Cat Tales

I have never really considered myself much of a cat person. Not that I’m opposed to cats (I’ve had a couple over the years) but when I think of getting a new pet, dogs usually come to mind.

When we moved to Glenmore, the former owner left us a note saying there was a cat who used to live in a barn that had been torn down several months before. Living in the middle of hundreds of acres of corn (critter heaven), I knew we would need a cat – and not just any old cat; we needed a cat that could hunt. Perfect! Problem solved – the farm came with a cat.

I put out cat food and waited. And waited. I waited for three months – no sign of a cat. The weather got colder. I had visions of mice getting in the house looking for somewhere warm. Still no cat. Finally I gave up. I would have to find a cat. As it turned out, a friend of mine was moving and could not take her barn cat with her to the new place.

I knew this cat – she was not very friendly. She was actually kind of a pest. We all just called her “the kitty” and she was notorious for getting into horse trailers and any other vehicle that might have windows or door open. She even rode 30 miles on the axle of my truck one day. She didn’t like people to pet her and she was notorious for flirting with the dogs and then getting them to chase her.

Well, she was free, she needed a home and we needed a cat. So after two days of trying to catch her and get her into a crate, we got “the kitty.” We brought her home and let her spend the night in her crate in the garage, hoping that she wouldn’t hitch the first ride out the next day. Surprisingly enough, she hopped up on top of the freezer where we had stored some old drop cloths and set up camp.

We decided to call her Martha. Why Martha? Because she needed a name and she just seemed to look like a Martha. I wish it was more interesting than that. All I can say is that from the day we gave her a name, she has become a different cat. She is incredibly friendly! Martha will climb right up onto my shoulder and purr away while I pet her. During the day, she will come around the windows and ask the dogs to come out and play. I’m serious! She doesn’t play rough, but she sure likes to hang out with them. On warm days, she will lay outside my study window and keep me company. Not only that, but she waits at the front door at night when Gator takes the dogs out one last time before we go to bed. She has been an absolute joy to have around – not at all what I expected from a cat (especially this one)!

I have to say, I love this cat!