Tuesday, March 11, 2014

The cat

You can learn a lot from a cat. He eats when he is hungry, he sleeps when he is tired. He can sit still for long periods of time staring out a window in peace. He can go hunting if he has to, run fast and fight if needed. He can hide under a bush as well as he can roll around flat on the ground in the heat of the sunshine.

He is a seasonal clock that puts on extra warming kilos during winter just to slim down in the most natural way for the summer. He spends a lot of time inside during the winter months but we hardly see him at home in the summer. He has his routines and he follows them strictly and if we leave him for a weekend he gets upset. He loves to be cuddled, he demands to be cuddled - even if we're not in the mood.

He loves to curl up on things we love the most. Pillows, piles of yarn, blankets and stashes of fabric. Sometimes we find him in the laundry basket or on top of a WiP on my iron board. Most of the time he cuddles up in our sleep-warm messy duvets, making it impossible for us to disturb him to make the bed later on. We leave the bed messy for his sake.

This cat loves sitting in the window, often he pulls the lace curtain to the side with his little paw to look outside. He can also be a pain in the neck as he often wants to go out... And then come in... And then go out... And then come in... uncountable times, especially in the evening.

He can be annoying when things are chaotic and things needs to be done, when one is overwhelmed with needs to be met by children and the Family Enterprise itself.  Then this cat struts around your feet for attention to fill his food bowl, let him out or just to follow him up or down the stairs. Those are the moments when you want to kick the cat out of the way and scream from the top of your lungs that "This cat is f-ing nuts man!!! I got enough on my plate!".

But then we have the days when he cuddles up with a sick child, a mother in the blues our stressed out father. He is tuned in. He knows who needs a little bit of extra attention and love at the perfect time.

And then we have the days when he is on adventures. Long adventures in unknown territories. For not only a day or two but three, four and, five. Days when we start alarming neighbors and search the sides of the roads, walking the woods and calling out his name. Days when we realize what a big part of this family he is.

Our dear Charlie. Charlie who lost his mother when just being a few weeks old. Charlie who grew up in a locked up garage his first months in life as his owners didn't want him in the house making a mess. Charlie who we brought home with his sister Lola and who we came to love and cherish.

Charlie who just two years later would loose his sister and become depressed and different for a long long time. Charlie who adopted the new kitten Frankie Boy a year later and taught him everything he new like an old man should do with a youngster. Charlie who is the only cat that has stayed with us for all this time, in good, bad and ugly times.

Today Charlie is at the vet. He has been in a big cat fight and we discovered a large open wound under his right front leg... We hope Mr Vet can patch him up alright. And we know Charlie soon will be back out there in his cat community on the field. He is a hard nut to crack, one of the oldest in the game now with his 5 years. He has respect and a big territory he protects. We hope to have many more years to cherish with this ginger fur ball. We love him so much.



Kärlek
Annette

Note 12/3/2014:
Charlie got 12 stitches and is now at home with a shaved and patched up front leg. He has a plastic cone on his neck and he hates it. He is also stuck inside which makes him incredibly miserable. Tomorrow we have a check up and hopefully the cone will be removed so he can scratch his neck, eat, drink and sleep properly and go back outside again. Thanks for all your sweet comments and get well wishes. Our animals sure hits a soft spot of compassion in us all. //Annette




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30 comments :

  1. oh, how nice! you made me cry, but i'm hope-full for him, he will be ok and he'll come back home soon.

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  2. Here's wishing him a speedy recovery!!

    We have a cat called Molly that was a rescue cat who loves much of the same as Charlie. She is sat on my knee as I type this. She is 13.5 years old and I am dreading the day she dies as for a little cat she has a huge personality.

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  3. This is such a lovely post and I totally know what it means to you, as I have my my own car who sounds very similar in characteristics to your wee cat. Hope he recovers ok x

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  4. My thoughts are with you and most of all Charlie, I do not have a cat now, I live very close to a busy road, but have always had cats in the past. They own you body and soul, twist your heartstrings and pay back love one hundred fold.

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  5. Hope your cat is better soon. As you say they are such part of the family. We rescued a cat 10 years ago - she's a very old lady now. Sleeps most of the day, but still loves cuddles. X

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  6. We are a dog family but an elderly cat (Tigger) has adopted us. We have found his provenance (his family have 5 cats of which he is the eldest) He is waiting, most mornings, for me to take our dog for her early stroll, he asks for food (yes, we now buy cat food for him) He can return up to 4 times a day for more food and fuss. He has been visiting for about a year now and recently, on a few occasions, he has brought a friend.
    I wish your cat a speedy recovery.

