This is not going to be a Dogs verses Cats article or even meant to convince people cats are better. Each has its preferences. Although I like certain dog breeds, I never found myself living in the right environment to own the breeds I enjoy most. However, over time I was fortunate enough to live with cats. I say this very intentionally, because the cats I have lived with were “A,” not my decision, and “B,” were definitely not owned. They shared space with my families over the years, or should I say cohabitated with us.
I am sure you have heard that you do not own cats; they own you. This has always been the case with the 5 cats I knew. You did not expect them to do as you said like a dog would. If a cat actually does what you want, it was simply because it was what they wanted in the first place. Do not get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the company of the cats I have had in my life. At times they could be quite soothing and calming. They are also a great lap or side of the leg warmer in the winter months when watching something on TV.
My intention here will be to share some stories about several of the cats I have known over time. Hopefully you will find these somewhat entertaining and even funny at times. Memories from a while back I wish to get into the written word before “Old Timers” kicks in and they fade into oblivion. A head of time I would like to point out that no animals were gravely injured, maimed, or killed due to any of these experiences. In fact, all accounts were due to the sole actions of the cats mentioned.
Scamper and Zoro: Brothers in Every Sense of the Word.
It was a Saturday in the early 1970’s when my mother came home with my youngest brother from a shopping trip. They came in with a cardboard box with two small black fluff balls, soon to be known as Scamper and Zoro. They were both black and white short haired cats with very distinctive color markings, which led to their naming. The pick and the runt of the litter, as one was slightly bigger than the other. My mother decided to get 2 so they could keep one another company when we were not at home. They grew quickly over time and would go their separate ways when outside and play together when inside at night.
Like most brothers, they would play and rough house. When things got to serious or intense a simple yelp would generally bring everything to a halt and they would go in opposite directions. Never did they ever really hurt one another. Playing usually meant running the length of the house chasing one another and down into the basement. They would do two or three full lapse of the house before resting or getting interested in something else.
One evening the race was on, and in the middle of a lap, the door to the basement was closed. The two cats came around the corner and slammed into the door with a loud boom. When we turned to see what happened, both cats were sitting and cleaning themselves as if to say “What are you looking at? Nothing to see here.”
They would work together for mutual benefit. When they were ready to come inside, Zoro would jump onto the window sill to our TV room. Scamper just waited by the door. Sometimes they would team up to catch squirrels. Once Zoro chased a squirrel up a tree and onto a branch. Cornered, the squirrel tried to jump to another tree. He almost did not make it. Just for a moment the squirrel dangled from the tip of the other tree branch with Scamper sitting on the ground directly under it, staring up intently.
Zoro: The Runt of the Litter
He was black and white with the black coming over the top of his head but ending across the bottom of his nose. Just like the mask of Zoro. Stronge, fast, agile and could climb a tree almost as fast as a squirrel. It was the getting down part that stumped him when he was younger. He soon learned. Yes he was smaller than his brother, mostly by weight. Zoro was a 17 pound hunting machine. Field mice, moles, chipmunks, and occasionally birds fell prey. Always brought home as a trophy. Never eaten. Yes, they both got bells for collars.
Being the smaller of the two cats Zoro fell victim to the mischief of his brother and the human brothers from time to time. With three boys in the house ranging from middle school to high school, mischief seemed to be a daily habit. One of my brothers had Scamper trained to pounce on Zoro whenever he, my brother, wanted. Yes, Cats can be trained.
So long as Zoro was in eyesight, simply scratch Scamper at the base of his back and tail while whispering, “Get him.” Scamper would nonchalantly get down from the chair, walk up to Zoro, lick Zoro 3 times. (Not 4 or 2 but 3 times, every time.) Then pounce on poor unsuspecting Zoro. My brother was the only one who could control this behavior. You would think Zoro would get a clue.
Scamper: All Hail the King
No exaggeration, Scamper owned the neighborhood. Everyone, 6 houses down in either direction from our house, knew that was our cat. Black and white short hair with white markings on his face and chest. He had white boots on his paws which made him look faster than he actually was when he ran thus Scamper he was named. He grew large and stronge, 24 pounds worth.
After a few years we noticed Scamper becoming a bit to large. My mother tried putting him on a diet but it was not working. He kept gaining weight. One day at the school bus stop some of my friends and I got talking about my cats and how big Scamper was. That’s when I found out my cat was visiting 3 or 4 other homes every morning and being fed everything from bowls of milk to pieces of danish. Every morning was a smorgasbord breakfast. As I said, everyone knew Scamper.
This cat knew he owned the neighborhood. He walked confidently everywhere he went. Not timid or scared of anything. He did what he wanted when he wanted and he knew nothing would interfere. Until this one day in the summer. Scamper was sleeping in the sun, curled up in his favorite depression in the front yard. The depression seemed to fit him perfectly and was filled with longer cool grass. He was sound asleep without a care in the world.
My brother went to the window and spotted a large German Shepard coming down the street. Now we were used to large dogs since Barney moved in down the street. The dog on his hind feet was well over 6 foot tall. This dog was not that big but big enough to make a meal of Scamper. “Oh God! Scamper is out there!” came from my brother, and we both shot to the door. By the time we opened the door and stepped out on the stoop, it was too late. The dog was standing over Scamper, sniffing around him.
You would think we would have yelled something, but there was not enough time. It was over in a flash. Scamper had become aware of the dog. Turned his head to one side as if to peer at the dog with 1 eye. We almost did not see it happen. Faster than the blink of your eye, a paw shot out from under my cat’s resting head and clawed the tender tissue of the dogs nose.
The dog yelped in pain while jumping about 3 feet in the air to get away from the cat and sprinted down the road upon landing. Scamper watched the dog run away. He put his head back down but raised it partially just one more time to make sure the dog was gone, then settled back into his depression. Long Live The King!
It Was Meant To Be, Divine Providence, Kismet
It was later in my life that I got to experience living with a feline in the household when my new, young bride returned home from work with a kitten. Their meeting was a strange coincidence. My wife had been thinking about a cat she once had all day long and was missing her. When going to her car she heard a barely audible sound. She followed it to a nearby dumpster. There behind it was this small kitten. It was fate, and thus her name was Kismet.
Kismet was a short haired, mixed, black and light brown, known as tortoiseshell cat. She was my wife’s cat for sure and we kept her indoors. Skitish at times, curious, and liked to get above it all. She climbs. This would lead to her most horrifying experiences. She was playful. Strings and flashlights were her favorites. She would chase them all day long and never get tired of it. At least until I brought a mylar balloon home. We let it just float about the apartment. Kismet was enjoying jumping for the long ribbon hanging down from the balloon.
This was not an easy feat. She was jumping three and one half to four feet in the air to reach the ribbon and the ribbon was flat so it would slide through her claws and teeth. Kismet found a way and caught the ribbon. She rolled up into it and managed to get it wrapped around her tail. The poor cat was now being chased around the apartment by a mylar balloon.
There was no place to hide. This thing was chasing her everywhere she went. She could not get away from it, and she would not come close enough to us to catch her and get her untangled. Finally, she ran behind the couch and pinned the balloon between the couch and the wall. We were able to slide the balloon to where we could cut the ribbon. She was now free of her tormenter, and we could untangle the rest of the ribbon. Kismet never trusted balloons again.
The Christmas Incident
The first Christmas with pets in the house is always a challenge keeping pets away from the Christmas tree. Most learn with enough reinforcement to leave the tree alone. Some, however, are a little slow. As I said before, Kismet loved to climb and get above everything so she could survey her surroundings. That is in the nature of a lot of cats. The Christmas tree was just another mountain to be conquered. It was hard to dissuade her from trying to get into the tree.
This one afternoon I came home from work a little early and entered the apartment. Nothing was out of place or seemed odd except Kismet was nowhere to be found. This was odd. She normally met us near the door. I called her and did a quick look. Nothing. Figured she was under the bed sleeping. So I went to the tree to turn on the lights and as I rose from the switch nearly at my full height a pair of eyes glinted at me through the boughs of the tree. The cat was frozen in place as if she was saying to herself, “if I stay perfectly still I will be invisible to the eye.”
Now this was not a fresh cut real tree but a rather nice artificial tree standing at seven feet tall and full of light strings and roped beads along with the normal ornaments. Once decorated the tree could be quite dense in places. An easy hiding place for a muticolored feline in the state of petrification due to panic of being caught in a place she is not suppose to be. And all I did was say her name, “Kismet”.
Let the fun begin! The one thing about cats is how they use their tails. They carry them with such precision and grace. They use them to evoke responses just with a swish. They always seem to be in perfect control of them at all times. But not this cat. As pointed out with the balloon incident Kismet seems to get her tail entangled quite easily and this situation was no different.
As I said her name she sprang from her postion straight out of the tree hoping to find shelter away from me. It would have worked since she is very quick and far more agile than her discoverer. One problem existed. Dang that tail! Several lines entangled her tail. They pulled away from the tree as she landed to the carpet but stayed attached to the tree. She darted down the hall as fast as she could go not just to escape from her situation but to also lose her pursuer. The light weight artificial tree had now been pulled over and was chasing her the full thirty feet down the hall.
The tree wedged in the door way of the bedroom and would go no further. The cat coward under our bed afraid to move and staring at the tree as though it would eat her if she did move. Some how the string of lights had disengaged from her tail so cleaning up was not to bad. A minimal amount of ornaments had broken. None of the really old ones or the special ones were amoung the casualties. The one positive to the ordeal was the cat never bothered the Christmas tree again. For the rest of that Christmas she would take the widest birth possible to avoid the tree. Cats can be trained!
Doing More For Cats in General
At Pops Says It Fitz, we all love stories about our furry friends — especially the charismatic, curious, and sometimes downright quirky cats that have perched themselves in our laps and our hearts over the years. From tales of playful pounces to those long afternoon naps in the sun, cats bring personality and comfort into our lives in ways only fellow cat lovers truly understand. When we celebrate these curious characters, it’s also important to remember that not every cat has a warm home or a comfy couch to curl up on. That’s where real community care steps in, turning our appreciation for cats into active support for those who need help the most.
One inspiring example of this kind of care and compassion comes from the Tree City Cats Rescue Hub — a place dedicated to improving the lives of stray and homeless cats, connecting them with loving families, and sharing useful resources that make a real difference for kitties in need. When we connect our love of cats with action that protects and supports them, we create happier, healthier communities for both people and pets — and Pops Says It Fitz is always happy to share and support.
The Curious Characters Called Cats
Cats are creatures all unique in character and personality. Some are aloof, private and shy while others are bold, playful and attentive. Each is as different as the markings in their fur. And we love them for it. They may take on some personality traits of theiir owners but most just add the household like any other family member. Yes, they are family and you would not want to be without them. The amount of life and love a pet brings to a home can not be measured. So whether you are a dog person or are into cats I will hope you will find yours and enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed mine.
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