Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Our family is growing

Two new stray cats have been hanging out at the farm. Helen is already feeding six cats and is at her limit. I don't blame her. I offered to take the two new ones to the pound.

I looked at Gillen sitting in the propped-up pup truck the other day (turns out the clutch is out) and felt sure that that he was imagining driving.But he looked so relaxed. I walked closer and looked inside. Turned out he was bonding, with the banished male. Gillen's tenderness towards him softened my heart and those other-worldly eyes caught me off guard. Names started involuntarily running through my head.

I only took the female cat to the pound and that story ends well too - she is being rescued there today by her former owner who used to work at the farm. After hearing a description of her, Eva recognized that this calico cat must be her "Poochy".

Here was Gillen's reaction after hearing that we get to keep "Kelly" (named, for a brief time, after a Lee-jeans commercial actor from the eighties who watched me dancing one night at a party in NY and declared that I danced like Ann-Margret. sigh. The week's Kelly thoughts brought back that memory.) Quickly, that name was rejected for the name of my mother's other former cat, Fracas' black brother, who looked very much like this one. So, I'll be getting "Frickle" fixed tomorrow and we hope that Fracas will be pleased. "Frik and Frac" can keep each other company in what was supposed to be primarily the art room but has now been renamed "the cat cave".

12 comments:

helenw said...

Did you look for the commercial on youtube? LOL! It is probably on there, or was it a print ad?

Unknown said...

Whats up with the manifestation of cats? You are probably asking yourself the very same thing. You should check in with the boys nightly prayers, seems suspicious to me. hehe. Chopper just pointed out that the pound cat must have come searching for Eva...guess they are pretty smart creatures (and cute).

Madeline Rains said...

Helen, you got me searching for a while and no luck yet. I should let that go and just keep researching washers and dryers (it's way more needed in the moment).

Persephone, no nightly prayers that I'm aware of but they do get me with their pleading eyes whenever we meet yet another cat. I just hope frac and fric (or big balls as N has named him) get along.

Christina said...

Frickle looks just like our cat Bagheera, named after the black panther in The Jungle Book. Black cats are the best!

Danielle said...

moment of weakness...

a young boy's smile...

an animal's second chance...

what a good mother you are!

Tamar Orvell said...

Yay! Cat rescuer, you and your kind! Your new addition is gorgeous. Here in Tel Aviv (as in many euro cities), the municipality takes street cats to be fixed, snips one of the ears to ID the change, and returns each fix-ee to its "home" address. The system works! Keeps alive and well the felines to catch rodents while living relatively well w the food people leave daily. Supply and demand are in balance.

Madeline Rains said...

Tamar, that is a fantastic system. Wish we had it here. We've paid for many cats to be spayed and neutered. I did finally find a place that's only $35 for the males. Thanks Danielle an Christina, for encouraging me as I become that crazy cat lady.

Dina said...

I think you have to have 13 before you're the crazy cat lady.

Yay! I can't wait to meet Frik/Big Balls!

Madeline Rains said...

Dina, he's run off into the woods! He's mad about losing his...name. Hopefully, he'll be back soon.

mindy said...

omg...Madeline as the crazy cat lady! Too Much. Love that picture of Gillen. BTW, do you know what's happening May 21????

Madeline Rains said...

No! Is it your birthday or Alex's? or someone else in that fine family of yours? Sophie is in June... What?!

mindy said...

Madeline....It's SYTYCD!!!!!! May 21!!!!! We NEED to commune!!!!!