As most of you know I’m Maverick and this is my column, “Cat Tales.” I hope everyone is well and enjoying summer. People probably think cats only have one job and that’s sleeping. I’m here to tell you that’s not true. I like to think of myself as a well-rounded cat. I love learning new things, listening to people talk, writing my column, and caring for my mom when she’s not feeling well. But most of all, the hat I like to wear most, is being my mom’s little boy.
My mom had her eye surgery a couple of weeks ago, and when she got home I was quite frightened. She looked scary and wasn’t too steady on her feet. At first, I stayed out of the way until things quieted down. My mom was a little loopy.
She’s been telling me all about her surgery. She wasn’t completely out but they did give her something to relax, the equivalent of two glasses of wine. My mom doesn’t drink so she didn’t know what to expect. During the surgery she was feeling a little bit of what the surgeons were doing, so they gave her more of the relaxation medicine that equaled 4 glasses of wine. Get the picture? Spaghetti Betty says she was probably talking silly. Silly is Spaghetti Betty’s favorite word. She says it a lot.
According to the two doctors who operated on her she did talk a lot. That doesn’t surprise me at all, because my mom does like to talk. Before going into the operating room, she did some breathing exercises that she thinks of as 444, where you breathe in on the count of four, hold your breath for four seconds, and breathe out to the count of four. She didn’t know it, but she mentioned 444 to the doctors in the operating room. She does remember the lead surgeon asking her what 444 was, so she told him. Then she asked him if she said anything else. He told her that she gave him her bank account information and told him all about her last trip to Vegas. She knew then that he was joking because my mom doesn’t go to Vegas.
They played music in the background, and while out of it she told the doctor to stop singing along with the music because he sounded bad. That gave me the cat giggles when she said that. She should know what bad singing is because she can’t sing. Here’s the good part though. She told the doctors while under, that she had a cat who was a writer. She told them my name and they said, “What?” She repeated herself, and she also told them that my friend’s name was Spaghetti Betty. All kinds of laughter broke out. They were skeptical about me being a writer and that made her mad. They were egging her on, and she got frustrated with them. She told them about my boss and that I wrote a column called “Cat Tales” for EUP News, which stood for Eastern Upper Peninsula. The assisting surgeon said, “You’re a Yooper.” Obviously, my mom didn’t have the surgery in the Upper Peninsula. She said she was so excited that he knew who a Yooper was that she yelled, “I AM A YOOPER, AND MY CAT’S A YOOPER.” I can just about hear my mom doing that. She’s proud to be a “Yooper.” At the end of the surgery, the doctor told her at her first follow-up appointment that he wanted to hear all about me, the cat writer.
A few days ago, she had her first appointment after the surgery. She took in one of my columns and a pic of Spaghetti Betty to prove we’re real. The lead surgeon told her he had a colleague, who was a cat fanatic and would make sure his colleague read it, too. I don’t think those doctors will ever forget my mom.
My Aunty Cindy took my mom to have her surgery and brought her home when it was done. The doctor was going over things with my Aunty, while my mom was in recovery. My mom was still out of it and talking up a storm. She was still talking about me.
When my mom got home, my Aunty Lynn was here for several days to help out. My mom wasn’t allowed to bend over or lift heavy things. My mom periodically wore a cold mask to keep the swelling down. It was called a “Halo” mask and kept in the refrigerator, not the freezer. When she put it on, I thought, “Holy Moly, she looks like Robin from Batman.” I wanted to peek into the garage and see if the Batmobile was there.
She recommends the “Halo” mask for anyone who is having eye surgery or any type of facial surgery. It’s great for all the swelling and isn’t heavy like ice. She wore it for about 15 minutes, at a time, then put it back into the refrigerator to get cold again. She had to wear the eye mask for several days. She had a lot of bruising around her eyes and looked very scary. I slept with my Aunty Lynn the first few days because my mom had to sleep sitting up, and I like to snuggle. Plus, I thought if I woke up next to my mom and saw her looking scary, I might have catmares and run and hide.
