The "Cathouse on Harrington Drive" Story

It was an ordinary day. I had just fed the cats. Seems either Carol or I have been doing this chore since we were married. We have had a few dogs during our life together, but we have always had a cat or two. Or three. Or even four. Our first cat was a long haired Persian cat name Ivy. Black as can be. And then along came Fluffy. Fluffy was also a Persian, but she was different because she had two different colored eyes. One was green and one was blue. Yep, you guessed it. She was white and fluffy. Pretty novel names. I always wanted a cat or even a dog with spots on it so I could call it Spot, but never did have one. Well, Ivy and Fluffy loved to sit in front of our aquarium and stare at the fish. They would sit there for hours and stare. So much that they freaked out the fish and every now and then one of the fish would jump out the top. Just what they were hoping for. We eventually moved into a house in Grandview Heights and purchased a cat for our daughter. She, or maybe it was us, named it Gladys. It was a Lilac Point Siamese and am not sure why we called her Gladys. She was later joined byPete, another Lilac Point Siamese. Carol and I were always sitcom TV watchers and remembered the old Pete and Gladys sitcom so we now had or own Pete and Gladys. Pete was a male who enjoyed exploring. All our cats were house cats, but Pete always found his way into the most troublesome spots. One day I found him walking on the hot water pipes in the basement and he had burnt the skin off his paws. A trip to the vets for treatment and wrapping. The wrapping lasted all of an hour after I brought him home. He didn't care for the bandages at all. On another occasion was watching us make supper from on top of the fridge. Somehow he managed to open the freezer door of the fridge and jump into the freezer section. Luckily for him we needed something out of the freezer shortly after he entered. Gladys eventually died and we replaced her with another Seal Point and named her Gladys. Yep, loved the name. Gladys #2 loved Gibbles Potato Chips. Would eat them right out of your hand. She also would stand on our hutch as we ate in the dining room and reach over with her paw and tap you on the shoulder. Begging for food wasn't just for dogs. She lived to be over 17 years old and was Carol's constant companion throughout her life. A true lap cat. Our daughter had just entered college and was living at home at the time and felt the need for her own cat so she purchased a Himalayan and named him Abe. This is a cross between a Persian and a Siamese. Markings like a Siamese, but with long hair. Carol, not to be outdone, purchased the half-brother of Abe and called him Otis. Otis is a Chocolate Point and is now over 16 years old and still loves his toy mice and laying on you in the morning in bed. Then along came Gunther. He was a Seal Point Himi who roamed our house for many years before passing recently. Gunther was my lap cat. He loved laying in my lap and being rubbed. We have found that cats are more evasive than dogs, but have their own aura about them. They love to play, but are more private. Much easier to care for than dogs. My wife recently saw Seal Point kittens advertised is the newspaper. I thought she was just talking to me, but I just located the ad taped to the side of the fridge. I guess we will be looking for another name. How about Gladys. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Pixs from the top are: Ivy, Fluffy, Pete, Gladys #2, Abe, Gunther, and Otis.