Smudge

One of our cats is a beautiful, very big, tuxedo cat named Smudge. He came to us just a year or so ago from a lovely family who was forced by a move to give up all seven of their cats. (Seven Cats! Makes me feel more sane.)

This cat lives for food. We often have to shoo him away from the bowl to give the other two a chance to eat first. He was a big, big guy when we got him, slimmed down a bit on our family’s routine, but has been slowly inching back up again as he learns his was around the other two and manages to get a larger share of the food.

He’s not the most affectionate animal, preferring to lounge around undisturbed as much as posible. He likes to sit near you but not on you, and will reach out for the occasional chin scratch. SW, however, always has different plans for our animals so the relationship between this two is interesting. Smudge will run to hide underneath something at the first sign of SW in the room, or the faintest sound of his voice approaching. SW will make a flying dash to grab Smudge at every opportunity.

It’s peaceful enough when SW does win the chase, however. The cat submits to whatever treatment is in store for him without complaint: petting, cuddling, some time cloistered in SW’s room. He just makes a dash for it as soon as he can.

One sign of Smudge’s compliance with the inevitable is the “Cat is the Hat” treatment. SW will place the cat on top of his head and parade around the house.

I think it might be a sensory thing really. This is one very heavy cat. SW used to walk around with a weighted lap pad on top of his head. This could just be a warmer, fuzzier version of the same thing.

RM loves this cat also, screetching in delight when SW goes on the chase. She knows that every time Smudge is caught, she is offered the chance to pet and love on him as well. She thinks the hat thing is a hoot too, and got in on the act the other night. As SW marched out of my room, cat/hat on head, RM picked up a stuffed plush cat, draped it over her own head, and followed right along.

July 26th, 2007 Posted by Tracy | Pets, Autism, Family | 2 comments