I adopted Rumbles

I adopted Rumbles, my second cat, during the third week of November, 2000. I got her to keep my first cat, Panther, company while I was away for learning how to make a video. It became apparent that Rumbles was afraid of everything and everyone. So, I made sure Rumbles saw everything I brought home. Over the years, I told Rumbles to be assertive. Assertive is what I got! She helped herself to my freshly baked muffins, and took bacon off my plate when I had pancakes. She’d also lick the salt off my potato chips. She eventually had me trained to hold a muffin or a potato chip for her.  She didn’t like high places. When we adopted each other, she would bolt to under the bed if the doorbell/phone rang. She would stay there until her perceived monster left. But, when I had some deaf friends over, she would come out to see what the silence was. Communicating in sign language was new experience for her. Rumbles was so very badly abused. Rumbles told me, telepathically, of some of the abuse she experienced. She was starved, kicked, and her past owner grabbed her tail and swung her. I was devastated when I learned all that. Why would anyone abuse a gorgeous cat like this? Knowing that, I told her, she’s safe with me. She was not a hold me cat, and not a lap cat. But she was definitely a close cuddler. When I read books or watched tv, she would have her back to my leg or her feet against my leg. Thus warming each other up. I had to earn her trust. I did that over time by allowing her to get to know me as I am, on her terms. When I came home from being out, no matter how long or short the time, she would greet me with her dainty walk, and tail way up high, with a little crook at the end of her tail. She would take my pancakes, probably because I used bacon fat to cook them in. I used to set the smoke alarm off, often. It got so often, that she eventually got used to that and looked bored when I set it off. She would look as if she was saying, “Oh, you set the smake alarm off, again!” Big yawn. She tried avocado for a while also, because I sprinkled nutritional yeast on. She was crazy for nutritional yeast! No cat story is complete without a story about their hunting! Rumbles brought in moths from the balcony. I didn’t know of that! She would capture them and bring them in and release them and play / hunt them then eat. She went between the walls of the apartment. Her first time, for me anyway, she spent quite some time in there. I was getting nervous and had visions of the fire department breaking open the wall to fish her out. Then I heard a thump. So, I was going to call the fire department, but she emerged from the kitchen hole with a mouse from her mouth! When we visited my Mom’s for Christmas, Mom left the balcony door open a hair line width. Rumbles must have worked all night to get that heavy balcony door open! She presented Mom with a hummingbird. Mom was Not pleased. Oh, I am a visual artist. Rumbles participated in my artwork as well. Once I was totally engrossed in a painting; I forgot everything. Then when I stood up to admire my artwork thus far, Rumbles jumped onto the artwork! She brought me back to the present moment, meowing in my face. I am currently editing a video in which I talk about the creation of one of my paintings, from creation to finish. She’s in that, also. I am so grateful I told her over the years to be assertive.  When it was movie night, she would join me and lay on one side of my lap, then after a few minutes, jump off the sofa, walk around the trunk – table, have a good scratch on her scratching post. Then she would jump back on the sofa, on my other side, and dive into my popcorn, to lick all the butter on the bottom! What a bum! Then she would jump over the popcorn bowl and resume her nap. Rumbles was always so trusting of me. Sometimes she slept with her eyes open, mouth open, on her back with all four feet wherever. I tried to take pictures of her like that, but to no avail. I think we were so close because we knew each other in past lives. For sleeping at nights, she would start her nights, sleeping ON my feet. Then she would move to behind my knees. Next, either back to back or front to front. Sometimes she would even come under the sheet and blankets. Sometimes in the morning she would wake me with a variety of ways: pawing my head, sometimes with her claws sometimes not, just breathing into my face, and touching nose to nose. One morning, I awoke to green eyes. I was on my back, and she was on my tummy.  Little did I know how deeply Rumbles’ pawprints would touch my heart. She was just 13 and under three months when she departed. Thank you, dear sweet Rumbles, for being the star of my life! I know we will see each other again. My visual art website is www.handsandpurrs.ca