This is Wrigley.
We got him two years ago today.
The morning after Thanksgiving, Wrigley literally walked into our lives. He woke us up with his crying. I opened the front door to see what the commotion was all about and there he was at the door. Roughly 10 weeks old and besides himself. We fed him, and let him hang out for a couple hours. We thought we'd use him as an experiment to see if Nellie would tolerate a kitten before his owner came looking for him.
After a while it was obvious no one was actively looking for him. And we were in love. We knocked on some doors, but everyone seemed to be gone for the long weekend. We both knew the right thing to do was try to find his owners. I made a sign and hung it up by the mailboxes. It said:
Kitten found. Please call 123-4567.
Night came and he slept on my chest while Dean slept on the couch, scared of crushing him. The next day, we took the sign down. He and Nellie seemed to be getting along and since we got Nellie as an adult I had completely forgotten what it was like to have a kitten around. For a full week he didn't have a name. Dean, being the eternal sports fan threw out tons of athletes' names, past and present. I objected to all of them. He objected to all of my ideas as well. Finally, he said, "I got it. His name will be Wrigley." Perfect.
Wrigley is an odd creature. I say creature because Dean and I often speculate that he's not even a cat. We joke he's half cat, half ferret (a "carrot") or any combination of obscure felines and primates. He bites, howls, fetches (yep, he fetches!), greets us at the door, keeps us awake all night. He clicks at things he sees outside, kills moths in the house by jumping up and clapping them. He splashes in the sink, walks along every surface in the house, steals balled up socks, spoons with us. He's neurotic about bathing himself and others but a messy eater. He chatters incessantly when he's bored and pitifully drags around a string for us in hopes we'll play with him. He's adorable, scary smart, infuriating, and I couldn't imagine my life without him.
8 comments:
What a face! You can tell that's a cat with personality!
Happy Anniversary!
i have a love/hate relationship with wriggly. i love him because he is the most adorable/strange/spooky/cool cat i've ever see. but until i met wriggly I HAD the most adorable/strange/spooky/cool cat, now he somewhat pales in comparison
jackie-
That face is the only thing keeping us from tossing him out some days! (J/K of course...)
gabrielle-
Thanks. When is it your turn to start a feline family?
lefty-
Long lost brother, huh? Somehow I could totally see Wrigley making the trip from St. Louis to wind up at our door. That's the thing about cats, they'll never tell you where they've been...
mom-
I had no idea you felt that way. I will trade you straight up Wrigley for Remy. I think Nellie would like that deal. Plus, wouldn't you LOVE to see who would win in a fight between Wrigely and Abby? While we're at it, I'll even trade my black one for yours. She has a goopy eye and pukes a lot but she's very good at catching lizards and roaches. Oh, wait. You don't have lizards or roaches...
That was a nice write-up. I love his name, and I agree that it's perfect. We are thinking about getting a dog for my son's birthday, and maybe a cat or two to hunt mice. We only have a fish right now, and my son is already bored with it.
Scott-
Crazy cat lady says: Give me your address and I'll have two cats to you by early next week.
Seriously, I am a huge proponent of getting children comfortable with animals at an early age. It makes me sad to see adults scared of animals because they didn't grow up with them. I know you've had pets before so I doubt there's anything I can tell you that don't already know. Just beware of the cutest puppies and kittens that are playful and charsimatic. They always turn out to be the handfuls!
My wife has done all the research and has picked the type of dog that is the least genetically inclined to bark. Sounds boring to me. I wanted to get a Beagle.
Happy Anniversary Wiggly Wrigley!!!
Found you via Brainhell -- I have a dog named Wrigley, and he is a strange beast indeed. Must be a fitting name for the odd sort.
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