OUR BUDDY

 

Our green-eyed boy has been with us for three weeks. His adaptation to the new environment and us has been remarkable and it seems each day brings another positive movement forward. While he still retreats to his safe place up in the basement rafters, he is spending more and more time upstairs. In fact, for the past two nights, he has snoozed on the love seat in the Great Room. We no longer have to sequester him in the kitchen to prevent him from keeping us awake with endless mewing. He has quieted down radically and he is beginning to relax more and more. Now, his skittishness seems more of an expression of youthful (he's only 1.5 not 2 years old as earlier reported) energy. We're learning more and more about each other. For example, he is not much of a toy kitty. Poor Mom went out yesterday and bought him a couple of interactive toys and while he played with them a bit (perhaps out of politeness), his overall reaction was "meh." We are delighted that he hangs out on the loveseat with us while we are watching the TV in front of the fire. He's a roller and enjoys rolling back and forth over C's shoes. He loves belly rubs which is so surprising: this is a big, big taboo in felineworld-the belly is the vulnerable underside of their body and our previous crew would rarely allow us access, giving the offender a stern look: "just what the hell you think you are doing there, pal?" before giving us The Claw. Not the Budster. I've never seen a cat who rolls onto his back, both front legs straight up in the air and loving a generous full belly rub. One thing though: he is a vigorous kneader so when engaging, it is important for his humans to have a claw guard between him and their flesh.

He has begun to do what must be in some sort of feline genetic memory (or as C has remarked, he found an owner's manual left by our crew): jumping up sticking his tail and butt in C's face as she tries to work at her computer and helping Mom "make" the beds. He enjoys hanging out with me on the couch while I watch something on my side wrapped in a blanket. After some scritches, he'll settle down between my bent knees and the couch back and take a snooze. Good boy.

We have decided to make his interim name of Buddy permanent. Nothing else seemed to work and Buddy can easily morph into various iterations: Buddy, Bud, Budster, Mr. B. Spud, Spudly. From Wiki: "1802, colloquial butty (“companion”), also the form of an older dialect term meaning workmate, associated with coal mining. Itself believed derived from 1530 as booty fellow, a partner with whom one shares booty or loot. Alternatively, an alteration of brother." One persona has already been created: Buddyluv-when he wants an interactive cuddle with lots of belly rubs and kneading- Cue up the Barry White! Alternatively, C came up with this reference from an old Budweiser commercial from the early '70's:

We're so happy to have this beautiful guy in our lives and hope we have many years with all of us together. A home without a cat is empty for us and there are few things better on a cold afternoon than gathering around the hearth with each other, good food and drink and a handsome katter.