15 July 2011

Time for Pets--Henry the Cat

Welcome back. Our son, Noah, acquired Henry the cat last year so he could pay higher rent for his college apartment. 
Henry, pretending to be sweet.

The Bat Story

I learned about Henry in a phone conversation with Noah the day after the cat leaped to Noah’s defense, eliminating a bat that had ventured unseen into the apartment. When Noah went to remove the vanquished bat, Henry scratched him, playfully of course.

What followed is a long story that began with me suggesting delicately to Noah that it might be wise to recover the bat, contact the health department, and get the remains tested before he and SuperCat both start foaming at the mouth and die horrific deaths. Sigh…we all survived (bat excluded).

Here’s Henry!

Henry is the epitome of cat confidence. 
Henry, preparing for his next unplanned action.
He genuinely likes and wants to be with Noah--sitting, sleeping, walking, hanging over Noah’s shoulder, being carried right side up or down, doesn’t matter. No carrier case needed. 
Noah and Henry.

Henry is undoubtedly as smart as was Lassie, the cat I described in earlier blog posts, but Lassie had manners.   
Also, Lassie would never have bounced off walls and furniture chasing a puff ball or string, or tugged a sleeping bag across a room simply because it happened to be on the floor. 

Unlike Henry, Lassie considered the consequences before she acted. 
“Did that string move? It wasn’t me. I was just 
walking by. You know, I think it moved.”

Scoring one for Henry, however, Lassie never traveled well or serenely. When riding the 4-plus hour drive to and from college with Noah, Henry strolls around the car for about 30 minutes, rambling, 

  “Hey, did you see that? 
   How fast are we going? 
   When do you think we’ll get there? 
   By the way, where are we going? 
   OK, maybe I’ll take a nap.”  

And he falls asleep on or against Noah.

Henry Comes to Visit

On his first visit to our home, Henry marched past us with his anomalously bushy tail erect, sat in the middle of the room, looked at Noah and asked, “Are we staying here?” 

When our cat, Boss, came graciously to say hello, Henry beamed a Cheshire Cat grin. “Whoa!” he shouted. “A furry toy.” Then he pounced on her, endearing Boss to him forever. Henry interacts well with people and dogs; too bad he’s never read The Cat’s Emily Post. 

Henry, winking at the camera.
With Henry here, only one cat at a time can be free to wander. Even when it’s her turn, however, old terrorized Boss normally chooses to stay upstairs near a bedroom, where she can hide quickly under a bed. She knows closed doors can’t be trusted to hold Henry.

Wrap Up

Is this chatter about Henry merely a comic aside? I wish. At the end of last month, Noah and his roommates moved from a pay-a-pet-fee apartment to a no-pets apartment. Henry moved in with us.

But it’s only for a year. Did you hear that, Boss?

Thanks for stopping by. I’ll write again in about a week; not about cats. I will try to get Noah's video clip of Henry pulling a sleeping bag posted before I move on.

1 comment:

  1. Hahaha... How did Noah managed to convince you guys to babysit for a year?! I am guessing is he is more well mannered?

    love the blog.

    ReplyDelete