Join Diane, MotherOwl, Mimi and me as we think about our non-human friends. Leave your poem in the comments or post on your own blog. If you do the latter, please leave a comment so we can find you. Use the topic, or choose another; have fun and work your brain.
*****
Like a lot of you in Blogland, I've had the privilege of knowing and loving a number of different pets throughout my life.
There was David, the sweet and gentle budgie, who I feel so guilty about now because no bird should be caged. Sam, a big bruiser of a black boy cat, chosen as a kitten by yours truly. Susie, the beagle/bluetick girl hound who came to us as a tiny puppy. After I married, there was Puddin' the calico girl cat, who welcomed both our babies home. Then a handsome pale ginger boy cat, Whiskers, a stray who came to stay. Then two more black cats - brothers, Pins and Needles, chosen from the local SPCA. Meredith Grey, a not-surprisingly-grey girl cat, named by the staff at the vet's where she had been brought with serious injuries and never claimed. Francis, a white boy cat, in a sort of foster situation, owned by our daughter and given up for love of her highly-allergic future husband. And finally Lucy, a calico girl cat, another stray who came to stay.
Eagle-eyed readers with nothing better to do than remember my cats' names may notice that three of the most recent cats' names don't align with the names I've used when writing about them.
(You know the end of the world has arrived when Donkey decides to use the cats' real names instead of pseudonyms! Just some dark humour, there ... Carry on. In the past, Pins has been known as Boycat, Meredith has been known as GreyGirl, and Lucy has been known as Sweetie/Lulu.)
That's a lot of Pets I've Known and Loved. My first attempt at this post consisted of a short paragraph on each, which rang in at 1600 words and still felt like I was shortchanging every one of them.
That was before I even started a poem.
It was clear I had to take a different approach.
*****
Thank You to All My Feathered or Furred Friends
You kept me company,
And taught me responsibility.
You warmed my soul with your devotion.
You captured my heart.
And your leaving, for those who are gone, helped me
To understand and face grief.
Incredible gifts from those
Who own nothing
Wear nothing
Carry nothing
Store nothing
And leave nothing behind
Except good memories.
*****
And because that was, of necessity, veering off into sad territory, here are some pet funnies:
(All memes from icanhas.cheezburger.com)
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Wishing you a week where you remember good friends, whether they be the human kind or the other kind.
I like your poem, they give us incredible gifts. Lots of funnies in your captioned photos.
ReplyDeleteThey don't ask for much but give so much in return, don't they?
DeleteYes.
ReplyDeleteOver the years my life has been enriched with many animals. Animals who bit and scratched me. Animals who vomited copiously (preferably on soft funishings). Animals who pooped and piddled. Ditto. Animals who enriched the vet. Much loved animals.
Animals who wound their paws deep into my heartstrings and took a piece of me with them when they left.
Yes, exactly. There are definitely drudgery aspects to having a pet but they are loved all the same. And missed.
DeleteAbout the cat who can see a bird across the yard and not the meat you dropped on the floor, cats have poor close range vision. That's why you have to let them smell it a few times before they will agree to eat it. But small movements, even in the dark and at some distance? They're seeing all kinds of stuff that we're not.
ReplyDeleteI grew up on some acreage surrounded by animals big and small, and probably knew more animals than people until we moved into town when I was about ten.
The only animals from there that I really would call pets were the bird dogs, one of whom moved to town with us and was a part of the family.
She got fat and kinda lazy after we spayed her, but even so, take her out into the hedgerow where there might be a pheasant and the years and pounds seemed to disappear and all of the sudden you were working as hard as you could to keep up with her.
I've never understood how she knew how to do all of that, but she did. She would run the bird along the ground, corner it, and come to a "point" with her stubby little tail straight out and one front paw off of the ground. It was up to you to flush the bird, and she wouldn't lower herself to retrieve it after you shot it.
Oh, and if you missed? The derision expressed by that animal would teach you new meanings for the word shame.
While she was still around, one day a tiny black ball of fluff walked up and meowed at the door. We thought it was a she, but we were wrong, and he grew into a twenty pound tomcat who pretty much thought he was a dog, having grown up around one. I didn't know if my dad would let us keep him until I came into the kitchen where he was cooking dinner only to find the cat's tail waving from behind his elbow while dad fed him treats from the crook of his arm.
With the exception of some cats I adopted when I was 19, I didn't have any more pets until we moved into John's house in Richmond in 2016 and bonded with his cat Kitters.
Then, after she went missing, and we searched for her for a couple of months, one night Briana went to investigate some cat like noise she heard in the back yard and returned with this scrawny little black cat who kept meowing until we fed him some of Kitter's kibble and Briana opened a can of tuna... He didn't stay scrawny long.
It took a few months to get a name to stick to him, and the one that did was Littlebeast, and now even the vet and the chip company know him as such. He's ridden halfway across the state as we've moved twice, and is a full member of the team.
