Hi everyone,
Today’s guest post comes from chosenperspectives on Lucy, the Woodpile Kitten:
Lucy, the Woodpile Kitten
I know we all think that our cat (or dog) is the most amazing, most talented, and cutest one in the history of its species. What good pet parent doesn’t?
But my Lucy? She might seriously be up there in the top 5, well, OK maybe the top 100 of all time.
I’ll spare you all the “cute” stories about her childhood. “Cute”, when it comes to kittens is only slightly relative. Hard to find one who doesn’t elicit an “awe” from even the most hardened resisters.
Lucy was born into cuteness. Our whole world was cute the day we found her in our woodpile with her 3 tiny siblings. (You can read more about it here:)
https://chosenperspectives.wordpress.com/2016/01/08/warning-cuteness-overload/
Though I am primarily a dog person, I’ve also had cats my whole life…usually more than one. They have been mostly outdoor cats until the recent influx the of brazen coyotes into my neighborhood. No fault of the coyotes. The builders have run them out of their habitat. But now, any felines I parent are strictly house cats. It only takes one time seeing your favorite cat being carried off in the mouth of a coyote to make you rethink your responsibility to the animals you domesticate.
Lucy will be three years old this summer. I have many good stories about her (again, what good parent doesn’t?) For example, sitting here at my desk each morning, I can see the squirrels arrive on the deck right outside my window to steal the food I have put out for my Crows. If I say “Lucy, your friends are here!” she will come bounding out from anywhere in the house, even if she is sound asleep, and jump on the window sill to cat-chirp at the thieving rodents.
https://chosenperspectives.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/img_8797.jpg
Here’s another quick tale. If I so much as TOUCH the bag of cat treats, she appears like lightening. Oh, the other cats come also but not nearly as fast. And Phineas and Zorro do not perch on their hind legs at my feet like a begging Meerkat!! Lucy will stand in that position any time I say “UP” and then gently grab the offered treat from between my fingers. If I toss it, she’ll even catch it mid-air, just like a Frisbee dog, right between her two paws, like she is clapping!
And then there is her fascination with containers of any kind. I know, I know. Most cats love boxes and various bags. But Lucy prefers the emptied plastic wraps from Costco.
All of that is cute, right? But there are two things she does lately that really have my attention. (A reminder here that I have often posted the disclaimer that I am the QUEEN of anthropomorphizing)
1) James is clearly Lucy’s favorite human. She imprinted on him the very first day we found them in that woodpile.
James has had to travel a lot lately and when he is gone, Lucy misses him…no, seriously. She mopes. She repeatedly sniffs where he has been sitting. And she refuses to sleep on the bed with me. When James is here, she sleeps under the covers, ON his legs, ALL NIGHT!
OK, so maybe that doesn’t prove anything but listen to this. If the phone rings when James is out of town, she is instantly on alert. And if it is James calling me, (we talk on the speaker) she is on my lap instantly, purring like crazy. She rubs her cheeks on the phone, and will not stop until I hang up. Sometimes, our whole conversation is about how she is head-butting the phone or, if I happen to be semi-reclined, how she has settled high up on my chest, under my chin for maximum closeness to the receiver. She does not do this with ANY OTHER caller. James will talk to her and I swear, her purring increases in volume.
And 2) Here’s the Lucy story that really gets to me.
Since she was very little, she has liked watching TV. Not so rare for a cat but it’s WHAT she watches that caught my attention. It started with this…
And then she branched out but the only other shows she watched were Cat shows
Recently, with Lucy asleep on the bed, I started a National Geographic show on Netflix. I left the room for something before the show got rolling. (Have I mentioned that Lucy is the sweetest, most gentle cat I’ve ever had? Not once has she ever clawed or bitten or even so much as played too roughly. And she is very quiet!) As I headed back to where I left her asleep, I heard the most unusual sound, a faint whimper at first and then a low whining that turned into what could only be described as a slightly muted keening. She was up on the dresser with the TV, gently pawing the screen, and keening. I’m not kidding.
The show was about the study that certain animals do, in fact, grieve.
She whimpered and mewled for the whole show and when it was over, came over and, like she sleeps on James all the time, and, as if in empathy fatigue, collapsed onto my chest and fell asleep…
We hope you enjoyed her story and don’t forget to check out her Blog.
Thanks,
Marc
Lucy sounds like one of the sweetest kitties ever. She has a huge personality. I love hearing your stories.
Thanks so much. She is a sweetheart, for sure!!
Glad you liked our guest story. 🙂
What a charmer. Over the years I’ve had several cats who liked to watch TV but only one who had favorite types of programing. Nissana loved nature shows about large mammals. And she got really upset if they were being hurt…. even “screaming” at the TV when they showed a rhino being shot. She also adored a program called “The Pet Psychic” in which the host would communicate with all kinds of animals. She would give me a look at the end of the show as though asking is she could talk to the host.
