Cold and dreary here again today. It's been raining since last night when I went to bed. Somehow, it didn't bother me today. I knew I'd just be staying in and staying cozy and so I have.
This moring I felt a sudden compulsion to bring the babies out from where they live under my vanity on their own special bed on their own special shelf. I wanted them to be really, really cozy today too. I was thinking about the babies earlier this morning, wondering why I have them. I was thinking that perhaps some little child will come and play with them sometime. None of my grandchildren are that interested in them but perhaps another child would be. I do see how Dorothy Anne, the baby on the right that I rescued from an antique store, could be a little off-putting to a young kid. But what I realized when I brought them out and settled them up against my pillow under the duck and found myself kissing their little faces is that I am the child who wants to play dolls. Or at least, that child is in me. I remember when I played dolls as a child. We're not talking Barbies here. That was completely different. But when I played with my baby dolls I wanted to take care of them with every ounce of maternal instinct I had in my body which even at that age, was a lot. There were so close to being real to me and I surely pretended they were.
When I was twelve, my brother was born, and when I was thirteen, along came another one and I was enchanted to have real babies to take care of. And I took good care of those little boys. I loved them with all of my heart.
And of course my own babies and then my grandbabies...well. You can only imagine.
But now, there are no more babies so I suppose I am back to loving on my dollies. At least once in awhile. I no longer play pretend games with them or act out pretend scenarios. I just love them. From Zippy to Dorothy Anne, I love them all.
Moving on to something I am not loving these days- Maurice. I know I talk about my cat a lot. And I discuss the fact that although she's a wild-ass crazy thing, we still love her.
I am changing my perspective about that. We have had that cat for well over ten years. Took her in when she didn't have a kibble to her name. We gave her the use of our beds and the treats of our kitchen and our love and affection, too. And for all that time she has repaid us with bites and scratches and the most unpleasant cat-complaints you could ever hear. She rarely purrs and rarely seems happy. I know that she is who she is because there is no doubt she had a terrible kitten hood and was probably abandoned by her feral mother at the dump. I understand that. We have given her grace on that.
But y'all- it's getting worse.
I thought that after Jack disappeared she'd be less on edge, more apt to relax and chill a little bit. But that has not happened. She is as wild, if not wilder, than she was before. Her biting has become a more frequent behavior. She acts like she really wants attention, approaching us and putting her head down for scritches and then suddenly, with zero warning, she reaches out with her paw or paws, claws totally out, and grabs our hand. It's almost impossible to get our hands away from her because while she still has our arms or hands in her claws, it makes pulling them away akin to trying to free oneself from barbwire by just ripping your flesh from the cruel barbs. AND while she's still got you where she wants you, she sinks those fangs of hers into us. She bit me so hard today through three thick layers of clothing that I have a small bruise and two marks where she almost broke through the skin.
I've about had it.
And of course we're not going to get rid of her. Who would want her? And she's such a tough old bitch that I do nor foresee her demise by natural forces in the near future. I hate being the sort of person who would even say that. While she lives here, we cannot possibly get another cat. A normal cat. A cat we could love on. And we're not the sort of people to smack a cat. Yes, I do have a water sprayer but should I keep it in my pocket at all times? Should I completely stop touching her? That would probably be one answer. She sometimes sleeps with us and she does not bite or scratch me then unless I do something insane like try to reach down and give her head a soft little scratch.
And of course I've just given her her evening treats.
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I discovered today that despite all of this cold, the tea olive is blooming again.
Let us not forget hot sauce, cocktail sauce, and my granny's seafood sauce goop.*
*This has nothing to do with Gwyneth Paltrow. Trust me.
Supper sounds delicious. I hope you took photos.
ReplyDeleteMaurice is a challenge (and challenged). We have had cats like that in the past and you just have to allow for their traumatic kittenhood like you would a damaged child, I guess. She is lucky to have you - with others her life would have been cut short.
Pottery and dentist on the same day. Put the two together and I imagine you making ceramic false teeth that might serve as an ashtray or somewhere to collect used teabags. As for Maurice, she's a girl cat so that makes the aggression all the more puzzling.
ReplyDeleteI think Maurice is brain injured. I wonder if feliway would help. It's a dilemma, can't live with her, can't dispose of her. I've known a couple of cats like her, one of whom ended up deemed dangerous by the vet and euthanized.
ReplyDeleteY'all sound very sophisticated. Around here we have an occasional shart cootchie board and when we get really fancy we have whores dee orves.
ReplyDeleteAre you talking about horse dervers? Charcuterie? I think that's a French word...means 'mama ain't cooking'.
DeleteMy Kitty was of Maurice's temperament. I simply gave up interacting with her. However, as I grew more unsteady on my feet and she became more demanding of treats and food, my likelihood of a fall became close to 100 %. She needed rehomed. It made me very sad.
