A couple days after Cali died, I started this. I remember another memory every day, but here are a few.
For seventeen years, Cali has been my constant companion. When I got her, my mom was working at the county animal shelter. She was off one day, and she and I stopped by to pick something up. Someone mentioned two beautiful cats that they had just got in, one calico and one black an white. I was going to be moving in with my grandfather soon, so I called him and asked if I could get a cat. He reluctantly agreed, and Cali went home with me. My mom brought home her sister, Molly the next day.
Over the years, Cali has amazed me, surprised me, scared me, consoled me, cared for me, and been my best friend. She used to answer the phone when it was lying on the floor at an apartment where I live in Columbia. When it rang, she would run over to it and knock it over, presumable to stop the ringing. For a while, I had to race to the phone to get to it before her.
She would eat just about anything but absolutely loved legumes of any kind… peas, lima beans, pork and beans, chili beans, black beans. She also loved lunchmeat, anything with liver and spaghetti sauce. She was not fond of eggs or cheese.
Years ago, I lived in an apartment with the bedrooms upstairs. Somehow, we got in the habit of playing on the stairs before bed. She would chase a ribbon that I would pull up the stairs. I would guess that she would do it for hours if I would last that long. She would jump up after it and grab at it as if her life depended upon catching it.
Many times over the years, Cali brought me her treasures that she caught, but two times really stand out. The first was while we were living at Grandpa’s. She hadn’t been around much during the evening. When I went to bed, I found that she had a mouse cornered under a shelf. It couldn’t get out, and I couldn’t get to it, so I figured “what the heck” and went to bed. Silly me. Around two or three, I woke up to Cali pouncing on me. Then pouncing on me again. I quickly flashed back to the mouse from a few hours earlier, turned on the light and discovered Cali playing with the still alive mouse in the bed. I grabbed the bedspread, wrapped it up and carried it outside and let the mouse go. Several years later, I went to bed with Cali acting suspiciously, but I did not see a mouse. Fortunately, this time when she brought it to me, it was already dead. I just wrapped it up in a Kleenex and put it on the nightstand until morning.
For many years, I had a simple little stool that was Cali’s favorite place to lay and watch the world happen outside. It was also a great place to chase her tail. She would lean off one side and notice that her tail was hanging off the other side, then a battle would ensue. She would get down in the legs and railings and try to catch it. It was a hoot to watch. Often she would be walking along, or lying down bathing and suddenly become aware of a mysterious brown and black snake that was stalking her. She would quickly pounce at it, but as it was just behind her, it would often get away, leading to an all out chase of her tail. Each time it happened, she would look at her tail like she had never seen it before and had no idea it had been following her all this time.
Our nightly routine was that I would get in bed and lie on my back, then she would come up and lie on my chest for me to pet her. She loved for me to scratch her neck and cheeks, and more recently to rub inside of her ears. She sometimes would drool like crazy, and would always purr. Once I was done petting (she never got enough) she would usually go lay nearer the foot of the bed between my feet, or further up if it was cold. Once in a while, she would get under the covers.
Cali was obsessed with water - with drinking it, with playing with it, and with avoiding bathing in it. She drank a lot of water, and wanted it out of a cup, very fresh. I usually refilled her cup twice a day. She used to love for me to leave the bathroom faucet running so that she could bat the stream of water with her paws. For many years, she would join me whenever I took a bath, sitting by the tub, but usually up on the side of the tub. I could not have a glass of water sitting around anywhere that she did not try to take a drink out of.
Once in our 17 years together, Cali got completed wet. Just last year, Michael was standing inside facing the basement door talking with Tim the taper who had his back to the door. Earlier, I had been outside putting chemical into the hot tub, and left the lid half open so it could mix properly. Outside the door, Michael saw Cali fly through the air and splash into the hot tub. Before he could get the door open, she was crawling back out and running across the yard. I caught up with her in the garage, wrapped her in a towel and took her inside to calm her down and dry her off. She did not realize the lid was open and was jumping up to get on top of the hot tub, which she had done many times prior but none since that incident.
Over the years, Cali has amazed me, surprised me, scared me, consoled me, cared for me, and been my best friend. She used to answer the phone when it was lying on the floor at an apartment where I live in Columbia. When it rang, she would run over to it and knock it over, presumable to stop the ringing. For a while, I had to race to the phone to get to it before her.
She would eat just about anything but absolutely loved legumes of any kind… peas, lima beans, pork and beans, chili beans, black beans. She also loved lunchmeat, anything with liver and spaghetti sauce. She was not fond of eggs or cheese.
Years ago, I lived in an apartment with the bedrooms upstairs. Somehow, we got in the habit of playing on the stairs before bed. She would chase a ribbon that I would pull up the stairs. I would guess that she would do it for hours if I would last that long. She would jump up after it and grab at it as if her life depended upon catching it.
Many times over the years, Cali brought me her treasures that she caught, but two times really stand out. The first was while we were living at Grandpa’s. She hadn’t been around much during the evening. When I went to bed, I found that she had a mouse cornered under a shelf. It couldn’t get out, and I couldn’t get to it, so I figured “what the heck” and went to bed. Silly me. Around two or three, I woke up to Cali pouncing on me. Then pouncing on me again. I quickly flashed back to the mouse from a few hours earlier, turned on the light and discovered Cali playing with the still alive mouse in the bed. I grabbed the bedspread, wrapped it up and carried it outside and let the mouse go. Several years later, I went to bed with Cali acting suspiciously, but I did not see a mouse. Fortunately, this time when she brought it to me, it was already dead. I just wrapped it up in a Kleenex and put it on the nightstand until morning.
For many years, I had a simple little stool that was Cali’s favorite place to lay and watch the world happen outside. It was also a great place to chase her tail. She would lean off one side and notice that her tail was hanging off the other side, then a battle would ensue. She would get down in the legs and railings and try to catch it. It was a hoot to watch. Often she would be walking along, or lying down bathing and suddenly become aware of a mysterious brown and black snake that was stalking her. She would quickly pounce at it, but as it was just behind her, it would often get away, leading to an all out chase of her tail. Each time it happened, she would look at her tail like she had never seen it before and had no idea it had been following her all this time.
Our nightly routine was that I would get in bed and lie on my back, then she would come up and lie on my chest for me to pet her. She loved for me to scratch her neck and cheeks, and more recently to rub inside of her ears. She sometimes would drool like crazy, and would always purr. Once I was done petting (she never got enough) she would usually go lay nearer the foot of the bed between my feet, or further up if it was cold. Once in a while, she would get under the covers.
Cali was obsessed with water - with drinking it, with playing with it, and with avoiding bathing in it. She drank a lot of water, and wanted it out of a cup, very fresh. I usually refilled her cup twice a day. She used to love for me to leave the bathroom faucet running so that she could bat the stream of water with her paws. For many years, she would join me whenever I took a bath, sitting by the tub, but usually up on the side of the tub. I could not have a glass of water sitting around anywhere that she did not try to take a drink out of.
Once in our 17 years together, Cali got completed wet. Just last year, Michael was standing inside facing the basement door talking with Tim the taper who had his back to the door. Earlier, I had been outside putting chemical into the hot tub, and left the lid half open so it could mix properly. Outside the door, Michael saw Cali fly through the air and splash into the hot tub. Before he could get the door open, she was crawling back out and running across the yard. I caught up with her in the garage, wrapped her in a towel and took her inside to calm her down and dry her off. She did not realize the lid was open and was jumping up to get on top of the hot tub, which she had done many times prior but none since that incident.
Her memories, like her, will sneak up on me when I least expect it.
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