Pleasure of Winning

My wife and I live in a suburban community in a one-family home with woods in back of us. With both of us working we never thought of getting a pet - too much additional work and responsibility. In particular after the children left the nest by leaving for college and other green pastures we started enjoying our new independence with less obligations. We could come home whenever we felt like, we could go away on vacation - no major responsibilities and no hungry mouths to feed.
And then it happened one day. Coming home I heard a loud meow in the corner of our garage. I never had much feelings for cats, as a child I owned a dog and always liked dogs, but a cat - no way! I chased the kitten away and did not give it a second thought. The day when the cat showed up was also the week when both our teenage children came home from college for a short vacation. While my wife and I went to work the following day the cat reappeared and was duly fed by the children. They named the cat Sprogg in honor of the Star Trek Enterprise television series. A few days later both our children left for college leaving the cat behind.

The cat would make itself invisible during the day and show up for a few minutes in the morning and in the evening at the glass balcony door to accept a fortifying snack. My initial dislike of cats started giving way to a feeling of coexistence and later to a real friendship. Sprogg had a truly pleasant personality. He seemed to enjoy my presence, rubbed himself against my legs, and was no bother to anybody. I was also quite impressed by his trust in me. One day, for example, I have noticed a tick on his head. The cat would lie down quietly and let me remove the tick with tweezers. My wife or I would let him in when we were at home and let him roam outside at night and during the day when we were working or shopping. We took him to a veterinarian who declared him fit.

When winter came I have put a wooden box on the balcony, where Sprogg was protected from the cold. Snow did not bother him particularly. Only once I had to rescue him, when he was stranded on a snowy slope near our house. He got stuck in the snow while following me on a walk. I did not realize that he was missing. After a while I went on a search and heard a distant meow, a call for help. This rescue operation further cemented our friendship. Later that winter I installed a small opening in the garage door so that he could come in and out of the warm garage at will. A couple of years went by and Sprogg became a valued member of the family.

The woods in back of our house are full of wild life - we have squirrels, opossums, porcupines, turtles and other assorted creatures. Some of them are not particularly friendly and weren't scared by a little cat. Many of our neighbors also own cats and dogs always willing to fight for a bowl of food. As a result once in a while Sprogg would appear at the door slightly bruised presumably after a fight.

It was now late summer and there reigned long-lasting peace in the cats kingdom - no fights and no bruises for several months. Sprogg was as friendly as could be, he would appear regularly for his meals, play with my wife and myself and then leave for his night or morning strolls. I was particularly impressed by his calm and his measured and deliberate manner of movement. Then one day his composure suddenly changed - our cat became depressed. Here was a condition normally associated with human species suddenly afflicting our little pet. The first sign was that he did not appear at he balcony door for breakfast. When we came home from work in the evening there was still no sign of Sprogg. I went on a 1/2 hour search tour trying to find him in our housing development by clapping my hands every few minutes. Normally after hearing this signal Sprogg would run from the end of the world and rub against my legs. But not this time - he just disappeared or was hiding somewhere. Finally around 10 p.m. the cat showed suddenly at the balcony door. Instead of the usual friendly meow greeting, he run quickly through the open door and hid under the sofa. He was not interested in food or in us. After about an hour he quickly emerged from under the sofa, ate his food and hid again under the sofa.

The following day he was missing again for breakfast. Coming home from work I found him hiding in the garage with the bowl of food hardly touched. What to do? Do you send a cat to a psychiatrist, will a session on a couch help? Another day of depressed cat went by and then a minor miracle happened. Sprogg showed up at the balcony door all bruised, with assorted bloody gashes on his head but happy as a lark. Here was our old reliable cat, again sure of himself after winning a battle with some terrifying intruder. One could see victory in his squinted eyes.