Saturday, October 20, 2007

The Evil Among Us


I've always been a cat person. We had three cats live into their teens, despite being outdoor cats in coyote country. Tasha was their protector. More than once, I saw her drive coyotes out of the yard and away from our beloved but world-class stupid cat, Frisco.


Martha and Frisco died from old age in their mid-teens. Keyser died at 12, lost to coyotes the week we thought Tasha was dying. What looked like strokes turned out to be a geriatric inner-ear disturbance. With her out of commission (at the spry age of 14), we lost Keyser.


So we got a gray kitten. Sleek and sweet, we named her Sultana. She was my baby until she got spayed...now she's the bane of our existence. This is a cat so evil that we had to teach my grandson to call her Bad Cat so he'd learn to keep away from her. I warn visitors not to touch her but she's so beautiful, she lures them in and then she attacks...claws and teeth.


Tasha loved our other cats. She slept with them, hunted mice with them (yes, she learned to mouse!), bathed them, cared for them. She would love to do the same with Sullie but this cat is so evil, Tasha goes the other way whenever she's around.


When I was hospitalized in Dallas, Marj came over to take Tasha out and do some laundry. She folded a towel and immediately, Sullie got on it. That is the nature of cats...to possess what you have last touched. When I had the three cats, it got comical to see them trying to all sit on my business papers or my jacket.


Thinking it inappropriate that Sullie sit on clean laundry, Marj decided to move her. She tried a 'shoo' but Sullie swiped at her. So she tried to lure her away with a squiggling string. Nope. Finally she needed to use another towel to push her away. Evil cat.


Tasha has suffered at her claws. Finally, contrary to fifteen years of cat-lovin', she's started to snap back. It's a weird sight, to see both of them frozen with fangs bared, waiting for the other one to move. In the picture I took yesterday, Sullie tried to get lovin' from Tasha but clearly, Tasha would not trust her. She didn't dare move but no way would she offer kisses to this evil cat.


The worst thing Sullie does is to hide on the dining room chairs when she knows Tasha is at the back slider. We let Tasha in and, if we don't know the evil cat is lurking, Sullie leaps on her, all claws and teeth.


Sultana is the embodiment of 1 Peter 5: 8--"Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour."


So beautiful a cat...and so dangerous.


7 comments:

Kay Day said...

And just looking at her I want to touch her. I think, maybe I am the ONE person who could do it. Get close to her, touch her and not get hurt. Maybe what is a danger to everyone else will not affect me.
ahhh, evil indeed.

Kathryn Mackel said...

Kay, everyone thinks that...and everyone comes away bloodied. Evil loves to draw blood.

Bonnie S. Calhoun said...

Oh, my word...LOL...I gues if someone fixed me I might get evil too...ROFLOL!

I can identify with poor Tasha, My dog takes a beating at the pawa of my cat too!

Anonymous said...

My Dolphin (a saber-toothed tiger masquerading as a tabby cat) has also been evil incarnate for most of his four-and-a-half years. As a teacher of emotionally disturbed children, I recognized him as dealing with PTSD and attachment disorder, and we developed a peaceful coexistence. Poor Lady had much more difficulty coping with the little monster, I fear.

Then, this summer, I had a couple of teens in my RV for a week. Kaitlyn decided to conquer Dolphin—and succeeded! She bullied him into submission, forcing him to lie on his back and have his tummy rubbed, in spite of his swearing and scratching (she used gloves). She taught me that cats have a "calm spot" on the forehead between the eyes. You press that spot firmly, tell him, "CALM!" and he settles down!

Now I pick up my gentle, purring kitty and say, "Who are you, and what did you do with my cat?!" He still doesn't snuggle with Lady as much as she would like, but he's a different boy!

If you're ever in Colorado, bring your catlet with you, and we'll sic Kaitlyn on her!

Pam Halter said...

The ancient Egyptians used to worship cats.

Cats have never forgotten this.

It sounds like Sultana is aptly named! HA!

Anonymous said...

By the way, Dolphin's personality transplant does not extend to vet visits. He has expressed an interest in sharing techniques and tricks with Sultana, if she is interested.

Kathryn Mackel said...

Elsi, If Kaitlyn could conquer Sultana, she would be an exorcist! Sultana is tagged a "caution" cat at the vet's. She's the second-worst cat they have ever seen. (Let's hear it for Smoky, who saves us the embarassment of having the worst cat.) She cannot be examined but must be netted to be given her shots. What's sad is that Tasha is also difficult at the vet's. She will not, however, rip one's face off. She is so hysterical that the vet said she was possessed with demons.

Sigh...Steve wonders if we'll ever have a normal pet again.