re-visited

"the saga of mr. catt"...

years ago, when i was a pre- teen i happened upon a gray tabby cat- gender unknown.

i don't remember if he/it followed me to my house(with a little enticing) or if he/it just showed up in our yard. i do remember that it was winter time (western ny. can have some wild winters, thanks to lake erie) . i was so excited - we had never had a cat as my parents were not "cat people". my older brother warned me that dad wouldn't be happy (and you didn't want to make my dad unhappy) if he saw a cat hanging around. my love for this homeless creature far outweighed the possible wrath of my father, so i proceeded to make a suitable sleeping situation for him/it on our porch. i found 2 boxes and put one inside the other with a blanket tucked inside and around the inside box. another blanket was placed around the outside box and a sign was made with the name "mr. catt". he now had an identity and a home. i'm sure i put some kind of food inside also, but that memory has faded. i spent much time petting and becoming acquainted with my new pet that day until my dad drove into the driveway and into the scene. one look at this new addition to our family and out he went. my dad kicked at mr. catt and yelled and the last thing i saw was a little gray furry back- end scampering off in the snow. i begged for allowance of my new friend, but to no avail. i didn't like my dad much after that .. hmmm maybe i'm still mad at him