Tag Archives: Pets

It’s Caturday

Just for Fun, Life,

A beautiful tabby cat appeared on the farm during Covid Spring. She was friendly and ready to become part of the family, but our big dog Spot was not a fan. We figured she could be a porch cat as she seemed happy being outside. One memorable night, however, I woke to hear Spot chasing her through the house. She had gotten in through the dog door. We named her Circe after the goddess in The Odyssey. (My first cat was Calypso, also borrowed from Homer.)

After that, it was just a matter of time and as summer turned to fall, we welcomed Circe into the house full time. Spot was wary but eventually they became friends, sometimes snoozing together on the same chaise. Our blind beagle, Major, was mostly scared of her when she tried to make friends.

Now, Circe shares her home with Josie the dog who wants nothing more than to smell her butt and share her treats. At three years old, Josie still has a lot of puppy energy and can be a bit rambunctious for Circe. But she also has a healthy respect for the claws.

Lately, Circe has taken to laying on my desk as I work and is especially fond of sprawling on my journal as I write. Pencils are one of her favorite toys, and she will pick them up in her mouth to carry them away. Not sure what has prompted the change as she has several favorite resting spaces around the house and my office that are much more comfortable. When discouragement didn’t work, I cleared a pathway so she isn’t scattering paper and books as she makes her leap.

Here is the cat tax, as they say on the socials:

a tabby cat sitting on a desk with a pencil and a coffee cup in the background

Saying Goodbye

Life, thinking out loud,
Spot in recent years

Last week was bittersweet. Even as I traveled to Pennsylvania to celebrate my mother’s 87th birthday, our old dog Spot was leaving us. He went downhill so quickly, from doing fine to not eating in a matter of a few days. An X-ray showed a large mass between liver and spleen, and there really wasn’t much we could do. My poor husband was with the vet while I was on the phone as we said goodbye.

We were Spot’s third family. He lived next door to us in Williamsburg and would come over to the fence for a scratch and a chat. He chased my chickens when they hopped that fence. When it became clear his current family couldn’t handle him, we adopted him. We had just moved to the farm where he has lived with us for the past 12 years.

Spot was a dog’s dog who loved to find ways to sneak out of the house and run for the sheer joy of it. We clocked him with the truck at 25 miles per hour in his early years. We were his third family. While he would have been happy to be a single dog and spent most of his waking hours within three feet of us, he accepted Major the puppy and then, to my real shock, Circe the cat, who arrived in 2020 and insisted on moving into the house.

The Crew on the Porch
Enjoy some pictures of Spot and friends over the years

It was hard to come home to a house without Spot. He had his favorite spots to sprawl in each room, often forcing us to step over him as we moved around. I may be able to sleep through the next thunderstorm rather than having to crawl out of bed and comfort him.

Bob and I have said goodbye to a few pets over the years and it does not get easier. We are comforted that we gave Spot his best life and did not allow him to suffer at the end.