Over the years I’ve mentioned my kitty cousins once or twice. Ok, I’ve mentioned them a lot, especially considering I’ve never actually met them because they hide when I visit. For years I was led to believe that there were only cats on my Babci and Pepere’s side of the family. Well you can’t begin to imagine my surprise when it was revealed to me that there are more cats hiding in my family tree!
It all began on Christmas Eve when Grandma was reading from her recently discovered baby book. In it were the usual entries where Great Nana described Grandma’s favorite toys as a baby, first words, and outfits. But then when Grandma was a toddler, Great Nana wrote, “Chases Kitty all over the house, and loves to pat him.” Alright, no big deal. I, too, would love to chase a cat through the house if given the opportunity. But who was this cat? Then there was another entry, “Calls the Kitty, and kisses when she calls dogs or wants attention.” This led to a lot of questions, to which Grandma quickly changed the subject by stating she has no memories of Kitty, but she did have several dogs growing up. That then led to even more questions, because every dog was named “Bonnie,” and she was bit uncertain as to exactly how many dogs there were. Also the only story she could remember was the time Bonnie got a face full of porcupine quills when they were camping. But I digress.
As I was digesting this revelation about Kitty, our Great Uncle, spoke up with a story about the cat he and Grandpa lived with as children. What? Grandpa, who absolutely adored dogs, first lived with a cat! Our Great Uncle couldn’t remember the cat’s name, but he said he’d never forget the horrible hissing noise he made. Apparently he was an outdoor cat. However when he wanted to come inside to eat, he would climb up the screen door, and cling to it at the height of the window where he could be seen. Then the cat would hiss as loudly as possible shrill shrieks until our Great Grammy let him inside for dinner. Now that’s a sensible cat, who knew how to get what he wanted and when he wanted it! Yet I can’t help but wonder why did no one ever mention this cat until now? Over the years Grandpa shared a lot of stories about their dog, Cookie, why not this nameless cat? During the remainder of that visit, our Great Uncle happily entertained us by sharing even more stories about the adventures of their dog, including a few Mom had never heard before.
To be honest, just like Grandma and my Great Uncle I forgot about the cats after that day, until a late Christmas letter arrived in the mail yesterday from Mom’s cousin. Among the usual fun details of the children’s adventures was the news that they have a new kitten named – Chuck! I know imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I’m not sure how I feel about a Persian Cat being named after me! How can a cat possibly live up to such a respectable name as Chuck?!! And why is there no Billy after it? I have not visited with them since the pandemic started, but I can guarantee I want to meet this cat sooner rather than later. I wonder if Chuck will hide from me like my other kitty cousins.
