September 9, 2013

Bernie

I finally got a picture of Bernie, the old stray cat I feed (and truly care about). The quality of the picture isn’t very good (I had to take it quick before he got scared), but he sure is cute.

Rob says Bernie looks like a cartoon version of an alley cat, with his crooked ears and his sad eyes. Bernie isn’t tame. I can’t pet him or even get very close to him, but I love him nonetheless. Bernie is probably the father of just about all our 11 cats. I call him a “retired tom,” because for years he was the king of our country neighborhood, roaming about, fighting with the other toms and winning over the ladies, but now, in his old age, he has settled down. He spends his time resting on the landing outside our utility room, waiting for me to bring him his Fancy Feast. When I do, I always greet him and try to tell him how much I care and he always hisses at me. That is our relationship. When he hisses at me, I know everything is as it should be and that he’s doing all right. (I’m always worried about poor old Bernie.)

I wish I could have intervened earlier in his life, gotten him fixed and brought him inside. I think he would have made a great pet, because he’s really very gentle for a feral cat. He’s so small. And I love his sweet, forlorn expression, his puppy-dog eyes. The trouble was, we could never catch him, and now I feel it’s too late even to get him fixed. (I’d have to trap him, and he’d be terrified.) He doesn’t fight anymore. He just lies in the sun on the landing, sometimes sleeping, sometimes not. I feed him before I go to work and when I get home again. When I come in the door after work, Rob always tells me, “Mr. Bernie’s waiting for his supper.” And I go and fix up his bowl, fill it nice and full. (The reason Rob doesn’t feed Bernie is that he knows I want to do it.)

I’m glad Bernie’s getting a bit of rest now in his golden years. I’m glad the landing where he lies is sun-washed and warm and that it offers a pleasant view of the yard. I often see him blinking and looking sleepily around. Here are some of the sights that surround him on these early-September days: