It's Spooky......

Really it is..... He isn't actually my cat, but his name is Spooky....well Spookytoo, to be more accurate. It seems there is a forever and endless supply of homeless cats and kittens around here. I have six cats at the present, and I actually 'picked out' one of those---the rest have been the homeless and needy. If cats interest you, you can read more about the cat population on the farm at my website at http://www.fairlightfarm.com/ Pictures are slow to be put up, but the stories are there.

Back to Spooky, who isn't exactly homeless at the moment, but is on the verge of it. I love black cats and have had several over the years. Next to Siamese coloring they are my favorites. One of my first cats after I got out on my own was a beautiful huge black cat with six toes on each front foot. His name was Shiloh and he was something else indeed. Much later came Gideon--a strange blackish-grey fellow with odd ears that flippped up on the ends. He was wild and rarely let me touch him. He showed up the day I buried one of my orignal collie girls, Mara. He was mean and tough, but loved little kittens, and soon enough began enjoying the easy life. Even though he was nuetered after showing up here, he ended up having to euthanized later, when a roaming tom fought him and ripped a hole into his throat. Pretty bad stuff. Several years later, another black tom showed up. He was sleek and gentle and I soon found out belonged to neighbors--his name was Spooky. He enjoyed hanging out at my place and I enjoyed him. However as is the fate of many roaming toms, one day he just didn't stop by anymore. His owners had previously moved and abandoned him and I was intent on trapping him and getting him nuetered---but it didn't happen in time. I really liked that cat. A year or two more went by, and one day a sleek black Tom appeared once more. I was excited---on one level I knew it couldn't be Spooky, but I hoped. I soon realized that this 'Spooky' was a much younger fellow. For the past couple of years Spook has stopped by, periodically for a meal and some petting. He is wise enough to time his visit at feeding time. Piece by piece I started learning his story. I was pretty sure he wasn't a 'stray', since he looked sleek and well fed, and he was affectionate and gentle with people. Evidently he belonged to a neighbor a mile or so down the road (at least we think this is the same cat!), who also happens to be an Aunt by marriage. The thing was--they were rarely home as they are transistioning to a house by the lake for retirement. And Spooky isn't nuetered so he does what toms do. Sometimes I won't see him for weeks, and other times he is there for several days. I've also found out that my Aunt has decided that 'they probably won't take him to the lake, because they know I'll take care of him!'....argh....... In the meantime Spooky has aged some, has acquired many scars, but is still a handsome, healthy fellow. Once I find out that "I'm" his new caretaker and finances ease up a bit, he will be off to have a visit with the vet. Then I expect I'll have a mostly permanent resident. Now isn't that a 'spooky' story? :-)