I have never really considered myself a “cat person.” If I had to tell the truth (which I do at least try to do on a regular basis), I have always preferred the company of dogs to the company of cats. Of course, that is a rather generalized statement. There have been some cats whose company I have enjoyed far more than some dogs I have known. The same can be said of some people. There have been some people whose company I have preferred far more than other people.
Recently, I have made the acquaintance of a feline-type creature named “Buddy.” Actually, Buddy came as a kind of “package deal” with my current lady friend. Buddy has been her cat for many years and fortunately, he decided I was an acceptable person. Buddy accompanied us on a cross-country trek from Washington State to Madison. One might think this would be an instant recipe for conflict. To most everyone’s surprise, Buddy’s presence did not cause much conflict at all.
Buddy is a spoiled cat. He is also a very old cat, pushing 12 years of age now. Personally, I feel that it’s okay for him to drink water from a faucet. He does not necessarily require bottled water. In fact, on more than one occasion, I have seen him attempting to drink water from a toilet bowl (mind you, he had plenty of water in his water dish). Buddy is also a very picky eater. To begin with, I had the errant idea that “if he gets hungry enough, he’ll eat the food that’s put in front of him.” I have heard him complain about being hungry when he has a full bowl of food, just waiting to be consumed. Buddy is also very skinny, possibly too skinny for his own good. Being as skinny as he is, along with his reluctance to eat the food with which he is presented, has caused me more than a few moments of sincere head scratching during the past weeks. I tried giving him an egg, which he initially began to eat with a certain amount of gusto. I mixed some of the egg with his normal mixture of food and he seemed to like that, for a while. This morning, when I gave Buddy his egg/cat food combination, he lapped at it for a moment (he gets his food run through a “Blend-jet” purchased for the sole reason of liquifying Buddy’s food because of his old teeth; I did mention he is an old, spoiled cat, didn’t I?), then decided to leave the rest. I did get him some “kitten” treats which, for now anyway, he seems to enjoy. Of course, I know he shouldn’t have a diet of only treats, but at least it’s something.
Despite the fact that I have threatened to take Buddy to a nearby Chinese buffet (I KNOW that not all Chinese buffets feature feline foo-young, but Buddy doesn’t need to know), I have grown rather fond of the guy. I reckon that proves the point that, even for a dog person, not all cats are bad. One can probably say the same for people. No matter if you’re a cat person who has found yourself in the company of dogs, or vice versa, I hope the day is a good one for you and whatever critter you find yourself with these days, here on the “sunny side.”