THE SNITTY CAT by Carolyn C. Holland

My son Nolan and husband Monte had completed a path through the woods between our house and Dana’s house, and I enjoy the peace, calm and daily changes of nature I experience every time I walk along it.

As I began my walk our cat, Honey, greeted me in the driveway outside our door. She skittered and scampered among the fall leaves, running ahead of me and behind me in a kittenish way, even though she is about eleven years old. She even posed for pictures, her orange color with white accents accentuating the bronzes and golds of the fallen leaves.

She hadn’t been at our home since we returned from our three-week trip to New England, New York and Ohio.

When we were packing our car for a New England vacation Honey jumped onto the front passenger seat. She was miffed when we asked her to take exit, and finally I picked her up, hugged her good-by and set her down on the ground.

During the three weeks we were away she stayed at Dana’s house. On our return we brought her home. As usual, on our return from any vacation, she presented her cattitude communicating we weren’t worthy of her company. Even giving her extra treats didn’t work. She traipsed back to Dana’s as fast as she could scoot out her cat door. This pattern was repeated several times.

Finally her shit lifted, and here she was, acting love-starved, forgiving, wanting to make up.

For several days I couldn’t do anything without her cozying up to me, with a purr that could be heard two rooms away. If I sat to read the newspaper she was on my lap. She followed me around the house. She snuggled against me all night with a song of forgiveness.

This is Honey’s nature. She is a people cat. We cannot halt all our plans for her, and we sympathize with her whenever we must leave home. She is a fortunate animal. There are thousands of cats and other animals in the world who are homeless like she was when my daughter Sandy took her in. She, too, was a stray cat, homeless, abandoned at about a year old. Today she has two homes.

She must re-experience the loss of her original home every time we leave home. Hopefully someday she can overcome her insecurities.

I wonder. Where can we find a cat psychologist? If she doesn’t need one, I might.