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  7. aaaaaaahhh desde buenos aires, aregentina, le mando toda la fuerza a Charlie, es muy emocionante lo que decis de él, lo describis tal cual son los gatos.
    mi gato se llama Tomás, es muy parecido a Charlie y ayer cumplió 11 años y lo tenemos desde sus 20 dias de vida.
    lo amamos mucho.
    le deseamos pronta recuperacion a Charlie!!! toda la fuerza para él
    saludos Annete!!
    Gaby!

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  8. I really, really love cats.....hope he makes a speedy recovery :) xxx

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  9. Hi Annette, I hope Charlie is feeling better and back ruling the roost soon! He's so handsome.
    Jane x

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  10. He's in my thoughts today. Be well, Charlie. Your family loves you. Deb

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  11. I have a Russian Blue named Marvin. I know how you feel. I will keep Charlie in my prayers.

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  12. Just so loved your blog. It made me want to cry and a the same time gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. Hope dear Charlie with soon be on the mend. I have 3 rescue cats and love
    them all so much.

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  13. Feel better Charlie! Have you seen diary of a sad cat? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKffm2uI4dk Hilarious.

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  14. A very heart warming post. Hope Charlie is feeling better soon, and will be able to continue to bring your family such joy.

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  15. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Charlie. He will be fine, he will be, very soon. Cats are tough cookies, I know :-) My Maurice is a right example - he was in sooo many cat fights, came home with bites and scratches, but still rules in the neighbourhood :-) I love him so much, he stole my heart forever when he found us 5 years ago. Give Charlie a genle cuddle from me, please :-)

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  16. I do hope Charlie's mishap is easily dealt with and he recovers very soon. I loved this post - I had two cats, one lived into her twenties (a rescue cat) and one lived to sixteen. They died within six weeks of each other, one not coping without the other. A sad time and since then we have not been able to bring ourselves to have another. One day this will happen and we will have the similar feelings back again with a pesky little comedian running around. Give Charlie a cuddle from us xx

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  17. Hope Charlies on the mend soon, my Merli will be 15 this July and is still out and about climbing trees and jumping from the Summerhouse roof onto the patio, he missed the memo about being a pensioner but I love him
    Clare xx

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  18. I hope that he is OK and back home safe and sound very soon for lots more cuddles and naps in all the different places that he loves! xx

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  19. Oh dear! It is very sad when a loved pet is poorly! Our 1yo dog Lizzie has had meningitis twice in the last year, and it is upsetting to see them in hospital and looking soooo sad. Hope Charlie is up to his tricks soon.

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  20. My cat Lui is in the same situation. He got a big bite wound from another cat (the first in his 11 years) and had to go to the vet.Now he's on some medication till it heals. I wish I could keep him inside but that's impossible as he's much too demanding! Very similar to your Charlie from the sound of it :) Best wishes to Charlie from Lui and I!

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  21. What a fabulous piece of writing.....heartwarming and emotional. Charlie is a very lucky lad to have a family to love him so much.
    Hugs Julie x

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  22. Very very nice story and absolutely true about cats.
    Wish you all the luck, hope Charlie recovers soon, take care.
    Hugs

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  23. Loved reading this post. Charlie is a great cat!! He is living life in his way & it sometimes makes us realize how much they do mean to us!! Get better buddy, there is more to explore !!

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  24. I am so happy to hear that Charlie is on the mend. We have one cat, Marco, who cannot wait for me to sit down to read the newspaper. As soon as he sees me, he jumps down from his perch and comes to sit on my lap. Our last cat lived to be 19 and when he died we went for several months without a cat. When we got Marco, my husband said he was not going to bond with this new kitten. The first night I found the two of them snuggling!
    Best wishes, Charlie.
    Linda

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  25. What a lovely post. Charlie sounds excellent and I hope he fully recovers from his injury. Our boy Eddie sounds like a very similar cat, with such a mind of his on. Oh how I love cats!

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  26. Ah yes, I know some of these catty characteristics very well indeed! Poor Charlie, I hope he's soon back to his old self.

    S x

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  27. Hola Annette!!
    que linda historia,me encanta leerte.
    Espero Charlie se recupere pronto!!
    Cariños,GABY_MANOJITOSDEIDEAS.

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  28. Lovely post!!! I love cats ( have 16), and dogs (have 27), and your blog! Best wishes to Charlie!!

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Thank you so much for visiting my world. I love reading your comments and I do my utterly best to respond to questions and sweet messages. Thank you again for popping by.

Kärlek
Annette

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