Murphy’s fan club recently added a new member: a cat named Snoopy.
Snoopy’s a little gray tortoise-shell Tabby cat who lives in the neighborhood. She lives near the back of our walking route and is both an indoor and outdoor cat.
Snoopy has a sister named Lucy who looks an awful lot like Mr. Meow. The first time I saw her I panicked. I thought Mr. Meow had somehow got out and had made his way to the back of the neighborhood. But upon closer inspection, I realized Lucy’s hair was shorter than Mr. Meow’s and her figure was more svelte.
We actually met Lucy first. Snoopy came later. And now that I think about it, the first time I saw her (which was shortly after I found Tabby) I thought she could pass for one of Tab’s siblings.
Lucy has always been curious about Murphy but has never given him the attention Snoopy does. Lucy tentatively approaches him but doesn’t come closer than about five feet. She does follow us up the street for a couple of houses as if she wants to meet Murph, but if we stop to let her catch up she’ll stop too.
Snoopy, on the other hand, took to Murph right off and has no problem approaching him –-much to Murph’s chagrin. Much like Tabby did on her first meeting with Murph, and how she does frequently now, Snoopy likes to nuzzle against Murph. This always makes him stiffen up and I know what’s going through his mind: “Ooooh! Cat cooties!”
Snoopy likes to hide in the tall grass along the slope of an embankment across the street from her house. (It’s right near some woods –good squirrel and bird hunting territory.) Sometimes Murph spies her or smells her and enthusiastically goes to investigate –only to recoil when a happy looking Snoopy emerges to give him some sugar.
This isn’t the first time Murph’s picked up a cat fan. One Christmas while we waited for Wayne to run a Jingle Bell Race in Jacksonville, a little stray rushed out of the bushes and would not stop following us around. And in our old neighborhood there was a Siamese who was always tickled pink to greet Murph.
It’s Murph’s own fault. He’s too nice for his own good. It’s because he’s always thinking good thoughts and attracting good things to him. Like nice cats!