Casey the drag artist

Casey is settling in to himself now, having watched how Sam and I react to each other, and learning the rhythm of the house, he now feels confident enough to let some of his personality shine through.

One of the things he likes to do is to accompany me to the bathroom. Having learned that when he lies right up next to the side of the bath there is a possibility that he’ll get splashed (when I wash my hair under the shower attachment), he now waits by the door for me for me to start drying myself. Once he sees me using the towel he comes back nearer the bath tub making life awkward when I try to get out – as my bathroom is very bijou to say the least! I have to somehow become a gymnast and leap over the side of the bath and over him and land on two legs without a wobble to continue the drying process. Then he grabs a corner of it in his mouth and starts to drag the towel out of the bathroom, usually with me attached at the other end of it.

The first time this happened, I didn’t even notice that the towel had gone. Having dried myself after a bath and rinsing the bath tub out I turned around just in time to see the towel disappearing around the corner into the kitchen which is right next door to the bathroom. I quietly followed Casey to see what he was up to and he dragged the towel into the kitchen where he proudly sat on it with a look of almost unconcealed joy on his face as if he had pulled one over on me.

I laughed. I didn’t think I’d ever laugh again after losing Ollie. Ollie was a born comedian and some of the things he did were both shocking and hilarious. I could imagine him in some dark dingy setting, a bar down town maybe, a bag of catnip in one paw, a mic in the other as he stood telling jokes to an appreciative crowd of cats, all imbibing catnip in vast quantities before staggering back home to their beds to sleep off the effects.

To say I miss Ollie is an understatement. Despite having Sam and Casey whom I love dearly, Ollie was a special cat that comes along once in a life time if you’re lucky. Actually, all my cats have been special cats – each with their own wonderful personalities which have shone in different ways. Like Garfield before him, Ollie knew instinctively when I was sick or whether I was just lying on the sofa because I was either resting or being lazy. He just knew and depending on which circumstance it was he took the appropriate action.

Ollie also spoke to me. He had a range of meows which meant different things and most of the time, I think, I understood those meows and interpreted them correctly. Casey, by comparison (and I do know one shouldn’t make comparisons because each cat is completely different) has a very silent purr which is barely audible. I’m used to purring on such a grand scale that even tractors couldn’t compete! Casey doesn’t speak – at least not yet – but I’m waiting patiently for the day to come when he feels completely at ease enough with me to meow and share his voice with me.

In the meantime he lets me know what he wants by his actions. Sitting by his food bowl means that he wants something to eat and would I please stop what I’m doing and get his meal ready pronto. If he comes along side me when I’m sitting down it means I can pick him up for a cuddle where he likes me to rub in between his ears and under his chin and whisper sweet nothings in his ear. I always let him get down before he gets fed up so that he feels he’s in charge of the situation.

He has a few favourite dining chairs that he likes to rest on during the day in between meals and if I can’t find him downstairs, he’s found his bravado and has ventured upstairs to my bedroom where I place a towel on the corner of my bed which he thinks is just for him. He looked guilty the first time I found him lying there but I went out of the room without saying anything to him so he remained where he was for a couple more hours, safe in the knowledge that he wasn’t doing anything wrong.

I don’t know Casey’s background. He doesn’t seem frightened of anyone and recently when I had my two sons and their partners plus Lawrence and I all in the same room, he rushed in and greeted everyone as if he was really pleased that they had come to his house. Having satisfied himself that everyone had a drink, a comfortable seat, he took his leave of us and went back to his dining chair.

With Sam’s health failing now and an uncertain future ahead, I’m glad that Ollie showed kindness to Casey and encouraged him to brave the catflap and enter our home. He’s becoming a really beautiful cat and I’m blessed, once again, to have been chosen as his preferred food bowl attendant and lap provider.