Cindy the Cat

Once upon a time, when Rebekah was around 5 years old, she asked her parents if she could have a cat. Her parents, fearing that Rebekah was not yet mature enough to take care of a pet on her own, said "no." Persisting, Rebekah continued to ask for a cat for the next three years. On December 23, 1997, Rebekah's father told her to come to the garage for a surprise. There was the loudest, most fluffy cat she had ever seen.

Earlier that week, Rebekah's father had gone to the pound and asked for the hardiest, friendliest cat they had. The worker told him that there was one cat that they had gotten off the street that would follow her around. The cat's name was Cindy.

And so their friendship began. Cindy lived in the garage, and Rebekah would dutifully clean out her litter box every day and brush Cindy every week. Rebekah would dangle string or wave a stick on the ground and Cindy would pounce and chase it around the garage. In 4th grade, Rebekah wrote and illustrated a book about Cindy, that was published along with the other books her classmates wrote. In 5th grade, when Rebekah had to do a project using simple machines, she made a small entertainment center for Cindy to play on.

While Cindy loved to cuddle with Rebekah, she had a tendency to attack other people, especially when she was hungry. Like the mailman. Or Rebekah's mom. Or small children walking home from school (in her defense, the children provoked her). Her favorite form of attack was to wrap her arms and legs around the victim's leg and try to bite them.

Cindy was also well known for her hunting prowess. She brought home numerous mice and rats, thus eliminating any rodent problem that Rebekah's house--or any other house near it--had. She was praised and rewarded for these efforts. She caught and killed a neighbor's pet snake that had escaped. She was not praised for this, but there was nothing much Rebekah could do except for apologize to the owners (who thought the snake had already died). Cindy also brought home numerous dead birds. This was very sad for Rebekah, who once was able to rescue one of these birds caught in the garage and nurse it back to health. Cindy would occasionally branch out to crickets and grasshoppers, which were disgusting for Rebekah to pick up.

However, Cindy redeemed herself by being an excellent purrer, a lover of tight hugs, and an overall affectionate cat. Two of the most traumatizing days in Rebekah's childhood were when Cindy got caught under the garage door. Cindy had a tendency of slipping under at the last second, and twice she cut it too close. The worst part was that the sensor didn't trigger, and so the poor cat was stuck struggling under the weight of the closed door. Both times she survived, although she was quite weak following these incidents.

Rebekah and her father would take Cindy to the vet every December, where Cindy would get her yearly vaccinations. Once they even took Cindy to the vet to get shaved for the summer! Cindy looked pretty funny (since they didn't shave her paws, tail, or head) but she sure did enjoy the summer without her thick winter coat. And Rebekah enjoyed not having to clean up shedding hair every day.

As Rebekah got older, she began to develop an allergy towards cats. Since she still loved Cindy, she would occasionally spend time with her, although not nearly as much as she did before. When Rebekah moved to college, her father took over the duty of taking care of the cat, which Rebekah greatly appreciated. Even though Rebekah no longer sees Cindy regularly, she is grateful for her father's sacrifice in getting her the cat she begged for as a child, and later taking care of that same cat when Rebekah became an adult.

The Vet estimated that Cindy was one year old when Rebekah first got her. This means that next month, December 2013, Cindy will be 17 years old! These days, she enjoys sunbathing and sitting in her favorite white wicker chair on the front porch.

To my family: what are your Cindy memories?

Rhetorically,
Rebekah