Feral Cat Fridays: Dr. Stanley, I Presume?
The star of this week’s feral cat show is Stanley, son of Stranger and brother of Fluff and Duff. Stranger came down from the woods behind the house with her family of 3 in tow. Stranger lived up to her name and always returned to the woods after eating but she seemed to understand that her offspring would have a more comfortable life as a part of the larger cat colony. She made regular visits, but left her children in our care.
Stanley was a sociable guy, as were his siblings. I’ve already covered Duff. Sister Fluff became one of our long-time favorites and I’ll give Fluff her due later. While Duff was a model citizen and Fluff was a popular fuzz-ball, Stanley was a careful recorder of the events in his world.
Stanley and I had many midmorning discussions about the state of the colony and the larger world. He was particularly fond of a perch in a tree near our front deck, so he and I often enjoyed the morning together. Stanley would soak up the sun as I tended to birdseed, hummingbird feeders, and other little daily tasks. Including cat food, of course.
Stanley always seemed interested in my activities but I never could talk him into coming down from the tree and lending a hand. I guess he had just a little too much of his mother Stranger in him.
I chuckled at the reversal in your title. Funny how a word that doesn’t even appear can evoke such memories — like this one. That’s good morning music, right there.
Now I have a hankering for a trip to Livingston to eat a good piece of pie and visit with a retired friend who’s perched at the edge of Lake Livingston in her RV, living life pretty much like Stanley. Like Stanley, my friend’s soaking up the sun and keeping an eye on things, but she’s given up discussions of the world at large, and brought her blood pressure down considerably in the process.
It’s hard to beat Jimmy Buffett, no matter the time of day. Having spent several years rambling around in our RV I can imagine sitting on the edge of the lake with your friend, watching the world go by without comment or discussion. I think Stanley was suggesting I do the same. If I could have climbed up that tree with him (and made it back down without needing an ER visit) I would have joined him.