Osa

Today marks the beginning of Week Eight with Gordon’s cat, Osa.  Yep.  Still “Gordon’s Cat” or maybe even “Roy’s Cat.”  We are, in fact, her third owners albeit only her second household.  So far… not so good.

Even though Osa has established certain routines and seems content with her new quarters here in Oysterville, I would not say that we have “bonded.”  She is not a companionable cat, by any means.  She avoids contact with us at all costs and we have to be quick if we want to pet her or (god forbid!) pick her up.  When we do manage to get her situated in one of our laps, she needs to be held there quite firmly and, although she purrs loudly, one or two minutes is her limit.  (And did I say, she scratches?)

Candelabra Down!

She is very talkative, but in a loud and whiney way.  And it’s a 24/7 activity.  Mostly, she seems to be demanding food – even when she still has some in her bowl and even if it’s the middle of the night and she hears one of us moving toward the bathroom.  Often, she makes all those winding-around-your-feet and rubbing-against-your-legs moves, but is careful never to touch us at all.

She’s a climber and a wanna-be tight-rope artist, too, though she’s not good at it.  She knocks over vases of flowers, candlesticks and other bric-a-brac on tables and mantles.  Our ghost, Mrs. Crouch, now has serious nighttime competition.  In fact, we haven’t heard a peep from her since Osa arrived.

She has favorite spots to sit and snooze, too – mostly near the heat registers – and after Day Two with us gave up sleeping at the foot of the bed.  We don’t know why.  At first we felt rejected and tried to entice her with dulcet tones and encouraging taps on the duvet, but she has successfully trained us now and we’ve dropped any expectations of friendliness.

I’ve even stopped explaining to her that she needs to do her part.  We buy her food and kitty litter; we feed and water her and pay for her shots and other medical necessities.  We keep her safely indoors and put up with our cat allergies on her behalf.  We ask only for a bit of companionship in return.  She could care less.

Gordon with Asa I

According to the Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, a ten-year-old cat (that would be Osa) is actually 53 in human terms.  I’m sure the adage “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” must apply to cats as well, and I can’t help wondering how Osa related to Gordon and to Roy.  I have vivid memories of Gordon scooping her up to sit on his lap but I don’t remember if Osa ever went there voluntarily.  The only picture I have of Gordon with a cat is of him with Osa’s predecessor, Asa-I, taken eleven or twelve years back.  Interestingly, it shows the cat in an attitude (now) familiar to us – getting the hell out of Dodge which, in that case, was Gordon’s lap.  Maybe Gordon’s ‘bonding’ style was different than ours?

This morning Nyel asked me, “So who’s on your short list for wanting a cat?”  I’m thinking Osa’s days in Oysterville might be numbered.  Bonding is a two-way proposition and, so far, this has been all up-hill and one-way for two out of three of us.