Memory, All Alone in the Moonlight
May 26th, 2007 by 
Caroline Spector
A few weeks ago, Rory wrote a post about Toxoplasma Gondii.
Basically, a scientist has posited that Toxoplasma Gondii enters human hosts and then changes them to be predisposed to adoring kitties, thereby ensuring that there’s a good home for both the parasite’s host and the parasite. (As I write this, my elderly cat, George, is making sweet, sweet kitty-love to my laptop. This is both cuter and more annoying than it sounds.)
According to Rory, I am obviously thoroughly infested with Toxoplasma Gondii — which has rendered me soft and squishy and prone to the blandishments of cute kitties. To which I say, “Oh, crap, you might be right.”
I say this because I brought home a rescue cat this week.
I would tell you the long saga of how I ended up with said feline adorableness in my guest bedroom, but suffice to say: Jerk-offs moved and left cat behind. When told, “Hey, you forgot something,” Jerk-offs say, “Oh, that’s a stray. We were just feeding it.” At which point I decide that, though I’ve never met these people, they are, well, Jerk-offs. I begin feeding cat.
After gaining its trust, I take cat to vet — which it will someday forgive me for.
I have cat tested for diseases, checked for neutering/spaying, have it given its shots, have vet de-flea cat, and then I bring cat home.
Now The Dude thinks we have cat number five in the guest bedroom. Despite my constant statements that this is not cat number five, but that I am merely fostering cat, he’s dubious.
(One sec, gotta put Floyd up on the sideboard so he can eat. Floyd is my other elderly cat. He’s unable to jump up to get his food anymore. Oh heck, Dave, cat number four in the rotation, needs petting.)
Where was I?
Oh yeah, new cat. No, no, not new cat. Cat I am fostering until I can find good home for it. Honestly, I don’t know where The Dude gets these ideas about New Cat, er, cat I’m fostering.
I have no idea if the whole Toxoplasma Gondii thing is real or not. But if we do end up keeping New Cat (er, cat I’m fostering), now I have something to blame.
But damn, that kitty is cute…
Posted in Caroline, Cats, Daily Life, People, Rory, The Dude | 
10 Comments »
May 26th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
Good Lord. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that cat is my late, deeply lamented Alexis Jude McRabbit, my once and only cat (we’re all allergic, hence the switch of allegiances to dogs, notably Emily). Note the noble profile, the pensive brow, the elegant use of eyeliner…
It looks like a fine temporary cat. Let us know when you decide that resistance is futile, and acknowledge your assimilation, Caroline.
May 26th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
If The Dude is resigned, then it’s probably up to Dave, the Tabby with Tenure . . . because clearly, for Caroline, it’s all over.
May 27th, 2007 at 9:57 am
Well, The Dude confronted me this morning about the New Cat.
TD: “Are we keeping it? I don’t want to meet it and get attached if we’re not keeping it. And I think it’s cruel to keep it in one room.”
MOI: “Er, uhm, well, I think I want to keep it.”
TD: “J’accuse! I knew you were going to keep that cat when you said you were rescuing it!”
MOI: “Uhm, do you know how hard it is to find a decent home for a kitty this good? Or any kitty for that matter?”
TD: mutter, mutter, “Too many cats.”
You know, I think I’ve won him over.
(Madeleine — New Cat looks remarkably like my tabby cat, Dave. Especially the eyeliner. I’m beginning to suspect tabbies are the cross-dressers of the feline world.)
May 27th, 2007 at 10:01 am
As you know, Toxoplasma is not gender-specific. He just needs to quit fighting the infestation and enjoy the kitty wonderfulness it brings.
Is there a legal limit in Austin on how many cats you can own?
Just asking — so you can know when you’ve hit and exceeded it, Caroline.
May 27th, 2007 at 10:06 am
Rory,
I’m pretty sure the cat limit in Austin is about 14. That’s how many Bud and Gilda have. (It’s handy having Bud and Gilda as a barometer of cat “fullness.” Anytime The Dude gets too nutty about it, I can always say, “But, Bud and Gilda have fourteen cats.”)
And I think he’s fighting the whole cute kitty thing anyway. That’s why he doesn’t want to meet New Cat. He’s afraid he will fall — hard.
May 27th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
Point out to The Dude that cats are actually Borg. Resistance is futile.
May 27th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
I figured it wasn’t a question of whether or not you were going to keep the cat but whether the cat was going to keep you. And given his careful, ‘You’ll have to win my trust’ manuever, he basically had you psyched out from day 1. You never really had any choice, Caroline.
May 28th, 2007 at 9:58 am
Maureen,
I am inclined to agree with you. He’s played me like a fiddle.
What with the head-cocking, big eyes routine. (If you’ve seen Shrek 2 you know what I’m talking about.) Oh, and the slutty, “Pet me. Mmmmmm, you’re the best head petter ever” routine.
Yeah, he’s good, really good.
June 4th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Ha! We ninjas are resistant to that kind of thi- *looks at picture* OMIGOD!! IT IS SO DANG CUTE!!
June 25th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
Since I have 6, and last time added two at once, the choir knows the song. All of mine were strays. There is a scientific fact that they know where the suckers live. Modesty Blaise showed up on my back step last year with four kittens. Was able to find homes for all but one kitten, and ended up with mom, and the most stand offish of the kittens. Thanks to watching two different versions of Les Miserables in one week she is Fantine.