That said, he keeps fighting with the neighbor's nice little grey cat and is on inside restriction until we can figure a way to get him to behave himself. He doesn't care for the snow, and sleeps by the heater a lot these days.
I like your poem, and am still sometimes amazed when I meet people who haven't learned some of the many lessons I was taught by the animals I have known, and just sort of took it for granted that everyone must know.
I've been exceptionally lucky, and that's one of the things I always have to be thankful for.
-Doug in Sugar Pine
Oh, I smiled at your description of your bird dog's reaction to a missed shot! Dogs have such expressive faces. Cats somewhat less so, but they still have a lot of body language going on.
DeleteIt's really difficult to convince cats to share territory if they haven't done it from a very young age. That's unfortunate for Littlebeast. I love his name :D
The two cats we have left now aren't allowed to be together. Lucy is very aggressive and I'm afraid she would hurt or even try to kill Meredith. But we have a system here to keep them apart and allow for freedom. When we had four cats at once, only two of them could be together and that was more of a challenge.
It's helpful to recognize our good luck, isn't it? Many folks start out with little chance for good things in their lives, simply through the luck of the draw at birth.
Ha Ha, Love the judo kitten :) Your poem is good too.
ReplyDeleteThat judo kitty makes me smile too! Thanks, River :)
DeleteIt is usually animals that first teach us about grief and it can be awful. My fave was 'There was a bird outside'.
ReplyDeleteYes, the grief from losing a pet is just as difficult as losing a person, isn't it?
Deletehahahaha
ReplyDeletei am still in laugh mode dear Jenny
your funnies made me laugh loudly and i had to share with hubby who came to see what is going on lol
this was needed post in present circumstances ,i wish i have guts to make my friends laugh as much ,you are incredibly gifted believe me !
loved the poem ,yes later half was sad and reminded me one of my pet ,so nicely said and shared
wow you been having lots of pets throughout your life dear Jenny and i think this is amazing quality as it needs strong sense of devotion ,love ,care and patience
stay safe and well my friend!
hugs!
I wish I was as witty as the folks who make the memes, baili! I only find them, I don't write them :) I'm so glad you enjoyed them! Hugs, my friend :)
DeleteWhat a good poem. It even made me remember some pets I forgot! Thank you for those funnies, theu were rellay funny!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked the funnies, Charlotte! I have so much fun choosing them and sharing them.
DeleteVery sweet poem. Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteLoved the break out bird and the cat and blinds.
Glad you enjoyed them, Ivy!
Delete:-)
DeleteAh, I loved hearing about all your pets! I have had cats all my life and have come to believe they are necessary to my existence. Thanks for the lovely poem an the oh so funny pics. Take good care!
ReplyDeleteThe current cats are likely to be our last ones because of our son-in-law's allergy, Bonnie. It's a hard decision - they are such good company.
DeleteExcellent poem, remembering pets always gives me a heart clench...Where would we be without them...and your funnies made me laugh...Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had a laugh, e :)
DeletePets truly become members of the family.
ReplyDeleteI agree!
DeleteYou made such great points about pets, they have nothing but give so much. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThey're not about material things at all, are they?
DeleteSweet, beautiful poem! And I so LOVE your funnies!
ReplyDeleteYay!
DeleteGreat funnies, especially the kittens.
ReplyDeleteThere are such good memes on the internet!
DeleteWell done! The funnies are fabulous.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed them, Mimi!
DeleteYour poem is heartfelt. I'll see if I can find a poem that fits in your category.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
ReplyDeleteChristmas Cat curls into a ball beneath the tree, as compactly perfect as any ornament.
Watches lights flicker, enjoys a brief nibble on a bit of red and green ribbon.
Brightly wrapped toys, clothes, and books surround her.
But she smiles, knowing she is the best gift of all
Because she is Cat.
This poem is called Christmas Cat. I wrote it about the best cat we had, Milhous. Milhous adored my daughter.
And don't cats love Christmas trees/present/everything really! Thanks for leaving your poem with us, Janie. Milhous is an awesome name.
DeleteWe named him after President Nixon, whose middle name was Milhous. We wanted our Milhous to be sly and tricky so he could catch mice for us.
DeleteHaha I do love all the memes you feature every week. Thanks for the laughs, and for the poem too!
ReplyDeleteGlad to provide! :)
DeleteWhat a sweet, insightful poem. I loved it. And also Doug's stories. When I've been away for awhile, I always think to myself, "think I'll go see what Jenny and Doug from SugarPine are up to". Neither of you ever disappoints!
ReplyDeleteThat is such a nice thing to write, Chickie - I always look forward to Doug's comments, too - and your posts.
DeleteCute and sweet poem! Had a good laugh with the breakout bird. HAHAHA
ReplyDeleteMakes you wonder how it would feel if one of those birds decided to attack!
DeleteI loved your poem! You summed up the joy of a furred and feathered family perfectly. And thank you for the LOLz - we all need those these days. :-)
ReplyDeleteGlad to help, Diane :)
Delete