Edgar Allan Poe, A Black Cat and Thunderstorms

   For the past few days, we have been getting daily rains complete with thunder, lightning and wind.  The storms are soothing as I know the gardens are being well-watered.  It is during these storms that cat and I sit snuggled together enjoying each other's company.  As Prince of the Bayou, Mr. Bat demands that I hold him tightly on days like this.  He still has throwback anxiety from when some hateful person flung him from a car window during such a storm years ago.  The thunder and lightning do not bother him but the raindrops on the rooftop do.  So, my work day ends and I gladly cuddle the Prince.  What better way to spend a storm than with cat cuddles!

  Yesterday, the snuggles put me in a chair that gave me a direct view of the french doors and their colorful glass panes,  It was not long before the sun peeped out enough to give those panes a delightful glow!  To the left, Edgar Allan Poe watched over us as the lamp softly glowed beneath him.  This vision brought comfort as I thought just how much I like the way the room is decorated.  While not to many people's taste, it suits mine perfectly.  The room is filled with quaint objects such as antique lamps, furniture and clocks...lots and lots of clocks!  Then there are the quirky "finds" from thrift stores, roadsides and friends.  Nothing in this entire room meets the "expected" living room aesthetic...from the almost black walls to the red velvet loveseat and purple chairs.  It is just eccentric and eclectic enough to meet my standards...and Bat, the cat's.  He and I find comfort here among the oddities.

The Velvet Throne And The Very Ill Prince

   The Little Bayou House holds a wide variety of "treasures".  By anybody else's standards, these so-called treasures are mostly clutter.  By my standards...I do not care what others think...my house...my treasures.  That said, one has to have an understanding that these items should perhaps more properly be defined as oddities than treasures but it is all a matter of perspective.  I see them as treasures so that is how it is.  In the living room, there is a very old settee and rocker set.  The set is covered in red velvet which definitely not what one would think to find in a place like the Little Bayou House but I have it simply because it reminds me so much of my great-grandparents' house.  That set started the eclectic, eccentric theme for the whole room..."Anything Goes".  

  Mr. Bat, the Bayou Prince has recently been very ill.  The cat gave us quite the scare when he showed up one evening intensely lethargic and feverish.  A trip to the veterinary clinic found him with a viral infection and extremely dehydrated.  After a complete checkup, two shots and an IV, he was sent home.  The poor cat was miserable.  He slept...and slept...and slept.  For days there was nothing but sleeping...no eating, drinking, bodily functions nor movement.  Son and I tried to keep him hydrated with syringes of water but there was not much else we could do.  Days went by with no change.  We would be elated when he would sluggishly move from one sleeping spot to another. It has been heart-wrenching to see him in this state.  Thankfully, after a full week, he seems to be on the mend...I hope.  At least, he is a bit more mobile and is making attempts to eat and drink.  

   It was during that illness that the Bayou Prince found his throne.  Yep, the red velvet settee became a favorite sleeping spot.  It was either there or on a dining room chair.  Occasionally, he would rouse enough to change locations with the throne being his favorite in the late afternoon when the sun streamed through the west windows and warmed the settee.  He would stay curled up there until late evening and then move back to the chair for the night.  While some would argue that an ill animal should not be "on the furniture", I feel it is his house, too.  The Little Bayou House is his castle, hence, the settee can be his throne.  After all, if he is going to be a prince, Bat deserves a throne!  Get well, little one. You are using up those "nine lives" way too fast.  You have been through enough in your short life from being discarded like trash by your previous owner to being bitten by a cottonmouth and now this debilitating illness.  You can stay on your red velvet throne as long as necessary.

The Hiking Cat

   After losing Ms. Ez and then Mr. PJ, my hikes seemed a bit lonely.  Both were dedicated dogs that followed me wherever I ventured.  With them by my side, I felt safe as I roamed the Bayou and woods beyond.  While Ms. Ez was a true bayou dog that knew the ins and outs of the marsh, Mr. PJ (because he came to live with us late in life) stuck to the trodden path.  Like I said, the hikes are now lonely and I have to be much more aware of my surroundings.  I miss the dogs but have no inclination to get another.  I am too old to do all that training again.

  Well, I did not want a cat, either, but one was plopped in my lap...literally.  The "throwaway" kitten that my son-in-law rescued was supposed to be a temporary foster but we all know how that goes.  The kitten stayed.  Now, as a somewhat grown cat, "Bat" is proving that he was meant to be here.  He has become my new hiking partner.  While he may not be as intimidating as either of the very large dogs, I am sure he would at least alert me to something nefarious along the path and I have a feeling he would try to render help if needed.  In that aspect, he reminds me of our old cat...Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen.  She protected me more than once by tangling with some threat.  She was only half the size of Bat.  He is nigh on 12lbs and still growing. 

  While Bat is good company along the walks, he still has a lot to learn.  He has not mastered the sitting still while I photograph some critter.  Instead, he rushes in to either make friends or give chase.  He also sounds like a herd of elephants as he scampers about in the dry leaves.  It is all good, however, as I welcome the company.  His presence makes the early morning hikes all the better.  Mr. Bat...the hiking cat!

The "Panther" of the Bayou

   My dear readers, I apologize (or not) for the endless tales about the throwaway kitten that came to the Little Bayou House as a "temporary" resident while my son-in-law found a suitable home for him.  I guess he did as the (not quite) cat is home.  Here is home.  He is family.  The cat is a little over six months old now and has grown into quite the handsome fellow.  Umm...grown...yep, he has definitely grown.  This cat is already nigh on eleven pounds and is gaining rapidly.  Son is concerned that he may be getting too fat but Bat, the Bayou Prince Cat,  is still long-legged and lanky.  Perhaps he is just going to be a big cat and not actually overweight.  