The unfortunate thing is she doesn’t think the surgery worked. It’s a little too soon to tell for sure. But she is sad. She was hoping it would work so the eye pain would stop. But the surgeon told her at the very first appointment, that he didn’t know if it would or not, and left the decision up to my mom. I will keep you posted and give updates. My mom says, thank you for all the prayers and well wishes. She greatly appreciated them.
Spaghetti Betty and I haven’t had time to read lately, so we don’t have a book to recommend. Instead, we came up with some great food names to name a new pet: Meatball, Nacho, Tater Tot, Dumpling, Biscuit, Jellybean, Kiwi, Latte, Maple, Mocha, Sprinkles, Snickers, Burrito, Pesto, Potsticker, Taco, Tamale, and Ziti. Those are a few names that we like, and for some reason, Snickers and Potsticker gave Spaghetti Betty and me the cat giggles. In case you haven’t noticed, Spaghetti Betty has a food name too.
Spaghetti Betty told me how she came to have that name. She was homeless in California when her adoptive parents were having dinner one evening at an Italian Restaurant. They were eating their dinner, Spaghetti, outdoors, when they noticed an adorable little cat nearby. Her adoptive parents didn’t finish their meal. They left the restaurant with the beautiful little cat, who was hungry and dehydrated. They said it was the best meal they ever had because they now have Spaghetti Betty. That’s how she came by her name. She loves her adoptive parents and her new community. She also told me that I am her best friend. I got this big goofy grin on my face, and I felt something wet running down my cheek. I love being Spaghetti Betty’s friend.
Today’s quote: “People who don’t like cats were probably mice in an earlier life.” – Unknown
That’s it for today. I hope everyone is enjoying summer and don’t forget to visit your local library and find some great books to read at the beach, on your lunch break, or at home. Take care everyone.
Love Maverick
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- A Cat Wears Many Hats - July 24, 2024
There are reciprocally healthy — some cat lovers would even go as far as to describe them as largely symbiotic — relationships available between felines (many of us see them as family members) and their loving and appreciative human hosts, including those suffering physical and/or mental illness.
Also, with our four-legged friends there’s a beautiful absence of some undesirable and distinctly human traits. Along with human intelligence comes the proportionate reprehensible potential for evil behavior, i.e. malice for malice’s sake.
Yet many, if not most, people cannot at all relate to cat fans finding preciousness and other qualities in their beloved pets, including a non-humanly innocence, that make losing them someday such a horrible heartbreak.
Only when their over-populations are greatly reduced in number through consistent publicly-funded spay/neuter programs, might these beautiful animals’ potentially soothing, even therapeutic, presence be truly appreciated rather than taken for granted or even resented.
Human apathy, the throwaway mentality/culture and even a bit of public hostility toward cats typically result in population explosions thus their inevitable neglect and suffering, including severe illness and starvation.
In the meantime, there apparently is a subconscious yet tragic human-nature propensity to perceive the value of life in relation to the conditions enjoyed or suffered by that life. With the mindset of feline disposability, it might be: ‘Oh, there’s a lot more whence they came’.
Many people cannot relate to cat owners finding preciousness and other qualities in their beloved pets, including a non-humanly innocence, that make losing them someday such a horrible heartbreak. Even when the innocent animal has been made to greatly suffer needlessly, perhaps before finally being murdered, many people will instead think and maybe mutter, ‘It was just a cat’.
There’s too much anti-cat complacency and contempt out there, even amongst news-media professionals.
For example, I came across a newspaper editor’s column about courthouse protesters in Ontario, Canada, who were demanding justice for a cat that had been cruelly shot in the head 17 times with a pellet gun, destroying an eye. Within her piece, the editor rather recklessly declared: “Hey crazy people, it’s [just] a cat.”
