Text 1522, 76 rader
Skriven 2005-04-03 23:44:22 av DAVE COBLE (1:123/140)
Ärende: A Dog's tale
====================
As a member of a "dog family," I had long been conditioned to believe that
cats simply didn't possess the ability or desire to be loving
companions.  This belief was so deeply ingrained that, while I didn't
actually dislike cats, I found them, for the most part, uninteresting.

Arriving home from work one afternoon, I discovered a cat at my doorstep. I
ignored him, but apparently he was not offended, because he was there again
the following day. "I'll pet you," I told him, "but there's no way you're
coming in."

Then one night soon after, as the rain beat down and thunder clapped, I
heard a faint meow. I couldn't take it anymore; I became a cat owner.

My new roommate, now named Shotzy, quickly became more than just a stray
cat to feed. I liked the way his soft purring greeted me every morning and
the way he nudged his head against my leg when I came home each day. His
playful antics made me laugh, and soon Shotzy seemed more like a longtime
friend than a pet I hadn't really wanted. Although I suspected Shotzy had
been an outdoor cat for a good portion of his life, he seemed perfectly
content to stay inside, except for one remarkable exception. As if an alarm
had gone off, at about 6 o'clock every night he'd cry to go out. Then,
almost exactly one hour later, he'd be back. He did this for several months
before I finally discovered what he had been up to.


One day a neighbor who knew about Shotzy showing up at my doorstep told me
she thought the cat might belong to an elderly woman who lived down the
street.  Worried that I had mistakenly adopted someone's pet, I took Shotzy
to the woman's house the next day.

When a white-haired woman opened the door, Shotzy bolted from my arms, ran
into the house and made himself at home in a big recliner. The woman just
threw her head back and laughed, saying, "Jimmy always did love his chair."
My heart sank - my Shotzy was obviously her Jimmy. I explained I had taken
him in and only discovered the day before that he may have already had a
home. Again, the old woman chuckled. She invited me in and explained that
the cat did not belong to her.

"But, I thought you called him Jimmy," I questioned. The woman, who said
her name was Mary, explained that   Jimmy was her husband's name. He had
died about a year   before, just a few months after being diagnosed with
cancer. Before Jimmy died, he and Mary would eat dinner at 5   o'clock
every night. Afterward, they would retire to the   living room, Jimmy to
his favorite chair, to talk about the   day's events. The couple had
followed that routine every   night for the 60 years they were married.
After Jimmy's   death, with no other family nearby, Mary said she just felt
lost. And more than anything, she missed their
nightly   after-dinner talks.

Then one night a stray cat meowed demandingly at her screen door. When she
cracked open the door to shoo him away, he ran straight to Jimmy's chair
and made himself comfortable, as if he had lived there forever.

Mary, who had never had a pet in her life, found herself smiling at the
animal. She gave him a little milk and then he cuddled on her lap. She
talked to him about her life, but mostly about Jimmy. At about 7 o'clock,
at which time she normally turned on the TV and made herself some hot tea,
the creature slipped off her lap and went to the door. At 6 o'clock the
next evening, the cat was back. Soon, Shotzy and Mary had their own
routine.

"Now, I believe in the Good Lord," Mary told me.  "I don't know about all
that reincarnation stuff, but sometimes it feels just like I'm talking to
Jimmy when that little cat is here. I know that sounds strange, and I guess
it doesn't really matter; what's important is that the cat is a real
comfort to me.  But it's interesting to think on, all the same." So Mary
and I continued to share Shotzy. At my house, he revealed to me the many
daily joys that come with living with a cat.  At Mary's, his presence
served to fill the six o'clock hour with happy companionship.

Our marvelous cat seemed to have an uncanny knack for always being in the
right place at the right time.

author unknown
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