![\"lilywindow\"](\"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/LilyWindow-300x225.jpg\")
Not everyone adores cats. In fact, some people absolutely despise them. I look at a cat and see a beautiful, interesting being. Some people see in a cat something quite different\u2014a dirty, mangy, ill-mannered creature who lives in gutters. Some even fear cats. And many of those people have changed their perception of cats over time. Why? Because of a cat.<\/p>\n
My mother\u2019s cat, Smokey, has two new best human friends. One comes to the house every morning around nine to hang out with Smokey and Mama for a few hours. Around eight forty-five each morning, Smokey goes to the front door and waits for Joleen (not her real name) to arrive. Once Joleen has given him a treat, he\u2019s ready to begin his day adventuring in the out of doors (unless it\u2019s cold or rainy, then he prefers to stay high and dry).<\/p>\n
His second best friend is one of Mama\u2019s granddaughters who spends the night with her. She arrives from work around six each evening and Smokey is always at the window watching and waiting for her. He likes her because she plays with him. He must enjoy her style of cat-play.<\/p>\n
How does a cat know what time of day or night it is? Does he pay attention to the moon and stars or is it the household routine that gives him the clues? Perhaps it\u2019s all done through ESP\u2014he reads Mama\u2019s mind (Joleen will be here soon) or Joleen\u2019s mind (I\u2019m on my way to see Emily and Smokey).<\/p>\n
Now the granddaughter has always liked cats. But Joleen does not. They scare her a little. ![\"Cover](\"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Cover-1-1-copy-195x300.jpg\")
She freaks out when they start kneading with their claws. Smokey was almost a deal-breaker when we interviewed Joleen for the job. She was eager to help Mama out\u2014she liked us and our mom\u2014but she was not happy to learn there was a cat on the premises. That has changed, however. Joleen may not be ready to go out and adopt a cat or warm up to neighborhood cats, but she certainly has accepted Smokey. \u201cHe\u2019s not like other cats,\u201d she says. That\u2019s what all former cat-haters say once a cat worms her way into their heart. Smokey has never tried to knead on Joleen and she likes the way he butts her with his head to get her attention or rubs up against her legs. In fact, Joleen is so enamored with Smokey that she has offered to take him should Mama ever need to find him a new home.<\/p>\n
Read more stories of how a cat has changed a heart in Catscapades, True Cat Tales<\/em>. http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades.html <\/a>Also available at Amazon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Not everyone adores cats. In fact, some people absolutely despise them. I look at a cat and see a beautiful, interesting being. Some people see in a cat something quite different\u2014a dirty, mangy, ill-mannered creature who lives in gutters. Some … Continue reading