ReplyDeleteWe had a dalmatian that started getting aggressive after nine years. The vet tried several things but nothing worked for more than a few days. We finally had her put down. We had children at home at the time and it was to the point where she was scaring me. You can’t have a dog that you’re afraid of. I dreamt of her for two weeks after.
ReplyDeleteHad a cat that went berserker every now and then. Hubby's baby. Came to a time when one of us had to go. Not done lightly. Very tramatic for all involved. Safety of the humans here was put first and the cat was returned to the agency it was adopted from.
ReplyDeleteAs he got older, my Eddie (cat) would occasionally attack. He sent me to the ER one night as I couldn't get the bleeding on my ankle to stop. The ER doc said cat bites can become infected quickly d/t all the bacteria in their mouth...worse than dogs. My Rottweiler was the sweetest, most gentle pet I've ever had. He loved everyone and I never heard him even growl. He was 125 lbs.; all muscle and all sweetheart. Good luck with Maurice. Cats can be dicey, though I love them.
ReplyDeleteParanormal John
I would avoid reaching out to Maurice for anything. Let her come to you and snuggle or whatever but don't give her scratches and squirt the water every time she tries to bite. I don't think she will change after all these years. Bathe all bites with antiselptic or disinfectant immediately so you don't get "cat scratch fever". I am meaner than you because I would be showing those claw marks to the vet and having her put down.
ReplyDeleteSometimes medication can help but you need a vet for that.
ReplyDeleteOh dear Maurice, She is mental! She loves you , we can see that, but it is the sort of love that novelists describe as love torture... 50 shades of cat. I have known cats such as she- I have had a few- I just let then call the shots , let them pet me instead of the other way around. Only one lasted a long time, the others ran away to be wild on their own. Who knows, Maurice may have pain and doesn't quite know what to do about it.
ReplyDeleteAlso I am the same with the dollies that live here, There are many but only a few get treated royally , like yours. So sweet, my heart melted all over the place seeing them tucked in, staying cosy and loved.
I agree about the Feliway. You can buy plug--ins but check with your vet first.
ReplyDeleteI must admit, Maurice would be seriously pissing me off. I suppose all you can do is let her completely call the shots. No petting or affection from your side and hope she’s getting what she needs by just being around you. Dorothy Anne would give me nightmares.
ReplyDeleteAsk your vet for a prozac type medication for Maurice. Not kidding. Lots of behavioral issues with pets that would otherwise be put down are helped with it.
ReplyDeleteI have no cat advice.
ReplyDeleteHope the dentist goes well and the pottery class is fun!
Could Maurice be in pain? Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteI went to my first pottery class yesterday. There were only four of us and the other three ladies had lots of experience, so I was playing catch up and feeling stupid. I did make a small plate, so we'll see how that turns out.
Sounds like Maurice needs cat antidepressants of tranquilizers though giving her the medication might be another kind of nightmare unless you can hide it in food. Definitely stop trying to pet her since she doesn't seem to like it. As for who might be possessed, definitely Dorothy Anne.
ReplyDeleteWe had a cat like that, she became more and more agressive and downright dangerous to live with. When she had to see the vet for something or other, I mentioned that and they took her blood and she had a thyroid disorder (very common in cats) and she got meds - that was a struggle at first - and soon enough was a mellow old lady. The vet also suspected an internal injury with chronic pain, often the reason for this behaviour apparently - but not the case with her.
ReplyDeleteWhat does your Vet think is going on with Maurice? The biting and scratching getting more frequent is very concerning. Even worse is the possibility of you getting an infection from a bite/scratch.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, a friend reached for her cat and got a bad scratch. The hand began to swell and turn red. This travelled up her arm.
Needless to say, my friend was admitted to the hospital and put on IV antibiotics.
Um...have you ever thought about the possibility that Dorothy Anne is quietly unleashing her evil via an orange cat?
ReplyDeleteHa!
DeleteOur daughter and her ex-husband had a tiny black cat who was much like Maurice, demanding to be petted, purring away and then biting the hand doing the petting, frequently drawing blood. In the divorce, he got custody of Sophia and, as we’ve remained friendly, we often cat sat when he and his second wife traveled and were covered in bandaids by the time they returned. Sophia lived to a ripe old age, always looking like a kitten and acting like a vampire. She was born in the home of a friend and lived all her life with them, so she hadn’t been maltreated, just was wired that way. Margaret
ReplyDeleteSome cats, especially feral ones, just never really get tame. My mom adopted two feral cats and had them for about ten years, and in that time I couldn't even be in the room when she brought them through the house in the evening. (They used to spend the night in her garage.) If one of them even SAW me it would freak out. I couldn't even begin to touch them. Mom could touch them but only barely.
ReplyDelete