Well-Loved Pets
Skyy — The Cat That Loved Games
“Cats are the runes of beauty, invincibility, wonder, pride, freedom, coldness, self-sufficiency, and dainty individuality…”
One of my favorite cats didn’t stay with me long. I had the pleasure of Skyy’s company for less than six moths. My spouse thinks a coyote got her. I prefer to believe that she was a happy rolling stone and moved on to her next assignment.
I was out back in my jacuzzi when I heard soft meowing. A small female calico had given birth to kittens. She looked so thin. I brought food and water for her and the kittens daily. The kittens learned to expect me and would come over to play but mom never did.
When the kittens were big enough, we caught them and took them to the vet then to the shelter. All of them were adopted as they had great patterns on their fur.
The mother was another deal. I kept putting food and water out for her, but she was fast and could not be caught. We had two other cats that went out into our yard with us but never further. Sometimes the calico cat would stand at the door and look in at the others.
One day I came home from work to find the calico sitting on the couch with the other cats. I sat near her. She sat on my lap. I was stunned.
I named the tiny calico Skyy. She was so small that she was always looking up — at the sky. She was the bottom cat in the house. She ate last; she hid in the cracks around the house but wherever I went; she was hidden somewhere in that room.
I took her to the vet and got her a physical. She received shots. I had her neutered — the doctor thought she was less than two years old, just a teenager in cat years.
That cat made me happy. She was silly. Shy and bold at the same time. She wanted attention but would not directly seek it out. Instead, we played cat games.
It was our game that I would try to find her, pull her out of her hiding spot and pet her. I looked forward to playing hide and seek with her. She would give me a soft meow if I took too long to find her. When I found her, I would pick her up and give her a few gentle rubs and let her go.
When it was time to eat, I would feed the other cats then put her food outside where she used to eat. She ate alone. Sky liked me watching her eat, so I would often stand outside with her until she finished her food.
Sky liked to catch the very large white moths common in the low desert. She would bring the moths into the house, find me, and let the moth go. Sen wanted to share the moths with me. I pretended to play with the moths as I caught them and returned them outside. She was so pleased with herself every time we played moths together.
Her favorite game was to hide around a corner. When I came around the corner, she would leap on my shoe. I would take a few steps with her riding on the show. We played this again and again — how I would laugh at her silliness.
One day, Sky vanished. I looked for her, but we never saw her again. I think she moved on to make another person happy.
Whenever I see large moths flying around, I think of the short but delightful time I had with my calico girl, Skyy.
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