When I married my first husband in 1952 it was often the custom to live with the bride's parents for a year or two to save for a home (remember the war had only been finished for seven years) as housing was really in rather short supply. We lived there and happily joined in the household for several years.
This morning, while tidying the breakfast pots away, an attractive black Tomcat strolled through my garden as though he owned it - as far as I am concerned he does - if there is one thing I find it very hard to resist it is a black Tom. Why? Well possibly because of the time when we lived with my parents. In those pre TV days almost everyone took The Lincolnshire Echo - a nightly evening paper. One night, while reading I, I spotted an ad in the 'Pets' column.
Male kittens. Free to good homes. (followed by an address). My immediate reaction was 'can we have one?' ' No 'said my mother -' I don't want a cat.' My father, who could never resist me anything, questioned her - what was wrong with a cat, keep the mice down (we didn't have any that we knew of). The argument fizzled out during the week-end. My husband worked three miles away in Lincoln at the time and cycled there each morning. That night on his return from work, as he passed the kitchen window, sticking out of the bag behind the saddle of his bike was a little black tail! When we left to live in our own house two years later we wanted him to come and live with us, Did he come? Of course not. My mother categorically refused to let him go! He lived to a ripe old age on the fat of the land - she could refuse him nothing so if they managed to get any thing special he shared it.
.JPG)
22 comments:
As you know a black Tom shared our lives for many a year..... What a special memory which gave me a reason to remember my Jinx.. Hugs! deb
Aww ... lovely memories. Black cats have a very special magic about them don't they. I had my first from my 1st birthday until a year after I was married, I was lucky that mine came with me, he had to my Dad was keen to get a dog. I think this is the longest I have been without a black cat, although Ginger has a special place in my heart.
So frequently the case - we took a kindergarten classroom rabbit "for the summer" once and declined to return it when school started. Also a cat whose former person deployed overseas, and some fish.....not to be trusted with animals, that's us.
ceci
My black tom was Rupert. He came to me at four weeks old. Too young, but his mum had been run over by a tractor and the farmer wanted the kittens to go to new homes as soon as possible. He was tiny, and I absolutely adored him. He and I survived divorce and a couple of house moves together, and he lived to 18. I cried for days.
A good memory.
My grandmother had two black cats when we lived with them on the acre of ground hat came with their Homes for Heroes tin house.
Then my two oldest had rescue siblings a ginger tabby and a grey tabby.
That's a sweet memory! Did you and your husband get another cat once you moved?
I love all cats, and had at least one fully black who would grow a mane in wintertime...and several tuxedo cats too! My favorites are calicoes.
That's a wonderful memory. It made me reflect back on a cat I once adored through my high school years. He was so loved! I was distraught to discover he mysteriously disappeared a few days before I returned from my first year of University. My family and I searched and searched. He was never found. To this day when I think about him, I still feel the loss. I now have a 14 year old orange cat, (Mustard), who reminds me of my long lost cat. It comforts me to think the spirit of my lost cat is inside Mustard.
Oh, I love that story! My husband is not a fan of animals in the house, so I don't have an animal right now. But the thing that I noticed is that my old orange cat spent a lot of time on Tim's lap...and that he never seemed to mind either.
Our feral black tom is looking so much better. That makes me very happy. He might make the transition to an inside cat, but we'll have to see. Some cats just refuse to be anything but what they are.
They do mostly manage to win over their critics.
Wonderful memory. Our bonds with our cats (and dogs) carry very fond memories. Your story is lovely. Today, many young couples are living with parents to save for house purchases. My neighbor's daughter and her husband did just that for 3 years and recently bought their first home all cash. It makes for a very good start.
Another lovely trip down memory lane with you, Pat - thank you!
We had a black Tom from when I was 9 years old. He lived to the age of 18 or so (we were never quite sure since the people who we got him from were a bit vague about his age to begin with) and was very much a fully fledged family member.
We had a white with black spots (or black with white patches?) cat called KC - for Kitty Cat - when our boys were small. Then we had dogs. After retiring and moving here, I answered a howling at the side door one day to see a petite tabby in distress. She came in as if she owned the place, soon had 3 kittens, and stayed for 16 years.
Did you ever get another cat?
Hugs!
I had Siamse cats for many years but then went over t dogs after retiring and moving to the country.
I could relate to your mother's attachment to your cat, as we took in my daughter's cat when she moved overseas, and on return she was more than happy with our request to keep it. It had a daily walk with me, and delighted the neighbourhood children who knew it by name. I was heartbroken when Moskie died.
Now a starving stray has adopted us, a beautiful boy who is no trouble., and so appreciative of the love, kisses and attention once so sadly lacking .- Pam.
Your mother couldn't part from the cat she initially didn't want! Hahaha! That's how it goes. My grandfather loved black and white "tuxedo" cats and had several black and white toms...named Tom. They would follow him around like dogs.
In Bath we had two cats, an enormous tabby called James, and he lived up to that name and a little female cat called Tiger who lived down the road but had fallen in love with James. I remember going down to the old couple who theoretically owned Tiger and saying that I was fed up with throwing Tiger out and she had to come and live with us.
Even now I can see that little black tail poking out of the saddlebag you wrote so well about.
We've had lots of black cats down the years. However, we were very glad to leave Big Black Sam (neutered not long after he arrived) behind when we moved as he was a total bully to our other cats. Our black chap here is Little Whale who has white paws, bib and chin. Plus his ginger and white brother and the two tabbys.
I see that the Yorkshire Shepherdess has finally admitted that she and her husband have split up. I guess that was always inevitable once she became famous and touring the country and television studios.
I have four black cats as you know. They are sleek and beautiful and have wonderful characters. They are identical from the same litter but I can tell them apart.
Thank you for adding stories of cats you have known See you tomorrow.
What a lovely story. It reminds me of when I was a schoolgirl and my father had left the Army after the war, and we had moved into a rented house in the village. I wanted a pet and there was a litter of kittens a few doors from where we lived. My father wasn't keen but my mother said go and choose one. I came home with a lovely little tabby tom. My father came home and said: 'What's that thing doing here?" Not long after, the kitten was on his lap and Dad said: 'It's funny how they always come to me"!
Post a Comment