Post by Dan on Jul 10, 2011 11:05:40 GMT -8
We got our first cat, Forrest in 1996. He was two years old when we got him, a rescue cat from the pound. He was really a great guy, and I miss him still. He ran everywhere he went, and earned his name that way. We named him after the movie, Forrest Gump and a favorite expression around our home became, "Run Forrest, Run!"
The down side of all his running around was he was also an escape artist. He knew how to open the screen door, and would wait until we weren't watching him to do it. I can't begin to guess the number of times I would realize the screen door was open to exactly "cat width" and he'd be gone. As soon as he hit the back yard, it was up over the fence, and off to tom-cat the neighborhood.
I'd go out to recover him, and as soon as he saw me he'd take off in the other direction. I'd have to go ring doorbells and explain to my puzzled neighbors that my cat was in their back yard, and I needed access to go chase him home. It got to be enough of a regular occurrence that some of them got quite good at helping me herd him back to our house. I could seldom actually catch him, but he'd eventually tire of the game, and head home on his own. I took to leaving the rear door open while chasing him, as he'd go inside if it was. If not, it was off to another yard...
When Forrest was about 10, he was diagnosed with diabetes. I gave him two shots a day, and he did pretty well. Time went by, and eventually age, and the disease began to catch up with him. When he was 14, he began to lose his vision due to the diabetes. He was slowing down, but he was still My Big Buddy...
One day I'm getting ready to go golfing, Sugar is at work, and I'm off. I put on my silly golf outfit, and get my clubs out. At this point Forrest is nearly blind, and the running around has tapered off to pretty much nothing. It's been several years since he went on An Adventure, and there is little hope of him getting over the 5 foot fence anymore.
I have the back door open, and as I go to shut the glass slider, I see that the screen door is open to Cat Width. Damn it, I'm late already! So, I go out in the yard, and there he is. Blind as a bat, and poking around in the rocks behind the pool.
Our back yard is built on a hill, and the pool is cut into the hill. This makes the back side of the pool about 4 feet higher than the water level, and he's up there in the rocks above the pool. I hike up there in my golf shoes, and nicely ironed trousers to get him, and he doesn't see me coming. Literally.
That's when things went bad...
I yell at him, "Get in the house!" Now, remember he's pretty much blind, so he can't see me. He takes off at a dead run, straight at me. Then, he realizes that I'm right in front of him, and he's trapped. To my horror and disbelief, he jumps straight up, over the rock retaining wall, and starts the four foot plunge into the pool! While he's in mid air, I can see the look on his face, "Crap, forgot about the pool. Shoulda jogged left instead of right" I panic and think of Butch Cassidy, "Drown? Hell, the fall will probably kill him!"
I get ready to jump in after him as he hits the water and goes a foot or so below the surface. To my relief, he quickly comes to the top, and heads for the edge, mad as hell. I run over to where he is trying to get out and grab him. I get a poor hold on him, he's wiggling and back he goes in the pool. The second attempt is successful, and this time I get him against my chest with both hands.
So much for the golf outfit, it's ruined.
I get soaked Forrest, and equally soaked me, in the house and take him into the guest bath and close both doors. I take all the towels down, dry him off, and check for injuries. He appears uninjured, is still sneezing water, and is one pissed off cat! I get him mostly dry, and start stripping off my wet clothes.
I get my clothes piled up, do one more check on him and open the bathroom door. He takes off and heads for the guest bed where Jenny is sound asleep, totally unaware of the drama that just unfolded in the back yard. He jumps right in the middle of her, scares her half to death, and the fight is on. Now, I'm running around the bedroom, buck naked, trying to get terrified Jenny, and pissed off blind Forrest separated.
Needles to say, I missed my tee time...
The down side of all his running around was he was also an escape artist. He knew how to open the screen door, and would wait until we weren't watching him to do it. I can't begin to guess the number of times I would realize the screen door was open to exactly "cat width" and he'd be gone. As soon as he hit the back yard, it was up over the fence, and off to tom-cat the neighborhood.
I'd go out to recover him, and as soon as he saw me he'd take off in the other direction. I'd have to go ring doorbells and explain to my puzzled neighbors that my cat was in their back yard, and I needed access to go chase him home. It got to be enough of a regular occurrence that some of them got quite good at helping me herd him back to our house. I could seldom actually catch him, but he'd eventually tire of the game, and head home on his own. I took to leaving the rear door open while chasing him, as he'd go inside if it was. If not, it was off to another yard...
When Forrest was about 10, he was diagnosed with diabetes. I gave him two shots a day, and he did pretty well. Time went by, and eventually age, and the disease began to catch up with him. When he was 14, he began to lose his vision due to the diabetes. He was slowing down, but he was still My Big Buddy...
One day I'm getting ready to go golfing, Sugar is at work, and I'm off. I put on my silly golf outfit, and get my clubs out. At this point Forrest is nearly blind, and the running around has tapered off to pretty much nothing. It's been several years since he went on An Adventure, and there is little hope of him getting over the 5 foot fence anymore.
I have the back door open, and as I go to shut the glass slider, I see that the screen door is open to Cat Width. Damn it, I'm late already! So, I go out in the yard, and there he is. Blind as a bat, and poking around in the rocks behind the pool.
Our back yard is built on a hill, and the pool is cut into the hill. This makes the back side of the pool about 4 feet higher than the water level, and he's up there in the rocks above the pool. I hike up there in my golf shoes, and nicely ironed trousers to get him, and he doesn't see me coming. Literally.
That's when things went bad...
I yell at him, "Get in the house!" Now, remember he's pretty much blind, so he can't see me. He takes off at a dead run, straight at me. Then, he realizes that I'm right in front of him, and he's trapped. To my horror and disbelief, he jumps straight up, over the rock retaining wall, and starts the four foot plunge into the pool! While he's in mid air, I can see the look on his face, "Crap, forgot about the pool. Shoulda jogged left instead of right" I panic and think of Butch Cassidy, "Drown? Hell, the fall will probably kill him!"
I get ready to jump in after him as he hits the water and goes a foot or so below the surface. To my relief, he quickly comes to the top, and heads for the edge, mad as hell. I run over to where he is trying to get out and grab him. I get a poor hold on him, he's wiggling and back he goes in the pool. The second attempt is successful, and this time I get him against my chest with both hands.
So much for the golf outfit, it's ruined.
I get soaked Forrest, and equally soaked me, in the house and take him into the guest bath and close both doors. I take all the towels down, dry him off, and check for injuries. He appears uninjured, is still sneezing water, and is one pissed off cat! I get him mostly dry, and start stripping off my wet clothes.
I get my clothes piled up, do one more check on him and open the bathroom door. He takes off and heads for the guest bed where Jenny is sound asleep, totally unaware of the drama that just unfolded in the back yard. He jumps right in the middle of her, scares her half to death, and the fight is on. Now, I'm running around the bedroom, buck naked, trying to get terrified Jenny, and pissed off blind Forrest separated.
Needles to say, I missed my tee time...
