Dotty (Shelter Cat)
You hear my voice
from your warm lap bed
and turn,
tentative, hopeful
that I’m talking to you.
Your pea green,
black-slitted eyes
meet mine.
Yes, they say, to you.
I pat and stroke
your silk, dotted fur,
feel soft gravel
of your ricket purr.
Today’s Friday Favorite Feature is Dotty, one of the felines I serve. Some know the story of how she spent years in two different animal shelters, went through two hysterectomies, and had pretty much shut down emotionally at the shelter I used to volunteer at. After seeing her languish for a year without being adopted, I went against better judgment and brought her home. My other boss, Mlady was labeled as a cat suited for one-cat-only household, but I took a chance. No, they aren’t best buddies after the three-plus years of living together, but they tolerate each other and have space enough for a decent quality of life.
Where Mlady has been socialized and has built a bond with me (even as she runs and hides with visitors,) Dotty has been undersocialized. She’ll interact with visitors on a superficial basis. With me, she insists on sitting on my lap when I’m on the couch each morning and each evening, but often I get an impression I’m just a heated cushion to her. Or maybe she’s not sure how to show she’s happy? This poem is a scenario that has played out innumerable times between us. Being A.D.D. I am either looking at my phone, looking out the window, reading a book, writing poems (like this one) or increasingly turning on YouTube via my new Roku to catch up on last night’s Colbert, Jon Stewart, John Oliver, and yes, even talking to myself. It’s my fault as much as Dotty’s that we don’t “connect.” But there are those times, when I can calm down enough to focus, and she can allow herself to trust, that are shining and precious.
Note: I don’t think ricket is a word at all, but it’s close to rickets, which is a condition one gets partially (wholly?) due to not getting enough Vitamin D (sunlight.) I was trying to show that Dotty’s purrs are rickety because her early years held so much darkness that purring is an anomaly to her. I’m surprised every time I hear it.
Tao Talk 
You gave in to your kind heart and now she has a loving home.
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<3 Us three make a family now.
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Awesome 🥰🥰🥰
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Ricket didn’t take away from the poem at all. I think if she sits in your lap, she is connected. Wherever I am in my home, that is where you will find all of my animals. They seek us out to connect. The fact that she has minimal interactions with others shows she has claimed you as her person.❤️
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<3 More like keeping her servant at her disposal ;)
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So cute, and I’m sure she feels the love you give her. I like your poem and know exactly how you meant it to be.
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Barbara, I’m so glad you know <3
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Dotty is a cutie pie and lucky to have you. I think she knows it! :-)
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Awwwwww what a lovely comment, Christian. You may be right :)
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Give Dotty a big hug from me, Lisa. For sure, she loves you for much more than being a heated cushion. And a hug for Mlady as well, for carving out space in her life to let Dotty enjoy a forever home too.💗
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<3 Bruce, you made my day with your comment.
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I’m so glad she is ok and you could keep her.
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Same here. I put that footstool out of sight. Her running on the wheel has made a big difference as she can wear herself out on it.
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I love the verse, Lisa.
That’s right about rickets and Vitamin D. No doubt Dotty is aware of how fortunate she is you took her home, and I think sitting on your lap is her sharing her love and gratitude (well, boss-type gratitude 😉). She looks pensive.
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Steve, she is pensive, way more so than Mlady. Good catch!
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🙂
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So relatable, at least for me, Lisa. We rescued Lucy after being made aware that her family was moving and leaving her behind. She was feral and still just a kitten. We hoped that would fade and in the 8 years that she’s owned us, she’s definitely calmed down. Unfortunately, she still has a mean streak a mile long and will attack if we rub her soft white belly for too long. And she always draws blood. I’ve thought about bringing her to a shelter but I know she is classified un-adoptable so that would be a death sentence for her. On behalf of cat lovers everywhere, thank you for allowing Dotty into your life. ♡
As you can see, Lucy is not without her talents. 😂
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Nancy, I love you sharing Lucy’s origin story. Bless you for rolling with her rough spots. Lucy has the same coloring as Mlady but Mlady’s hair is way longer. So funny she flushes the toilet!
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Haha! Yes! The next trick is to teach her to actually use it! 😂
I was just outside on the back deck repotting plants and Lucy was rolling around on her back enjoying the sunshine. We don’t let her out but I closed the gate so she couldn’t escape and she had a little fun in the sun. She does have her moments when she can be very sweet … then she’s attacking my ankles with her razor claws and teeth! 😾
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Oh no! I use “sssssssss” to deter the cats from bad behavior. A water sprayer is a good deterrent also.
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Yes to the water sprayer! I’ve never tried “ssssssss”; certainly worth a shot.
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Let me know how it goes.
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When you’ve been deprived of deep connections it is hard to show your vulnerability. This is so for animals as well as humans. That you can have those moments with Dotty is a testament to how far she has come. (K)
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<3 Kerfe, I think you're right, and I think it applies to humans. At the shelter she remained curled in a tight ball in a place as far away as she could get from other cats and humans (which isn't easy there as it is an open model, where the cats roam freely where they will throughout the old house.) I would try to "make contact" with her when I was there in a gentle way. After some time had passed, I was sitting in one of the rooms talking with one of the other helpers when she came out and jumped up on my lap. I was petting her and talking to the lady, ignoring her, and she gave me a bite (not hard) to say, "hey, I'm here. I've made my choice. it's you." When I first got her home, she found her way to the highest places she could climb and stayed there. Part of it was due to Mlady going after her. Over time, she stopped the high climbing.
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That’s really interesting. She chose right, I would say.
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I’m so glad that it hasn’t been a catastrophe with Dotty
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There have been a few bumps along the way, but we’re still rolling along. Thanks, Glyn. BTW, how’s your pup doing? I remember a book I read to my kids when they were young called, “Puppies are Like That.”
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Chase still tends to pull on his lead a lot. It can take out the enjoyment of walking him. Apart from that, he’s doing okay.
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Do you have him in a harness or a collar? I used to have Chauncey in a harness and he did just what Chase is doing. My friend told me, the harness makes them want to “pull” you. I got him a regular collar and he was fine. I’ve also seen those collars with the prongs going in, so when they pull forward the prongs deter it. (I’ve seen them used on pit bulls in obedience training but not other breeds.)
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Chase did have a harness and I did use it a lot at first. Now I’ve gone back to a shorter lead. I’m just hoping he will settle with it soon.
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https://www.chewy.com/patpet-no-pull-prong-training-pinch/dp/954862?utm_id=401602796&msclkid=b881d470eb8f17931961b25e66defcec
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Soft gravel purr! Such a sweet poem, and a terribly cute baby. 😊
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Thanks so much. I’ll let her know what you said.
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