Sunday, August 9, 2015
Pine Buff, Arkansas
Despite the name of this treatise, you only get a tale of one cat here. The other is available on our sister story-site, Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind.
For at least three observable generations, Dempsey men all believed it to be necessary to have a cat (or two) around the house. I say Dempsey men, because for those three generations the only Dempsey women got the name by marriage instead of birth. The fourth generation turned that set of conditions around by a ratio of six to one. I am pleased to say that the all of my grand-girls and my one and only grandson received the cat gene.
All that said, in this Dempsey household, there are three cats who graciously share their residence with Pat and me and our two dogs. The latest feline to join the group is Nikon. We are told by the vet that he is an American Long-Hair. I strongly suspect that he carries some Maine Coon Cat genetic code since he is tipping the scales at a tad over 16 pounds.
No More Cat Transporting for Nikon
Pat, my beloved spousal unit, volunteers occasionally with a local rescue group as a cat transporter. After one of those missions of mercy she returned to the Chez Dempsey extolling the aesthetic and emotional virtues of “a big cat” she took to the neutering emporium.
The next day, the cat the rescue group put the big kitty on display at a local pet supply store. Patricia suggested that we take a gander. I walked up to the cage and spoke to the big critter who would become Nikon. He responded meowing and sticking a big paw out of the cage to meet my finger just as he had done when he met Pat the day before. At that point, the decision was unanimous. The big boy had found a home.
For reasons unbeknown to us, he was rebuffed as a rescue at the shelter. He’d been in a shelter cat cage for six months or more and was becoming depressed. Our paths crossed just in time, if you get my drift.
Let's Just All Get Along.
When we got the monster cat home and let him out of the cat carrier, he looked around and liked what he saw. He immediately made friends with the dogs and let the other cats know he was not a threat and was available to be their friends as well, should they elect to take him up on the deal. It’s been eight months or so now, and we have reached a level of tolerance and peaceful co-existence.
Nikon comes when he’s called. Particularly when I sing the “Nikon Dempsey” song to him. He follows us around in the yard like a dog, and best of all sleeps at the foot of the mattress. A good cat will do that.
I am particularly grateful that the axis of our paths were somehow providentially ordained to intersect. The rewards to all concerned continue to mount on a daily basis due to the crossing of paths and our decision to seize the moment. The message is clear. There are other Nikons out there. Go intersect before it’s too late.