In a follow-up column, the editor expressed surprise at having then received some very angry responses, including a few implied threats, from cat lovers and animal rights activists. Apparently, she couldn’t relate to the intensely heartfelt motivation behind the public outrage, regardless of it being directed at such senseless cruelty to an innocent animal; therefore, the demonstrators were somehow misguided.
The court may have also perceived it so, as the charges against the two adult-male perpetrators were dropped. …
Then there was the otherwise progressive national commentator proclaiming in one of her then-syndicated columns that “I never liked cats”.
In another piece, she wrote that Canadian politicians should replace their traditional unproductively rude heckling with caterwauling: “My vote is for meowing because I don’t like cats and I’d like to sabotage their brand as much as possible. So if our elected politicians are going to be disrespectful in our House of Commons, they might as well channel the animal that holds us all in contempt.”
I Googled the internet but found no potential reason(s) behind her publicized anti-feline sentiments. Still, if her motives were expressed, perhaps she’d simply say, ‘I just don’t like cats’.
As for my own very endearing house cat, the non-contemptuous Mr. Simon, I believe he appreciates me as much as I express my enthusiastic appreciation for him.
Yet only when their over-populations are greatly reduced in number through consistent government-/publicly-funded spay/neuter programs, might these beautiful animals’ potentially soothing, even therapeutic, presence be truly appreciated rather than taken for granted or even resented.
Hi Frank
Thank you for both of your comments. I am happy to hear from one of my Canadian readers.
You must be very smart because you used some big words that I had to ask my mom what they meant. I am happy to hear you are such a compassionate cat person. Mr. Simon is blessed to have you, as I know you are to have him. I think Mr. Simon would get along great with Spaghetti Betty and me.
You are right. There are so many cat haters in this world, it makes me very sad. I’ve heard people say things like, “I don’t like cats,” but when asked they’ve never had a cat. They are the same type of people who hate people of a certain race or ethnic background. We’re all individuals whether we are people, cats, dogs, cows, etc., and whether we are white, black, orange, pink, or any other color.
Someone shot me when I was just a little guy. I became very ill and was full of infection. I even had congestive heart failure so I know there are lots of mean people out there. I hope they repent and find Jesus before their earthly death or they might find out there is someone even meaner and nastier than them.
Thank you very much for commenting and hugs to Mr. Simon from Spaghetti Betty and me.
Love Maverick
Hi Maverick, It’s me…..Spooky! Sorry I haven’t responded to your Cat Tales. My mom has been a very busy woman. But now, things are winding down a bit for her.
Today, she read me your July column. I’d say, your mom had quite the time of it with surgery. And I got cat giggles when mom was reading about the things your mom was saying to the surgery team. Oh, to have been a mouse in the corner to hear all that! I’m sure you were well cared for by your Aunty Cindy and Aunty Lynn. I’m bet they are both really compassionate people. I always love hearing about Spaghetti Betty! And to think you two were coming up with new names for a new pet. Once again, I got cat giggles! Are you trying to ask your mom for a sibling for Christmas???? If so, I hope you get what you ask for.
Well, keep up the good work with Cat Tales. I enjoy mom reading them to me.
Happy Tales To You!
Love,
Spooky
Dear Spooky
I am happy to hear from you. I hope you and your mom are well. My mom has a lot of health issues and will be having more surgery in November, but this time she will be out of it. No more talking to the surgeons. I am sure I will be writing more about that. I am glad you like hearing about Spaghetti Betty. You’d like her because she is so sweet and nice. No, I am not getting a little brother or sister for Christmas. With my mom’s medical expenses and some other things going on, it will be just my mom and me. But I have Oscar and Oliver who visit me when she has to leave on an errand or an appointment. Writing my column keeps me very busy too, speaking of which, I should get busy and start working on the next one.
Thanks again Spooky for commenting. It is always great to hear from you.
Love Maverick