About five years ago, my husband – a tender-hearted man who doesn’t like cats – found a kitten outside in the winter. This kitten was practically starved and trying to stay warm in our springhouse. My husband noted that this cat had large blue eyes and some Siamese in her. Although he doesn’t like cats much, he has tolerated them over the years (because of his deep love and affection for me!).
He could have taken this cat to the animal shelter or just ignored it. But having that tender heart, he fed it. And so… then we had an outside cat to feed along with our large dog and our “inside” cat (the stray that was dumped in our yard the winter of 2015 when the temperatures were below zero).
Effie, the inside cat, and Forest, our dog, were fine with the new kitten. We named her Limestone, and as anyone knows, once you name an animal, you’re all theirs. So Limestone stayed outside, looking through the storm door as spring and summer came and pawing at it on the occasions Effie was on the other side.
When people approached Limestone, she ran (including us) for the most part. Visitors to our home never saw her, as she had a lot of places to hide and did so with alacrity! I tried to put a collar on her several times and she always managed to get them off in parts unknown.
By 2020, she was nuzzling us when we were outside and often allowed me to pick her up and cuddle her. She never wanted in the house and still hid from most other folks.
In 2021, Effie passed away. Limestone began venturing into the house almost every day, clearly trying to find her little grey pal. After a few months of this, she started to curl up on Forest’s bed and sleep in the afternoons.
Then in 2022, Forest passed away. From that time on, Limestone slept on his bed (until we got her one of her own), and often napped in my lap. She would let my husband pet her (he did save her life, after all), but that was about it. I was the only human she really seemed to feel safe around.
Limestone would sleep all night on her bed then go out in the morning and cat around (pun intended) until nap time in the afternoon. She’d eat, go out again until bedtime, then come in for the night.
This schedule lasted nearly a year. Occasionally she’d sit on my lap, but mostly she was content in her bed. A few weeks ago, she came in at bedtime, but wanted right back out. We let her out and waited about an hour, but she didn’t return. We went to bed, thinking she’d be at the door in the morning when we got up.
But she wasn’t. We traipsed around our property and I even went down to the creek. With all the rain we’d had, the creek was high and rapid. I worried that she’d either been taken (no collar!) or swept away by the creek and had perished. We couldn’t find her anywhere.
That was a long day for me. At 9:00 that evening, we were watching television and heard a familiar “plunk” on our porch. We opened the door and there Limestone was! She came in and went straight to her food bowl, after which she curled up on her bed and went to sleep. I was so thrilled, I didn’t check her out.
She avoided us touching her for many days, until I finally spotted the large cut on her head. My husband noted the lump. Something had surely hit her – and hard! – on her head, right above her eye. We suspect she was unconscious for a while.
But she made it home from wherever that happened, and at this time, seems completely normal. Except….
She’s now sleeping on Matt’s chair, even when he’s in it. She gets up on his lap and hunkers down for naps. She wants to be right by his side, all evening. My friend says she might feel safer around the alpha male.
I think she might have brain damage. Plus, I’m a wee bit jealous.
That is definitely one beautiful cat! Maybe… I’m not sure, but maybe this was the second hit on the head for Limestone and she realizes now that it was the tender-hearted man who saved her life and her affections have turned to him. She has marked him now as her own, and Susie… you are out! Maybe if you sat in the tender-hearted man’s chair? More treats from you?
Brain damage? Nah… could be a wee bit of jealousy.
as usual you two are hoots!!! Not a cat person here – since I never had any luck with “training” any – dogs ARE mans best friend – after a spouse of course!!! Nice pic, bu still does not win my affection over – thinking of getting a parror – soemone to
talk’ to at times of loneliness!!! probably would not answer my call but would yell at me when resting to wake up!!
Nah… John, you don’t want a parrot! They use fowl language (pun intended), and they actually do cuss a lot! Well, if they hear that kind of language. What you need is a crow… or two! They are quick learners and will help your loneliness. We had three of them when I was a kid. You do have to keep shiny things hidden away because if it’s big enough for them to carry, they steal and hide that kind of stuff. They’re easy to care for and don’t take much food. Need proof of my crows? Ask your super great sister.
Take care. The Bets
awesome – I hate the big black birds that steal all my birdfood for the red and blue birds, finches and other little birdies – so I doubt I could handle one as a “friends” for me – maybe I will just go monkey around some!!! no “crowing” is allowed around here, cannot handle anything being sharper than me!!! HA HA !!! Keep up the great comments, it is a pleasure to read your thoughts along with my great sister!!
Yes, John, I also have a great disliking for those big, obnoxious blackbirds or grackles as some people call them. I’m sure they’re related to the crows. They can gobble up bird seed and suet in no time. They will throw out and even eat robin’s eggs. Not only that, they will lay an egg or two among the robin’s eggs and let the mother robin raise their children! Talk about lazy!
One year we kept throwing the blackbird’s egg out of a robin’s nest until the blackbird got so angry, she threw out and pecked holes in all of the robin’s eggs. Well, needless to say, quite a few of the grackles went to Heaven prematurely! They have come in by swarms this year. My husband has been treating the red-tail hawks to many dinners lately. The red-tail is a beautiful bird and does have to eat.
When the sweet corn gets big enough, they will devour it. I doubt they will get to… there is a scripture that says God gave us dominion over the animals, fish, grackles… and that Savage rifle rarely misses its mark!
It’s also a pleasure to read your thoughts, John. Let’s just hope that great sister of yours keeps snippeting! She’s great at it!
Amen Bets – I have shot many grackles over the years and their number has reduced – either I killed them off with my sharp shooting skill or hurt them enough they are smart enough NOT to return to my feeders – any way only saw about 4 or 5 this year so far – used to come in the dozens – need to protect my little friends – they do no harm!! Now, gotta watch out for the roaming unlicensed CATS – trying to feast on the little birdies!!
All I can say is Limestone is one lucky cat to have found you both!
Amen to that!!!