the garage cat

don't bother to say because we already know. drew and i are completely aware that we are the hugest fucking animal suckers on the planet and we have managed to adopt another cat. his name is tommy and he is a lovely fellow. it all started innocently enough. he was a neighborhood kitty that we'd see around when walking the dog, perhaps we'd give him the occassional scratch behind the ears or pat on the head. we assumed he was somebody's cat, but then found out that he had been abandoned when a couple in the neighborhood split up and moved. assholes. then it got cold (for here - down to low forties at night) and we'd see him in a semi-cozy spot, bedded down for the night. God, but the sorry state of it all, and the guilt that we had happy, warm kitties at home! first we started feeding him, near his cozy spot, but then I started thinking that someone should get him vaccinated, at the very least, so he wouldn't get rabies or distemper or something equally horrible. there didn't seem to be any someones stepping up and doing it, though. then we made him a cozy bed on the porch and started feeding him there. then he discovered the doggie door to the garage during the last round of horrible storms and we came home to find him happily camped out on zinger's bed, looking like he'd fallen asleep and woken up to find himself in shangri-la. zinger the zeta dog had meekly slunk off, conceeding the bed.

the upshot of all this being a new bed for the dog in the garage, a $200 vet trip and a bare bones "accident" pet insurance plan later, we have another cat. we can't bring him in because he & herbie & chiana only want to mix it up. we know they all did so when they were allowed outdoors, and in fact we think it was tommy who bit herbie's butt, which occassioned his little surgery and ensuing confinement in the house. we got the pet insurance because he likes to fight, the little fucker, it's the only bad thing i can say about him because he is otherwise completely charming. i've had to clean up and put neosporin on his ears twice in the past two weeks and belive you me, you haven't lived until you're sitting with a cat in your lap sticking warm compresses to his head... the things i do for these furries.

you wouldn't know it to look at him, but he's only a pound less than herbie. he might put on some weight now that he doesn't have worms, we'll see. his coat has gotten super soft now that he's getting fed regularly. well, and he's not kipping outside, either, so i suppose that's part of it. herbie and chiana can often be found sniffing at the garage door because they knows he's there, or, in herbie's case, glaring through the front window if tommy is hanging out in the yard. i have to wash my hands if i've been petting tommy because if i try to pet herbie smelling like "the interloper" he gets all pissy. we joke he's worried about being replaced with a younger, skinnier model.

i used, well, still do say that i grew up in a house that has this ten foot tall, flashing neon sign that only animals can see that says "SUCKERS LIVE HERE" and i guess drew and i have one too. much as it pains me to say it, i think there's a slight chance ours might be slightly bigger than the one in glenshaw. ah well... life is a twisting, unpredictable journey with unforseen ups and downs. the least one can do is have sweet, furry, loving companions along for the journey.