What is a greater gift than the love of a cat. – Charles Dickens, English novelist (1812-1870)
A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays. – English proverb
We’re settling back in from our visit to Wales. The time difference is six hours, our internal clocks are a little topsy-turvy. The weather in Wales was much like the weather had been here when we left. Strong winds and temperatures ranging from 45 to 65 Fahrenheit. Though today I look out the windows from the sunroom and see the trees are no longer dancing in the wind and the sun is warming and covering the yard and fields. Before the day is out, we will see temperatures rise to 87 degrees. It practically feels like summer now. I had to Google the true beginning of summer; it will not arrive until the afternoon of June 20. Hopefully our body clocks and brains will have adjusted by then.
Wilhelmina, our cat, had a few changes as well. It just so happened my brother arrived on his annual turkey hunting time exactly when we were leaving for Wales. He would be staying at the Prairie house for a couple of weeks watching spring sports and hunting turkeys in another county. I don’t think my brother has ever had a cat and it’s been quite a long time since he cared for a pet.
Boarding Wilhelmina is not the most favorable way of tending to her needs while we are away. Just taking Wilhelmina to the veterinarian for at most an hour is an ordeal. Since brother would be in the house, I approached him with the idea of his caring for Wilhelmina while we were away. I honestly did not anticipate he would agree. I was wrong.
He agreed to take care of Wilhelmina, so we ran through the Wilhelmina cat-care-protocol. Under no circumstances should Wilhelmina be allowed to go outside. While entering and exiting doors be mindful, she can slip out before you know it. Once outside she is almost impossible to catch.
As to feeding we feed dry food from an automatic feeder and soft food in her food bowl along with the water bowl. I decided not to mention tending to the litter boxes thinking that could be asking a bit much. Instead, I added more litter boxes. It seemed to work out well.
At the last minute I remembered the Infrared Thermometer Gun that shoots out a red dot measuring heat. We learned early on the heat gun was great entertainment for cats and people. Pull the trigger and the red dot can be directed across the floors, walls, under tables and on furniture. Wilhelmina will endlessly chase the red dot determined to catch the red dot though it’s impossible. It’s a great indoor gadget to keep her engaged and exercised. I think both brother and Wilhelmina enjoyed the activity. Brother said each time he entered the house Wilhelmina would dash around the living room then come to a sudden stop. It wasn’t her people.
All is well now. Wilhelmina is curled up beside my foot knowing her people are home sweet home.
Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].
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