiza and Talitha a lot! GREAT names for pets...I've named them for my grandmothers (Verna and Nina); my grandfather (William W. Howell, M.D. --but I called the dog Will); some oddball great-greats. And I, too, have occasional dreams in which I am smoking...it's very strange!

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  13. Howard sounds like a very intelligent cat. Someone once told me that dogs have owners but cats have servants. Sounds true in your case too.

    We couldn't think of a name for our cat so were calling her Kitty until we could find a name that matched her personality. She soon started answering to Kitty so it has stuck. Very boring I know.

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    1. Nothing wrong with "Kitty" for a cat! I have friends who are potters here in Maine; they had a black lab named "Tractor." Go figure!

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  14. Howard sounds like quite a car. I enjoyed getting to know him.

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  15. What a lovely cat.. and not bad for his age!

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    1. He is definitely a handsome boy, and he surely knows it, too! Quite the ego, but I forgive him that fault...such a character!

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