The Sweetest Cat Until He Drew Blood!
“In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this...”
With cats, there will be blood. Hey, they have claws, don’t they? Bring it on! Ah, Ernie. Our sweet male orange tabby who somehow balances being the loving companion and the unexpected chaos-bringer in our lives. Every day, he jumps up on the arm of the couch for his insulin shot without any fuss or fight, making me fall in love with him all over again. On vacation he travels well However, when it comes to bath time, it's a whole different story. Then it’s knives out! His claws come out like tiny knives, ready to draw blood at any attempt to submerge him.
courtesy of Tenor Gifs
Cats are like that, one minute, your cat is nestled in your lap, purring contentedly as if it holds the secret to eternal happiness. The next, it has transformed into a miniature whirlwind, dashing through the house, chasing invisible creatures only they can see. It's a blend of affection and ferocity that leaves us marveling at the enigma of feline behavior.
What had happened was, while on a family trip to my parents' place in West Virginia. Ernie, who usually travels well, had an unfortunate accident in his cage. The stench quickly filled the car, and our once-sweet-smelling ride turned into an olfactory nightmare. With no other option, we knew we had to clean him up before arriving at the hotel.
Now, the hotel was pet-friendly, but we didn’t want to parade in with a cat that looked like he'd just escaped from a garbage dump. So, sneaking him in became the plan. The reality of the situation, however, was far messier than we anticipated. Ernie, covered in his own mess, was not a willing participant in his impending bath.
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As soon as the bathroom door closed behind us, Ernie transformed from our gentle kitty into a miniature, feral lion. The scene could only be described as a feline version of a CSI crime scene. My daughter, bless her heart, bore the brunt of it. Ernie, in his desperate attempt to escape the water, lashed out and drew blood, leaving her DNA splattered on the hotel bathroom wall. It was a scene of chaos, with a mix of cat yowls, splashing water, and our frantic attempts to subdue him.
Cats are funny that way—sweet and loving one minute, feral and wild the next. This duality in Ernie reminded me of a cautionary tale: a relationship where you never quite know when the next scratch or bite might come. If he scratches you once, chances are, he’ll do it again. It’s a dynamic I knew well from another cat who once made my husband see red, literally and figuratively. Chasing that cat around the apartment, out of breath and with a vengeance, became a common sight.
Ernie’s antics brought back memories of those frantic chases. Once, my husband tried to catch our other cat, Menace, who always managed to evade him at the last second. The grudge between them took a while to heal. I found myself in a similar situation with Menace, trying to smack him with a flip-flop to make him stop tormenting his sister. It was a hilarious yet frustrating episode, one that left me breathless and sweaty.
But just when you think you’ve had enough, these little furballs do something that melts your heart. Not long after the bath fiasco, there was, Ernie sitting on the bed meowing sweetly and waiting for me to give him his insulin. His earlier ferocity was forgotten, replaced by the innocent charm that made us love him in the first place.
Life with Ernie is never dull. One moment you’re cleaning up a mess, the next you’re laughing at his playful antics. And despite the scratches and chaos, we wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, love for our pets comes with accepting the wild along with the sweet, the feral along with the loving. And with Ernie, we’ve got it all.