Quick recap from last week. I was house/dog/cat sitting for my aunt and her husband while they were on a cruise. The house part was easy, the cat part resulted in a few minor wounds, and it was all because one of the two dogs is afraid of me.

Regular readers may recall the fun I had trying to get a dog who is afraid of me to come back in the house when one has to hold the door open. Well, I have good news, by the end of the week Simon was coming back in the house while I stood there. Granted, he ran as fast as he could from the edge of the deck, in the door, and through the kitchen to the other end of the house before I could even turn around, but considering the rain and snow we had at the end of the week I was just glad not to have to run outside and chase him in through a propped open door.

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So last night I get back to my aunt’s house, and get the dogs outside without much of a hassle. I haven’t had dinner yet so I let them frolic a bit and then try to get them in so I can go get something to eat…  It is starting to sprinkle, so I figure it will be pretty easy to get Simon to come in.

I prop the screen door open and move to ‘hide’ behind the inside door as I call Sandy to come in, hoping that Simon will follow him in. Then just as Sandy is heading up on to the deck… zip, there goes Smokey, out the door to the deck.

I manage to get her without too much effort, she had ducked under the bbq grill, hiding from the rain under the cover that is over the grill itself. She tried to duck around it once, then again, hoping to evade me, but I was able to scoop her up and get her back in the house. As I returned to the back door, hoping to lure Simon back in yet, Smokey decided she really wanted to be outside and dashed out the door again. She moves pretty quick for a seventeen year old cat.

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My aunt and her husband are on a cruise this week… lucky them. They have two dogs (Sandy and Simon) and four cats (Smokey, Fred, Barney and… I forget the fourth). They asked if I could house/animal sit while they were gone… and me being the wonderful nephew that I am (and that I owe my wonderful aunt so much) said I would.

There’s one problem problem in all this. It isn’t that I don’t like animals or anything, it’s just that Simon is afraid of me.

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Originally written and posted shortly after her death, two years ago now.

I lost… a friend? a companion? a pet? a cat?

I dunno. Folks that have pets can understand. Your pets tend to be more than just pets. And cats, well, if you’re not a cat person, you probably won’t get it.

I love dogs, and wouldn’t mind having one again some day… but right now cats fit my life better. If I don’t get home till late, or want to take off for a weekend, I can without worrying who’s going to let the dog out.

So I got not just one, but two. Well, I got one first. And we lived with two others. So when I was ready to move on, I figured I should have another to keep the first company.

The first was Panther. She was an all black kitten with huge ears that I got from an animal rescue type place. Then I got Tanner. He was a stray at the humane society, a kitten. Long white hair with tan splotches. Yea, I got real creative with the names, but they fit.

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