Owl, the Sticky Paws

I may have written before about my old lady cat. But, if not, (and if so, here’s a refresher), let me introduce you to the cat named Owl.

She is the oldest cat here at our homestead. She is the only still alive that moved here with us years ago. She was once our home’s best hunter. And she was once the queen of the barnyard.

She was a barn cat for most of her life. Her frame is smaller than most of the other cats. But, she ruled the roost. She actually got in trouble often because she would hit the other cats regularly; just to remind them that she was in charge.

She has seizures. Several years ago she had a really bad one. She had to move inside for awhile. She couldn’t walk right for a long time. She recovered, moved back outside, and regained her title and queen of the barnyard. Although she still doesn’t have the best control of her claws . . earning her the nickname, “Sticky Paws”.

But now she’s showing her old age. About a year ago she barely moved for days. I couldn’t get her to eat or drink. I thought for sure she was going to die. But, she lived. And she has lived inside ever since.

Being an old-lady cat has taken it’s toll on her. She falls down a lot more now than she used to. And she loses more fights than she used to – even though she still starts the fights. She sleeps more than she used to.

And now that she’s inside, she can some days be a huge pain in the butt! Like today, she kept walking back and forth across my keyboard; stepping on buttons and messing up my screens. If I still wouldn’t give her enough attention, she throws things from my desk. Like, purposefully, she’ll knock large piles down. Or she’ll stand on things and jump, knowing that her back feel will push the things down. I had plans to be very productive today . . and she slowed me down a bit.

Tonight I am thankful for Owl, my old-lady cat. Although she was completely irritating today . . I love her. And I’m glad she’s still around, holding on to her dignity with all the strength she can musteR.’lp – That part was from Owl.