Only two good things ever came out of our 10 months in Indianoplace, my first job and the new cats we didn’t anticipate.
First I have give some back story on how it all came together that Friday evening.
Growing up in the Seventies, we normally had a pet around the house. Usually a dog, a cat or a combination of both. Being kids, Brian and I weren’t very responsible so these animals became an additional chore for our parents. I still feel very guilty over my neglect toward Sara Lee, Louie, Shadow and most of all, Farah. The latter animal being a very aloof Persian cat my mother got around 1978. It’s one reason why I get upset over people beating, poisoning and abusing pets. My backyard neighbors treat their dog like a piece of yard furniture, not a family member.
Around the time we left for Houston, only the dog Louie came with us. Farah got dumped on Mom’s friend Caroline until we returned to the Midwest. I’m not sure what the details of the arrangement were but we probably received her back for the anti-social behavior and littler she had in Caroline’s living room.
Farah being in our lives again was a mixed bag. I think the dog enjoyed having the exclusivity yet he was on thin ice after biting my father’s forearm; sixteen stitches and a trip to the emergency room in Houston, I bet Dad always remembers that event on his 37th birthday. Either way, I was a teenager who was too self-involved to really want any pets around. Therefore Farah turned into an indoor/outdoor cat which was easier to maintain, no litter box and just leave a food dish in the garage. Too bad our parents didn’t have the wisdom to have Farah neutered as she relished her continued lifestyle in the “wilds” of northern Indianoplace. We realized this dilemma too late a week earlier and planned to have it rectified after she gave birth. What we didn’t expect was when it was going to take place.
The Friday evening was off to its usual boring and stressful beginning. Mom and Dad were heading out to Bloomington to spend the weekend at Grandma’s house. Brian had to go because he didn’t have a choice in the matter being 14. Meanwhile I was 16 and I had the luck of scoring hours every day at Farrell’s, plus having the stereo to myself was a sweet deal. During all the packing, Farah started to act more skittish than normal and began hiding in the garage. About an hour later she started giving birth. I had missed the first kitten’s birth, a tiny tortoise shell, and came in during the expulsion of a pale-orange tabby. The tortoise was sleeping too peacefully for my mother’s liking as she stated, “I think the black one is dead.” Dad solved this by poking the little mound of fur and this cat was never silent again.
We didn’t see Farah’s post-birth activities or hand out cigars as I had to be at work shortly and everybody else was expected at Grandma’s house before 10 PM Central time (Indiana was in the Eastern). Mom grew up with cats on her father’s farm so she assured us it would be alright, besides, Farah would instinctively hide them later. She was correct, when I got home around 11 PM, I had to root around the garage to find all three cats but I only checked up on them periodically for the rest of the weekend.
As the days went by, these two kittens grew rapidly and we all became very attached to them. The tortoise-shell turned out to be a girl we named Mewsette due to her dainty voice (Mom always insisted on spelling it Musette despite the name coming from the original Gay Purr-ee cartoon starring Judy Garland and Robert Goulet) and the tabby was a boy we dubbed Teddy because he resembled a teddy bear; sadly he often had his mother’s disposition. Farah eventually realized they were competition and had to be separated from them. Cats are just like humans, not all are fit to be parents in the long haul. Our dog Louie feared them since the kittens saw him as a giant throw rug.
I will now fast forward to 1985 and the move to North Dakota. Louie was given away to a stranger and probably put to sleep shortly. Farah found a new home with a family who adored her so she had a happier ending. Teddy and Mewsette went on to be my parents’ cats for 19 years when they both died of old-age disorders.
There were so many great times with those two. I only regret not being around them longer but I left for college when they reached adult maturity. However, I was always excited to see them during visits to my parents’ homes in Lansdale, PA; Poway, CA and (ugh!) Cary, NC. They were a source of great comfort and joy while I lived in North Dakota since they didn’t care where we lived; pets love you unconditionally if you play your cards right. I remembered how Teddy went to Grandpa for attention during my grandfather’s final weeks of life with terminal cancer. Mewsette usually greeted strangers at the door much like our cats Kuroneko and Molly do.
Some favorite anecdotes about those two. Mewsette is trickier since she was the well-behaved one of the duo. I think Brian can elaborate on this scenario better but while we were waiting to move into the house we rented in Beulah, ND; we had to stay in a hotel and we didn’t bother to tell the staff our cats were with us. One afternoon while watching TV because we weren’t in a hurry to enroll into the local high school yet, somebody notice Mewsette was missing from the room. Brian and I tried to non-chalantly wander the Best Western in search of the mischievous feline. Mom luckily discovered her hidden in the box springs of her bed. I do accurately recall Brian drawing a cartoon of the situation later on. Teddy was a hellion as soon as he could without crying out for Farah’s assistance. The craziest thing he did was eat part of my apron for Farrell’s. No lie! Shortly after I had been working as a busboy/dishwasher, the manager foolishly had me trained to work the fountain area and a common substance everybody got on their aprons was hot fudge. This proved to be great a temptation for Teddy to pass up when he was younger. The little bugger turned the apron into a Swiss cheese; wherever he found the topping, he ate it and the material underneath. It made Teddy pretty sick yet he lived. My larger concern was explaining to my boss what happened and why I needed a new apron since it seemed as lame as saying “the dog at my homework!” Then again, Helen has proven this to be true too.
Many days, I see those endearing and frustrating traits in our current four cats. Mewsette: Molly’s excellent temperament with children, Miette’s cooing and Kuroneko’s gregarious nature with strangers; Teddy: Molly’s bossiness and schedule for attention, Miette’s ability to find food and Nemo’s general obstinate moods.