Monday, June 23, 2014

Tom

This is Tom.  I am not sure whether or not that is a diminutive for "Thomas," and it really doesn't much matter.  We don't own a cat, and yet we have a cat.

Tom belongs to the next-door neighbor.  Tom is outdoors a lot, and for the most part he prefers our yard to his own.  I don't much mind this so long as he is merely resting, not trampling, mind you, amongst the flowers.  There he is in a bare spot in front of our foundation and behind the columbines.

Certain of his behaviors are less benign, yet he is usually circumspect. Tom is not friendly, but neither is he aggressive.  I can sweet-talk him so long as I stay at least six feet distant from him.  An inch closer, however, and Tom is like the kitty in the old country song, a couple of lines of which say, He's movin' on, he's movin' on. He ripped a stitch when he hit the ditch, and he's movin' on.

We, the cat and I, have an accommodation.  I tolerate him, and he doesn't demand title to the property he co-opts.

8 comments:

Grace said...

And a handsome lad he is too - tho I hate people who let their pets roam free...(No, no - cats don't really HAVE to go out. Sure hope he is neutered, and no, it doesn't traumatize them)

Vee said...

Does being black mean that Tom is protecting you from bad luck or bringing you bad luck?

vanilla said...

Grace, he is a good-looking cat. The good news is that he is an "it."

Vee, neither. He is just a very sleek yellow-eyed black cat. ;-)

Secondary Roads said...

What a handsome fellow is Tom.

vanilla said...

Chuck, yes, Tom is the kitten's britches; a fine figure of a Cat.

Lin said...

Isn't that just the way of the cat? Mine does the same thing---he's got to sit just over the lot line in the neighbor's yard...and then ignore me when I call for him to come home.

I'm guessing he comes by you to avoid anyone bugging him. Seems you got the message that his family did not.

Sharkbytes said...

At a distance is a pretty good place for a cat. A few have befriended me over time, but I'm cool with distance.

vanilla said...

Lin, I like that thought: Here is Haven for beleaguered cat.

Sharkey, I like it; that is me, too. Almost always, though, if I am visiting in a house that harbors a cat, the cat will wind up on my lap. More "the way of the cat."