So I’m sure your darling Lucy would have loved that show too.
Thanks for sharing her story. I wish you many more delightful years with her.
Thank you so much. I’m glad you get it! Who knows what really goes on in their sweet little minds!
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What a wonderful story. Thank you!
Thanks for reading. She is often a character in my blogging. What a sweet entertainer!!!
Lucy sounds like a beautiful girl, inside and out. You must be so proud of her ??
I have some TV loving kitties too, but only Pepper cares about what she watches. She loves anything with any type of animal in it. It’s sweet watching suddenly home in on the TV when she realises there’s an animal on it.
Love the photos of Lucy by the way. ?
It is cute and interesting too.
I think I am getting my reply comments mixed up here. But thanks for your comment.
Your Welcome
Thank you. I love hearing other cats do this too. Validates a secret theory I have about their sensitivity and “intellect”! Thanks for commenting.
Oliver LOVES watching anything with fishes or birds LOl
Pingback: Guest Star: Lucy, the Woodpile Kitten – Katzenworld | RoseyToesSews
Lucy is a sweet kitty. enjoyed the photos, especially with the “big cat” on tv.
Thanks. Any “cat show” will draw her attention! And she is definitely sweet. It’s like “gratitude” or something. Born to a feral mother in the wild, it’s like she knew there was a better life. And has been thanking us ever since.
Lucy is so cute. Daisy Mae acts like she’s watching tv but not like Lucy. Reblogged on http://daisymae2017.wordpress.com/
Thanks for the reblog. I’m just learning about how to do all that. I’ll check out your blog!
I have 2 blogs. http://daisymae2017.wordpress.com and http://crystalsphotobloggingsite.wordpress.com
Thanks 🙂
Sure
So cute! My folks just rescued a kitten from their woodpile, ironically (and from being a coyote snack). And kudos to keeping your cats indoors–I’m not a supporter of having cats be indoor/outdoor, but can’t imagine that people let their cats outside here in the desert, what with coyotes and some of the biggest raccoons I have ever seen (and I’m from Florida–raccoon central). I just trapped an unneutered male (not feral) and luckily a local no-kill cat shelter took him in. I’m still heartbroken that I couldn’t afford to adopt him–he is so sweet.
Yeah the coyotes run in packs right here in my suburban neighborhood (that used to be considered the country). Hardly their fault that they go after cats because their territory in so usurped by house builders now. But years ago I had to witness a favorite cat be carried off in the mouth of a coyote. Now, all cats are IN THE HOUSE!!
I would just be beside myself if that happened. I used to let my cat outdoors, until I started volunteering/working for the local sheriff’s Animal Services and other rescue groups, and learned that it’s better to keep cats indoors. I tell ya, I wouldn’t go back to letting my cats outside…so much less stress. It’s easier to find places to rent, I don’t have to haul the cat to the vet every time they tangle with a raccoon to get their abscessed wound drained, and, over time, you can cut down on the vaccines you give your cat, especially as they age. Oh, and yeah, the other article I just reblogged talks about development eating up nature–suburban sprawl and all that. And I blogged about such development in a few different blogs myself. Sad.
Gosh I always forget how dangerous life can be for them in the US. Here in the Uk their biggest danger are humans and cars…
Really? Here, people will steal people’s pets if they are indoor/outdoor and use them for bait animals in dog fights. That’s why I’m so adamant about keeping animals indoor (indoor only for cats)/under close supervision. Gang members in training are made to around and collect people’s pets from yards/the street. http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=613012
and http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/02/0218_040218_dogfighting.html. Or people will collect animals (or pose as a loving couple to take advantage of free pet ads in paper and on craigslist) sell them to laboratories for animal testing–they will scan free pet ads and pose as a loving couple. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2000/07/from-the-leash-to-the-laboratory/378269/
Oh my god that’s terrible 🙁
No kidding, right? I’d seen a bunch of stuff as an animal rescue volunteer, but I was still astounded when the officers I worked with filled me in about that. I think I had made some comment about the fact that every so often in our neighbourhood, there would be a slew of missing pet flyers, all at once. The animal control officers filled me in as to reasons why.
Ok, I’m still positive that my cat, Callie, is the cutest creature who ever existed. Still, based on this story alone, I would have to agree that Lucy probably is in the top 20 of cutest cats ever. If she were my cat, I would be convinced she was empathizing with the giraffes. Ok, she’s not my cat. She was empathizing with the giraffes. Only cat owners can beiieve such at thing. Lovely, lovely story about Lucy!
Thanks for the comment. And Callie is pretty darn cute!!!
If you’d like to do another guest story at any point let us know. 🙂
It was an honor to do this one and I know my cats have more tales in them. I’ll send you something soon! Thanks so much for the opportunity, and for all the great stuff you are doing!
You are welcome :-). The community is what makes Katzenworld complete. 😀