Thursday, June 01, 2006

They Always Know...


...where to find the love. This is Peaches, my mum's cat. A picture of pure, satisfied bliss that belies the cockiness this little cat possesses.

Peaches wasn't her cat once. He lived somewhere around the corner, but he loved to visit my parents and "help" my mum as she gardened. Helping consisted of sitting on the backs of her legs as she knelt and weeded, or climbing up onto her back. He also had to carefully inspect every hole that she dug...making sure the depth was correct, I suppose.

Peaches wasn't even Peaches once either. He was Wiley. One day when he was visiting my mum, his owner came by and saw him in the garden. "Wiley! There you are!" he exclaimed. Pleasantries and explanations were exchanged, and the owner trotted off home, leaving Wiley/Peaches to keep mum company. Another time the daughter came and plucked him off the fence and carted him home. He always came back. Apparently his real home was full of other pets and kids, and just too darn noisy for one little white and orange kitty to handle. So he spent his days hunting and playing in mum's English cottage garden on the corner.

One eventful day, Peaches officially moved in. There was a knock at the door, and there stood Peaches and his owner. Or rather, there stood the owner with Peaches in his arms. When my dad opened the door, the owner said, "We have to move, and we know that Wiley is happier here with you. So we want you to have him." So my dad naturally said, "Sure - we'll take him!" The little wily cat has been there ever since. He rules the roost like a little banty rooster, and everyone in the neighborhood knows him. We, of course, love him to pieces!

The name Peaches? Well, mum didn't really intend for that to be his name, but she called him that as a nickname, thinking that he was a she. Of course the name stuck, as names will do. Only now it's Peaches LaRue, just like a little gangster. Fitting, isn't it?


Before I forget...Many happy returns of the day, Mum!

2 comments:

Jay said...

That looks like one happy, safe and secure cat. Cat's will adopt people, even if they already have a family. I hear people talking about finding the right "fit" when looking for a dog, but I think it might be more important for a cat. Cats aren't as flexible and don't adjust the way dogs do.

Tink said...

What a great story! And a beautiful cat. Sometimes you can't pick the pet. The pet picks you. :)