Can dogs and cats get along? How might this happen?
Who’s the boss? You’ll find out, when you have . . .
A Cat In The House
My name is Lizzy. I’m a cocker spaniel and live with my Dad, Adam, and spaniel sister, Bets. Dad is single and looking for a mate. And I’m looking for a mother. Sometimes we visit and stay overnight at my “mother-to-be’s” house.
The home my sister and I have been visiting recently is quite crowded. Three females and one male live there. However, the visits aren’t bad. One of the females, the mother, Anna, is nice and treats me with respect. The two girls, Sadie and Maddy, both schnauzers, are just there. Even though I’m female, too, they don’t pay much attention to me.
And then there is Amore. I heard someone say his name meant “love,” but he exhibits anything but the tenderness and kindness you’d expect, especially to my sister and me. Some might say he’s the boss of the house. He’s smaller than we are, but has a very controlling attitude.
He sits in the armchair next to the couch. If we come too close, he swats us across the face with his cat paw. It scares the hell out of me—makes me shake and scoot away. But it never hurts. I wondered why. And then I heard Dad say, “Glad you declawed him, Anna.”
I really didn’t know what that meant, but I guess it’s a good thing. Not only is Amore the boss, he also is a magician and makes things disappear. One morning the doorbell rang. “Mom” opened it and said, “Hello, Isaac.”
“Ms. H, the key to the back gate isn’t under the bench.”
“It has to be. That’s where I always leave it for you so you can get into the yard to mow and blow.”
“It isn’t there,” he said.
“Just look for the plastic, springy yellow keychain holder. It must have fallen on the ground.”
“Did that. It’s not there.”
Well, she opened the gate for him with a key she had in the kitchen, and all seemed fine. That evening, she went out to water some plants in the area where the bench was. As I watched, she looked up toward the sky and saw a shinny thing hanging from the roof. “My God!” she screamed. “There’s the keychain.” The only way it could’ve gotten there is because Amore is a magician.
This, however, was just the beginning of my relationship with Amore, for his mom and my dad mated. In our new house, everything seemed to be going well. The dog doors gave us the freedom to exit the house, but not leave the yard. That is, except for Amore. We could run and play all day on the beautiful lawn. It was paradise. But he could jump the fence and go anywhere he wanted.
One evening, Mom and Dad leashed up my two stepsisters, Bets, and me, for our walk through the neighborhood. As we pranced along and smelled the grass, trees, and fire hydrants, we passed a couple standing in their driveway. The woman called out to Mom and Dad, “Do you know that you have a cat following you?”
“What!” Mom exclaimed.
There was Amore, walking, in step, behind us. Seems he would do this every night. Sometimes he would start out with us, then turn down a different block, and then join us again as we proceeded on our journey.
One day, as I lay on the couch gazing out the window, the doorbell rang. Mom went to the door and opened it. There was a woman standing there.
She looked at Mom, and said, “Do you own a black male cat?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Has he had all his shots? And has he been neutered?”
Flustered, Mom, stammered, “Yes, he has. But . . .”
“Well, he’s been sleeping in my bed a lot of nights with my female cat.”
“Oh, my! I’ll be sure to lock him in, so he doesn’t visit you again.”
“No, you don’t have to do that,” she stated. “He’s been wonderful company in bed. I just wanted to make sure he’s healthy.”
That’s my brother, Amore—a traveling scoundrel. But there’s a lot more to tell.
One night Mom and Dad were getting ready for bed. Mom stared at Dad and said, “Honey, I think you need to sleep in the guest room tonight.”
“Huh, why? What did I do?” Dad asked.
“Nothing,” she said. “I’m suffering from Restless Leg Syndrome and I’m going to toss and turn all night and keep you awake.”
Dad responded, “Okay. Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
Dad got into his pajamas, brushed his teeth, and headed toward the guest room. And I decided to follow. I didn’t want to be kicked around by Mom either.
When we got there, Amore was sleeping between the pillows. Dad crawled in slowly, trying not to disturb him. I jumped up onto the bed and lay down at the end on the other side. I couldn’t have predicted what happened next.
Dad lay on his side facing Amore. Amore lifted his head and glared at him. Then he got up and started walking up and down Dad’s body. He did this all night.
Finally, Dad rolled out of bed and went down the hall to be with Mom. I followed him. As he entered the room and got into bed, Mom woke up. He looked at her, and asked, “How long did it take for you to fall asleep?”
She replied, “About fifteen minutes.”
“Oh, my. And I’ve been up all night.”
“Why?” she inquired.
“The cat.” He put his head on the pillow and fell asleep.
About a year later, Mom and Dad decided to move to a senior community, Sunset Glen, about a half hour away from our home in Sacramento. They spent weeks packing boxes, as they got ready for the move.
The day arrived. My sisters and I were put in the backyard and told to stay there, as the movers began to load the truck. However, I snuck into the house. Since I didn’t get in the way, they let me remain inside and watch. They locked Amore in the guest room.
When the movers needed to get the stuff out of the guest room, Dad went back there and got Amore. He walked down the hallway clutching him in his arms. As he did, a mover came through the front door and startled both Amore and him. Amore jumped out of Dad’s arms, ran out the front door, and disappeared down the block. And neither Dad nor Mom could find him.
The movers closed up their truck and headed to our new home. With tears in my eyes, I cried for Amore. I thought I’d never see him again.
After the movers unloaded the truck, we settled in for the evening. Mom looked at Dad and said, “We have to go back to the house tomorrow and do a final cleanup. I believe Amore will be there.”
“I hope you’re right,” Dad replied.
The next morning, Mom and Dad loaded my sisters and me into the station wagon and we headed back to our old house. Lo and behold, Amore sat on the front porch waiting to be rescued. My heart beat so fast; I thought it was going to jump out of my body.
After Mom and Dad got everything cleaned up in the house, we headed back to our new home. When we pulled into the garage, all of us kids, except Amore, exited the car. With the tailgate open, Amore sat and stared. No matter how hard Mom and Dad tried, he wouldn’t leave the car. He must have thought, This is how I got here and this is how I’ll get home.
Two days later, Mom managed to get Amore into a cage and brought him into the house. She turned to Dad and said, “Remember what the vet told us.”
“Yeah. Keep him in the house for two weeks before letting him out, so he knows this is home.”
However, the next day the doorbell rang. Dad opened the door, not knowing Amore was right behind him. And he escaped through it.
Before Mom or Dad could say anything, he stopped at the edge of the front lawn, looked around, and headed back into the house. This was his home, and Amore, indeed, meant love. Our hearts were full of joy and the family was back together again.
Copyright © 2023 Alan Lowe. All rights reserved.
