My Ollie May was the sweetest little cat in the world. She was my constant companion, following me from room to room and jumping into my lap every time I produced one. If Ollie May wasn’t busy taking a nap, she was there supporting me through all of my daily activities, i.e.: putting on my make up; brushing my teeth; eating; reading a book; watching TV; napping; or while on the john.
But Ollie May was old and worn out, and on March 16, 2016, she gave it up and went to kitty-heaven. Oh how I miss my little constant companion. It took a while for my tears to stop flowing at the drop of a hat, but my heart still would lurch when I was doing anything on the above list, and she wasn’t there beside or on top of me.
Of course, there are advantages to not having a pet – like no pet messes, no feeding them, no kitty litter, no worrying about stepping on or tripping over them, and no never-ending flying hair. It’s like their hair is magnetic, with the opposite pole being your clothing. You just use the lint roller and go, hoping no-one notices those tiny hairs stubbornly clinging to the fabric … oh well!
“I truly will try to get along without adopting another one, Jerry.”
Well, that worked until October.
“Mom, I have your cat! It’s a stray that’s taken up residence at our house, hanging around outside, and it’s such a loving lap-cat. I can not bring it into my house because of my other two cats. They attack her every time I bring her in.”
This text was accompanied by the cutest pictures of a sad looking little diluted calico cat, curled up on their porch waiting for our daughter, Tracy, and/or her husband, Robert, to come out and make a lap to sit on. More heart-tugging pictures and texts passed over the airwaves.
“Mom, you two are a perfect match. We will have her checked out, spayed, and get her all the shots for your Christmas present. You can pick her up on your way back from Florida,” Tracy said. Yep, I caved in. God knew I always wanted a calico.
“What do you want to name her, Mom,” Tracy asked. Out of the blue I said, “Well with all her colors she’s sort of perplexy, so how about Lexi?”
Tracy and Robert had already adopted Morris, another stray. And they had brought Shadow with them from California to Tennessee. It seems Shadow is the one who just didn’t want one more cat moving in on her territory – especially another female. So poor Lexi spent two months in one room, being let out for a while each day. It seems she got fed-up with being low-cat on the totem pole. By the time we packed her up to bring her home with us, Lexi had gone from being attackee to attacker. You go girl!
After living with Lexi for a short time it became apparent that the name “Lexi” seemed way too laid back for this spunky little girl kitten. A friendly vote was taken, and her official name was changed to “Roxi,” as in Foxy Roxi. Named after a spunky gal (loose woman turned trusted hair salon owner) who was on TV’s "The Guiding Light" soap opera.
Having the run of our home was a major change for Roxi after being confined at Tracy’s home, so her kitten side gets a little wild once in awhile, as she harmlessly barrels down the hall sounding like a herd of horses. And when she jumps up on our bedroom armoire, I sure wish she would swish her tail wider to cover up her paw tracks in the dust. I’m thinking a Swiffer taped to her tail might do the trick. Now that we have bonded, Roxi has passed all tests as she follows me around the house talking to me. I once more have company while on the pot — my sweet little girl is a keeper.
As for Jerry, he’s been a great trouper! But he would be a lot happier if he could read the morning paper without a cat stretched out on the middle of the headlines.
Remember to F R O G.
Earlene Campbell lives by the FROG motto — Fully Rely On God. She resides in Princeton and can be reached at earlenecampbell@rocketmail.com.