Who is ‘Cat in the road?’ The nom de plume (pen name) I chose to write under is dedicated to all the four legged friends (cats and dogs) that have blessed my life. Each one of them was a rescue. The only question is...did I rescue them, or did they rescue me?

My son once said that all the animals that came under my care had a good life. My dogs always had a place to run, a shelter built especially for them and an abundance of love.

Prince – The dynasty begins

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During the ‘70s and 80’s I worked a part of NYC known as the ‘South Bronx’. In this God forsaken hellhole I encountered many strays. I always carried dry cat and dog food for these forgotten souls. For this good deed I was branded the nickname ‘St. Francis’ by my partners. (See more stories on my BLOG - "Four Footed Fury Felines")
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The cavalcade of pets that enhanced my life started off with a dog named Prince. As a young teenager we lived behind a vacant lot. In the summer Prince and I would venture into this primitive paradise and each go our separate ways. We'd cross paths now and then, exchange pleasantries, continue on our separate ways and returned home at dinner time.
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Two other dogs enhanced my life, but alas I have no photos of them.(Spotty1 & Spotty2)
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Wendy

Then came Wendy. This dog was the runt of the litter. She was in and out of hospitals the first month of her life. No one ever expected her to survive, but she lived to the age of 16. For her entire life I rarely had to use a leash. My son said I commanded her with what he called - "The Voice." She always obeyed me with only verbal commands. On hot summer Sunday mornings I would take her to the Long Island Sound where she would swim to her hearts delight.



***Now onto the feline section. My cats had a privileged life style. I made provisions for them to come and go as they pleased since they are genetically programmed to do so. They could leave the house, wander the streets and return at their will. Now that doesn’t mean that they didn’t have close calls, but they always managed to survive. I do have to note that all of them used up all of their 9 lives at one point or another.

CB = Charlie Brown

The first rescue was 'literally rescued' from the back of a garbage truck by an alert sanitation worker. Some sadistic SOB had thrown out a box of new born kittens. Since I was always a dog person this was a new experience. I brought him home and named him CB, since I was into CB radios at the time. That name later changed to Charlie Brown after the antics he started to pull.

I lived on the 2nd floor of a garden apartment complex at the time. One refreshing spring day I had my bedroom window open and couldn't find him. I started searching high and low and finally heard a meow coming from the tree outside my window. Apparently he jumped up to the window and climbed onto a branch resting on the outside ledge. As I frantically ran around for help I had no idea that he could just climb down by himself. From then on I opened the window when he wanted to go out, and closed it when he returned.

The 'Bandit'

The next Frantically Frustrated Feline was Bandit. He made his appearance when my partner and I searched an abandoned building in the South Bronx during the '70s. (He has his own story on one of my other BLOGS) This was a cat that slept in a closet during the day. Then he would get pissed off when one of us had the nerve to close the door. And he had an interesting way of letting us know when he wanted to go out. He would scratch his claws on our metal screen door producing a sound with decibels high enough to break glass. He almost always got his way.

Jingles  =  Cat in the road

The idea for these BLOGs and the 'pen name' is in memory of a fury feline named ‘Jingles.’ She had the unusual habit of sunning herself in the middle of the road, thus the title; ‘Cat in the road.’ I can’t tell you how many times cars would slow down and beep their horns for her to move. When she was ready she would get up and casually saunter away.

Now on one occasion she dashed across the street just as a car was speeding by. The driver was courteous enough to stop and we both expected to see some road kill. Luckily there was nothing decorating the ground. We looked around and saw her sitting on a neighbor's lawn. She had a look on her face as if to say: “What’s up guys?” Neither of us could figure how she survived. We both saw her run directly under the moving vehicle.

Gracie

Today I’m taking care of another fanatical fur ball named Gracie. Her owner had to leave her behind when she moved. Now here’s something interesting about all the cats that were in my care…One-way or another they always found a way up to my roof. How they got up there and how they got down is a mystery. And none of them has ever divulged the secret. These days Gracie is carrying on the tradition.




I'd like to make one last observation as both a dog and cat owner. If you happen to be in a supermarket buying pet food you will see dog owners pick out a product and then move on. Now walk down to the cat food section and it's a whole different scene. There's usually a cluster of people looking at each label and mumbling to themselves. The usual comments are: "He doesn't like those" or "I forgot what she likes." That's why I'm reluctant to say cat owners, because they really own us.

Since this story is coming to a close I’d like to end it with a joke. A dog looks at it's owner and says: "Wow, he feeds me, cleans up after me and takes care of me...He must be God" --- While a cat says: "Wow, he feeds me, cleans up after me and takes care of me...I must be God."