Nick, my cat, likes to sleep on the back/top of the sofa. Actually, he likes to sleep in lots of places, but for the past year or so, that’s been a go-to spot for him. He also likes to wake me up in the morning by nudging me with his head. Sometimes he does this to my shoulder, sometimes my back, but a lot of times he just bumps his head against mine. It’s cute and affectionate, but a little annoying at 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning. On some mornings, I can just roll over and he’ll leave me alone and on others he’s relentless. He’ll climb over me to get in my face – over and over again until I get up. I don’t know the last time I’ve slept past 6. The obvious solution to this would be to shut the door, but I’ve grown accustomed to our little morning routine and kinda like it – though I sometimes curse it.
Nick has been with me for eleven years. Yesterday was his “birthday” – the anniversary of when we adopted him. We weren’t supposed to bring him home. In fact, I’m surprised we got any cats, let alone two. I had been driving home one night when a kitten ran across the street in front of me. It was tiny and gray and ran into one of the neighbor’s yards. I mentioned this to my wife when I got in – said it was a really cute little cat. So began a brief conversation about maybe getting a pet. I think that weekend we went to the pet store to adopt.
We had our hearts set on this vocal little princess of a gray and white cat. She was friendly and soft and would rub up against the cage and meowed for attention. We visited with her in a room at the pet store and decided on getting her. The woman at the adoption center asked if we would want to meet another cat. She said they were being fostered together and got along really well. He was bigger and very sweet. We agreed to meet him but were pretty certain we would just be getting the one cat. In came this this large black and white tuxedo cat – spilling out of the caretaker’s arms. He had absolutely no interest in us and was much more interested in checking out the room we were in. He walked all over the place. He got curious about the trash can and tipped it over. He seemed like a klutz. I don’t think either of us were in love with him, but we couldn’t stand the thought of separating them. I’m sure that was the intent of introducing him to us. I went out in to the store, bought two carriers, two litter boxes, two sets of everything and that morning, we took home two cats.
Nick has been my buddy for eleven years. Aside from sunsets, he occupies the most pictures on my phone and is probably the subject of most of my posts on Facebook (along with sunsets and concerts). He was about one and half or two years old when we got him which would put him at about thirteen now. He’s lost most of his sight. He trips over things and bumps into walls. Sometimes he cracks his head pretty hard on a piece of furniture and I immediately say “awww, buddy” and go over to him to see if he’s ok – he always is. He doesn’t run around nearly as much as he used to even though he’s lost some weight (the vet had me put him on a diet). His gait is slower, his skin a little saggier, and he has some digestive issues. When he gets sick, I worry about taking him to the vet. We had a cat, Murphy, who got really sick really quickly and the vet cost a lot of money with no conclusive diagnosis. I don’t want that for Nick. When his “sister” passed away I decided I’d do my best to make his last few years here good ones – which meant letting him out on my deck when I had a house and out on the balcony at my apartment in Memphis. It also means humoring him when he comes in to wake me up. There are plenty of times I decide to pet him while he’s sleeping – perhaps he’s just getting even with me for that.
There’s a story I share with other pet lovers (She Wanted a Man with a Good Job Who Is Nice to Animals). It’s from “Modern Love” in the New York Times. Read it if you want to cry. It’s a touching story about a single guy, his dog, and the things they do together. I identify with the guy and often think of me and Nick as being the protagonists of that story, except Nick is a cat and he doesn’t travel around town with me or get out all that much. But we seem to have a similar bond. He and I have been through a few things together: relationships, moves, settling in to new places, routines, and climates. I can’t imagine my life without him.