  Earlier, I was down near the marsh edge gathering mulch to put around the hundred or so broccoli plants in the garden when I heard a noise overhead.  Bat had climbed the old oak tree and was looming directly over head.  When I looked up, I was amazed at how huge this (almost) cat really is.  Even though he was on a rather large limb that had some thirty years ago supported a swing for the (then) kiddos, he looked quite gigantic.  I had to giggle as I figure, that with a slight bit of altering, a photo could probably be passed off as a picture of a panther.  (If I was only adept at altering photographs!)  You know, like those photos of Big Foot?  Bat could be the Panther of the Bayou!

  Anyway, I took pictures of Bat as he climbed about from tree to tree.  The photographs will help me in comparing his size come a year from now.  I am curious of how big he will get, what type cat he is and if whoever abandoned him knew Bat would be such an amazing animal?

Cats are funny....even when they are not cats

   Bat, the Bayou Prince Cat, has come through his surgery fine and is back to his bouncy self again.  It is different having a young cat here since we have always run an "Assisted Living" home for critters.  Old critters seemed to gravitate to the Bayou for their last years.  Bringing them comfort as they aged meant a lot to me and I can only hope that the favor will be returned if I ever need assistance.  Hopefully, it won't come to that but you just never know.  Bat, on the other hand, is a bouncing baby boy in the true sense of the phrase.  He literally bounces everywhere.  

  One of his favorite napping spots is the glider rocker where Son often sits.  Since Son is his favorite person, it is not hard to understand that he chooses the comfy chair.  Today, Son sat in the other rocker and held the cat while I was folding laundry. We were talking about how accident prone I have been lately when he quipped that I was just being  my "usual self".  Ugh!  I admit it but...then, again...I don't want to admit it!  So, I picked up a black shirt and threw it at him!  He dodged the shirt and it hit on the glider rocker....right in the spot where Bat naps!  From the angle where I was standing, the shirt fell into a mound shaped almost like a cat!   I got the giggles and Son just stared at me as if I was "batty".  I tried to explain what I saw.  He glanced over and just saw a rumpled up shirt.  I snatched up the camera and took a photo to show him.  Yep!  It did, indeed, look like Bat!  Funny, funny Bat! Only it was a shirt!

Oh, Bat!

   The "throwaway" cat that my son-in-law rescued from a flooded parking lot seems to be flourishing now that he has a good home.  How people can mistreat others (human or animal) is beyond me.  I guess, as much as I do not wish to believe it, there are some pretty hateful people in this old world.  Anyone who would harm a tiny kitten is likely to not worry about harming their fellow mankind.  What has this world come to?  Saddening, for sure.  

  But, back to Bat, the Cat!  The Bayou Prince has settled in to being the ruler of the Little Bayou House.  He has not been allowed to roam freely about the Bayou since there are a couple of feral tomcats running about the place that would not think twice about killing a newcomer.  Perhaps when he is full grown and can hold his own against such threats, he will be free to go as he pleases.  Bat does not seem to mind the inside life, however, as he has never even tried to go back out that door since Robbie brought him here.  Perhaps he remembers his old life and has decided this cozy place is more to his liking.  Fine by me as he is good company.

  What is really NOT fine by me is that Bat has laid claim to my favorite pieces of furniture.  It appears that these are now HIS favorites and I am banned.  First it was the purple rocking chair and now....the BED!  Ever since we got him, he has wanted to snuggle with me at all times especially in the evenings.  Now, he tries to beat me to the bed so he can get the prime spot!  There is one certain throw pillow that he simply adores and, if it is moved, he is not a happy camper.  My little buddy tugs and tugs on that big, ole pillow until it is situated just so, then, he promptly plops down and snoozes.  Hopefully, he does not grow too much more as he will take up to much space.  I do need some place to sleep!  Silly Bat!

Worn To A Frazzle!

   Bat, the Bayou Prince Cat, is at that stage where he wants to be a bit rambunctious.  Well, not a "bit" rambunctious...a LOT rambunctious.  He starts at the crack of dawn and attacks about everything in his reach.  Mark bought a bag of cat toys thinking that would be enough to keep him occupied but that interested him for only about five minutes.  Then the rampage is on.  This keeps up until he literally crashes.  Then, and only then, he is a perfect angel!  He is sweet, calm and loving!  Oh, yeah, and asleep.

  Today was no different than any other day.  I admit that I am accustomed to old critters.  They, like me, move at a much slower pace.  Both Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen Cat, and Ms. Nycto, the Bayou Princess Cat, were settled and understood the rules.  The dogs, Ms. Ez and Mr. PJ were calm and easy going.   Not this nut!  What have I gotten myself into by agreeing to adopt this wild thing??  Hopefully, in a couple of weeks when he recovers from his "surgery", he will settle down and be a halfway decent friend but, as it is, he is quite the handful.  To be totally honest, I have had to resort to something I never used before.  Mr. PJ had a lovely (very large) crate that stayed in the storeroom for the entire time he spent with us.  Yep, Son pulled that crate and it is now a jail for when Bat gets too destructive or begins biting and clawing.  I am not used to crating an animal but I can handle only so much.   Worn to a frazzle...me!  ME!  I AM WORN TO A FRAZZLE....not the cat.  He is like that Energizer Bunny and just keeps on going....at high speed....constantly.  Bat, the Terror Cat of the Bayou!