+.jpg)
By Guest Blogger: Mosaic Lady
It recently dawned on me that Willie is the sole male in our family now. He lives his manly life with his cat-sisters-by-adoption, Bianca and Sadie; the crazy dawg, Leah; and crazy moi. Pity the Big Boy.
It recently occurred to me that Willie has outlived and outlasted three other adored male cats: Merlin & Milo, my gorgeous gingers; and Walter, who has many tributes on this site. And Fred, the hermaphroditic guinea pig who changed my life -- another ginger.
Willie was my first man cat in this current collection cycle, brought home on the last day of March, 1992. Crabby old stray Gracie kitty and I lived in a sweet little apartment overlooking Monterey Bay. Today, Willie is my last man cat standing. It stuns me into some sort of surreal shock to realize that I was barely 34 when Willie joined my life. Today, I am closing in on 50. That's a lot of tears, and a lot of years, for one man cat to see me through. And he has. Impeccably. Willie is my aura reader. He's not a huge lap cat, although he has his mushy moments, but is keenly in tune with my moods and my energetic shifts, always staying close enough to touch, always guarding the perimeters of my life.
At the risk of sounding overly morose and morbid on this dark Monday, thoughts of aging, life cycles, and everyones mortality have been preoccupying me lately. Surely that feeds the force in my daily aching to add another male cat (or two) to the family. I feel off-balance and a bit empty in that department. I really miss having a big old hunk of fluffy lap cat love in my life. But I realized last weekend that I am being more deliberate than I am fully conscious of in my hesitancy to add boys to the family. I'm delaying out of respect for Bianca, and her newfound place of comfort in the fur hierarchy. More on that this weekend when we celebrate her 15th birthday.
Today is Willie's day, and it brings to mind a Joni Mitchell song that always breaks my heart. These furs of ours...they give so much to us, playing so many roles in our lives, and truly ask for so very little in return...
Willy is my child he is my father
I would be his lady all my life
He says he'd love to live with me
But for an ancient injury
That has not healed
He said I feel once again
Like I gave my heart too soon
He stood looking thru the lace
At the face on the conquered moon
And counting all the cars up the hill
And the stars on my window sill
There are still more reasons why I love him
Willy is my joy he is my sorrow
Now he wants to run away and hide
He says our love cannot be real
He cannot hear the chapel's pealing silver bells
But you know it's hard to tell
When you're in the spell if it's wrong or if it's real
But you're bound to lose
If you let the blues get you scared to feel
And I feel like I'm just being born
Like a shiny light breaking in a storm
There are so many reasons why I love him
11 comments:
Mom never deliberately added any cat to our howsehold. I just happen to be a lone mancat in a howse wif two sisfurs, I defer to dem acuz I know, I mean reely know, dat if I wanted to I could beat dem. I don't haf to, I let dem haf der way and in return dey both, seperately, love me. I get to sleep wif Zippy and Sadie will play chase wif me. If another boy were to come along mom mite, or mite not, take him in. Da gerls and I haf a comfortable relashonship and if some cat, boy or gerl, were added it wood shift things but we'd all werk it out in da end. Yoo beans hafta amember, we cats is wizer den yoo and will be what and who we will be no matter what yoo do or say or think.~Speedy
Willie is a very good mancat. My Mommie wants another cat too, but since Pixie is so sick with a bad heart, she decided to wait, for now. She volunteers 3 days a week at a cat rescue shelter and says that the number of beautiful, sweet, funny and special cats there is amazing. There are always one or two "extra special" cats there that she would love to take home.
Awww, Willie sounds like such a speshul cat, and your post touched us Ballicai and our momma furry much.
Momma says that each one of us Ballicai bring joy and love to our beans each of us in our speshul way. I'm the little kitty commedian, hehe -- I always make momma laugh. Marilyn's momma's lap snugglebug, and they do a lotta cuddlin'. Dorydoo is most like momma in her personality -- quirky and independunt -- and the two of 'em have a mindmeld thing goin'. And Brainball is the kitty who's been with Mom and Dad the longest and what your momma wrote about Willie, guardin' the perimeters of her life, is ecksacktly the way Momma feels about Brainball.
Thank you for such a nice postie about kitty love -- it really touched my momma lot and she relates oh so big time!
Kittyhugs and purrs from MaoMao!
If you take an M
examine and play
Flip it over
What does it say?
It becomes a W...
Oh I have known
the pleasures you
have brought me,
you W's of my life.
Fur covered heartstrings
entangle my memories.
Always and furefur
WALTER.
Always and present
WILLIE.
Dearest Mosaic cats!
I hope you like my little poetry about the W's...I was deeply inspired once again by your words in your post.
I am very happy to have found you all....such kindred spirits we are.
You are like a smooth tonic on a bummpy day.
Purrrrrrs from Miss Peach and the shabby but chic dreamer lady
I guess your post really touched the maid, she got all "emotional". Humans!
We did not ask to be added to a household, we just showed up where they live and hired them, so they didn't really have a chance, hahahahaha!
We have overheard the maid saying she never wanted to work for cats again after she lost her last employers due to old age. But some people are just destined to be hired by us cats, I guess!
Karl still hasn't found out about the picture of him today on the blog...too busy lizard hunting...
Anastasia
The difference between the sexes is very interesting to me. I only had female cats until my beloved Katie passed away from kidney disease. That same day I went to the SPCA and found Tyler. My sister had encouraged me to get a male. I'm so glad I did. He is my shadow. I feel his unconditional love throughout the day. Now that I have two kittens one of each sex, it's interesting to see their differences Sophie is full of purrs but wants to keep her distance when lying down near me. When she wakes up from a nap and find herself alone she mews desperately, until I tell her where I am. Jake is in my face, screaming for my attension. Love me, love me, love me NOW. Of course it's not all about which sex they are. By the way, my 17 year old is't having any problems with the kittens. It's Cookie the middle cat who minds the most.'
You sound like a very loving lady, and my mom's all "thinking 'bout stuff" now ... Willie and all your kitties are very lucky to have you (and vice versa).
Oah, this is so touched me~!
Willy and your cats & you are very lucky to have each other.
That was a very sweet story and poem. You guys are very nice.
Meowz to the artsy house of W's! Now now, no sad tears allowed this sunny week! Life is way too short and there is so much to explore and create! I'd love to be at your place and help the ML break up pretty plates....I'd even bring some of my own stash. I have been collecting them for years in the garden shed to do mosaics with on birdhouses. I could also bring a bottle of Washington wine...I am surrounded by 50,000 acres of vineyards!!! Bet that wets your lips...my favorite is ice wine and musCAT. MusCAT get it, really I like very sweet wines.
I hope your furend who makes the kitty tiles might conside doing a series like the ML suggested....those names were to cool! Kah Shyraz Shyraz...love Doris Day:)
I love your idea of cat art Sunday. Count me in for this. I can get my paws on stuff in the dreamer lady's Bat Cave...(that is what her work studio is called:)
Well it is time for bed for this night owl...nice to visit with you today and touch the soul a bit with words.
Purrrs Miss Peach
ps: does your tile artist do custom work? I like the mermaid cat:)
Post a Comment