Oliver, the little orange creature that most often dresses up like a C-A-T, has added a lot of love to our family this year. We are all thankful for him.
Needless to say, Oliver is not our cat. He will never belong to anyone. We find that attribute rather admirable. Just as we have heard that you can’t change the spots on a leopard, we know we cannot — and really would not want to — change the orange stripes on Ollie. He is his own little man. But, we love him.
Maybe he has ESP or whatever it is that cats have. We have had a few nights that dipped into the 20′s. My husband — the easy one here — began to worry about Oliver. The story was quite sad to hear my husband tell it.
The poor thing. He has no home.
Well, okay. Officially, he has no home. But, he seldom misses a meal. And, recently he defended his food against the black and white cat that seems to reside a few houses down the street although the family says they do not have a cat.
He must be cold. It is raining. Poor thing.
Chances are the kitty gets cold. But, for some reason other animals stay outside, find places to take cover in bad weather, and survive winters — mild as they are in the south. Other animals get wet. In fact, I got wet. My husband didn’t say, “Poor thing.”
Christmas at our house is a joyous occasion. But, we do not go all out on gifts. We exchange small and hopefully meaningful gifts — except for the “thread” gifts for the daughters-in-law this year. Those gifts are really big sacrifices. (Please note the tongue in my cheek.)
When I asked my husband what he wanted this year, needless to say it was a cat house. My face must have showed the shock when he said, “I want a cat house.” After all there are so many connotations to that phrase — and he is getting older.
After much discussion I am purchasing Oliver a cat cube for Christmas. I strongly suspect that Oliver will remind us of the times past when the kids were very young. Give them the best most useful gift in the world and they played with the box. Having housed and fed many cats in my lifetime I am well aware that Oliver will probably find joy in the box the cat cube arrives in. Chances are he will sniff the cat cube, check it out, and decide that the comfort of the box is preferable.
Anyway, this year among the many things for which we are thankful we are especially thankful for Oliver. He has provided us with a diversion from the day to day activities. He has provided us with comic relief from time to time. He has taught the kids many lessons about being careful. He has become the marker of time during our days. Yet, through it all he has maintained total independence. He gives us what he wants us to have but does not allow us to take more.
Today I am thankful for all that Oliver has shared with us and my husband is thankful that I am buying a cat house.
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