Strike up the band!  Bring out the dancing poodles and kill the fatted calf!  The damn cat has arrived in Ankara!

Terese left for Africa several weeks ago to retrieve her and has returned with the little heathen yesterday.  I commented to Terese that the animal looks smaller than I remember, and she said the Professor, who was gracious enough to house the critter, ran out of cat food and the little one was too picky to eat people food.  So, she would just lick and nibble enough to call it eating.

She was born in Moscow and a co-worker at the time asked Terese to hold her while she loaded personal items into the vehicle.  Terese looked into the little blue eyes and turned to me and casually commented that this cat was now hers.

In the years that followed she traveled from Russia, to the States with us to live in Virginia, then to Ethiopia and now to Turkey.  Even though the animal was free for the taking, she has racked up a monetary tally far beyond I would have ever thought possible for a household pet.

In Ethiopia she made friends with the monkeys.  They both have the same color of fur, but the monkeys have tails that are far more useful.  She also befriended a small mouse she happened across.  Terese caught her making strange noise and found her nose to nose with the rodent.  Under normal conditions, we would not have had to feed her for several days after an encounter with a mouse, but she is not normal.  I bet she even took some of her food to share with the little friend.

While living with the Professor, we had some concern about her being around his chickens thinking she might kill one or two, or they kill her.  Instead, she befriended them and intermingled among them.  Both species lived in harmony.

Being here in Ankara will be a bit different for her as there will be no outdoors to explore and no monkeys, mice or chickens to befriend.  We do, however have pigeons.  When warmer weather returns, we will have doors and windows open and she will be able to create a bond with the birds.  Perhaps one day she will grace us with dinner in the form of a deceased winged critter laying on the living room floor.  But I doubt it.  Most likely we will find her and a bird or two eating at her food trough.

When we first got her in Moscow, she would follow me up the steps in the mornings to make coffee.  The first few weeks I would make it to the kitchen before she did and I would start the coffee.  When she joined me, I would not know it until I stepped on her with my bare feet,  So I had to pick her up and place her on my shoulder so I could use both hands and not hurt her.

Over the years as she enlarged in size, she still expected to be picked up when I made coffee and placed on my shoulder.  Only now, I have to use one hand to hold up her dead butt.  You would think after all these years, she would be able to make coffee and bring it to us in bed.  But, no.  Hasn’t happened and probably won’t.  Terese says it may be that she has no opposable thumbs.  Maybe so, but she does have a tail.

But in a way, I’m glad she is here because it gives me another one to blame strange happenings on.  There are times there may be a case of the vapors and she is just the one to blame it on.  And now the noises in the night will now just be ignored since it can be assumed to be the damn cat.

I guess I really can’t complain too much, as she only eats a pittance and scratches on her scratching pole.  Plus she keeps Terese company when I’m away.  Could be worse.  Could be a monkey or a chicken.  Guess I’ll settle for a cat.

Keep scratching.  D.

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