Have You Ever Felt the Rain?

 

                                                  National Black Cat Day.

I really am starting to think less and less of the internet for searching truths or getting facts.

I have been waiting to post about my love of Black Cats until National Black Cat Day which I read was tomorrow but then read it was in August again in June. I am more then apt to think it is in October but I am not here to mislead anyone in information so whether it is today or tomorrow or even yesterday - I am going to spend this time to write about just how wonderful they are.

                                                     This Is Mochi

     I will be the first to admit that I have come a long way since my younger self where I didn't care what it was or where it came from, if was an animal then I was claiming it. I seen it and there for it becomes mine.

I no longer have those feelings. Of course sometimes circumstances are different but most of the times, I will love it and squeeze it - as long as "it" has a different home then mine. I am happy & content.

     Take Mochi. I made myself loud and clear we did not NEED anymore animals. We had a cat, I will talk about that in a minute - as well as a fish we just couldn't live without and a yellow bellied turtle who at any time could be renamed Godzilla for as big as she was growing.

I was shopping in TJ MAXX one afternoon and Shailah called. She informed me that I better get over to the pet store asap. She had just bought 2 kittens. Yes, you read that right. Not 1 kitten but 2. 2 kittens who will soon be cats. Joy!
     I drug my feet because I really didn't want to arrive there where animals are kept in cages and hardly ever have fresh water which I will admit, I have had plenty of altercations with the workers about it over the years and I don't see it stopping anytime soon either. That's just me though. 

I eventually get to this place and slowly walk in. Fear of the unknown, maybe? Or fear of falling in love when I really don't want to - is much more like it. Rejecting animals is something I just don't believe in. Though I have sent baby chicks and fish back to pet stores when they allowed little (5-6 year old) children to "adopt" and bring them home without permission of the parents. Okay - so the black cat has been named Mochi as I have already stated and her brother?

                                                      Meet Waffles.

These two cats are hell on 4 or should I say 8 paws.
     They have tore up my bedding, ripped up my new curtains, used my good bee rug as a nail sharpening "post", knocked over picture frames broke candles, woke me up to many times to count - in the middle of the night, scratched Oakley and made Lucee' scream at the top of her lungs like something you have never heard before.

They are family now. I love them. Waffles is content sleeping the day away on my bed while Mochi slumbers under it - night falls and it because a Road Runner - Wile E Coyote cartoon in here. It will be along time before they settle down any. This I know. They are still just little ones.

I am not amused at most of their antics as well as My Princess isn't either.

                                             Meet The Princess - Indica.

This is my baby girl. Again, did not want a cat. Did not want any animals. I have come to find though that she was one I needed when I didn't even know I was searching.

     Everyone gets mad at me because she is so spoiled. I will not say sorry that I open the gate for her to walk through rather then making her jump over it. I will not say sorry that I warm her milk instead of giving it to her cold. I will not say sorry that I make Lucee move, changing cushions on the couch when Indica comes out so she can sit by me. I will not say sorry that I sleep in the middle of my bed because she likes sleeping on the whole top 1/2 of the right side.

You see, this post is about Black Cats - you can easily tell that neither Waffles nor Princess is black but my very first cat was. Midnight.  (I regret not having pictures of him)

     My Grandfather drove for Gull Gas. Doing long hauls, delivering everyday - Monday through Friday. He would leave for work at 12pm not returning until 12am. Story unfolds that when I was 5 years old, I seen something on the news about a truck being jack-knifed. The next few weeks I would scream and cry every time my Grandfather had to leave for work. There was nothing that would calm me down. Nothing until my Uncle (funny Marge's husband) (you remember Marge, right?) showed up one afternoon with this little ball of black fur in his hand and asked me if I could please take care of it for him because he was going someplace. Cat sit, if you may? I was none the smarter but once I was done showering it in kisses, squeezing all my love into its tiny body and feeding it warm milk - my heart hurt. I didn't want to give him back. I couldn't give him back. My Grandmother and Uncle were in cahoots together! My Uncle called and asked if I could watch him a few days more - hello? Yes! Then he asked me if I could give the little thing a name because calling him kitten wasn't really to neat. I was more then excited to do so and Midnight was now mine. Of course that was after my Grandmother had a sit down with my Uncle and myself and "pleaded" my case to him.

     Midnight & I = forever besties.
I had never loved anything like I loved that kitten. And he was mine. All mine.

We would watch cartoons together on Saturday mornings while we enjoyed breakfast. Me cereal - Midnight the milk. Then at nap time, he would jump up on my back to curl up - the heat made us both drift off. We would eat creamed corn out of the same bowl while watching Chico and the Man together. He would always beat me to the pillows when it was time to turn in at night. 
     His favorite spot was anyplace the sun was shining. During the Summer at Redmond House, the 80 foot windows always were open to let the ball of fire fill the living room and Midnight would always be stretched out right in the middle of the carpet just soaking it all up.

The cat was always there for me, through heartaches, tears and toothaches even when he lost one of his eyes in a cat fight and not longer after half of one of his ears. He was still my baby and I seemed to have loved him more and more as time went on.
     I lost him one Summers day. We were out at the store - came home and the gate was open. Just about 8 inches. I knew he was gone. My Grandfather told to not to look. I didn't. I couldn't. If I looked then it meant it was real and God knows even being just 18 years old - I didn't want it to be real. I went in my room and broke down. I didn't know how I was ever going to live without him. I couldn't remember any time when I ever had too. 13 years together and everything we went through. My Grandfather buried him under the big red rhododendron where I would often find him sleeping when it was time to come in for the night. Between our two bedroom windows in the front yard.

There were no words spoken for a few days. There was nothing to say and anything that could be said wouldn't have mattered. Anything but this ...
     I was told he was happy and not hurting anymore. That he passed away in one of his favorite sleeping spots - in the sun - he loved the sun. That I gave him a real good life ....

It has been like 40 some years and I am over this - I am bawling my eyes out missing him right now - I need to go love on my Princess. I need to hear her love me back with that quick, loud purr of hers.

Fun Fact: Anytime someone says to me or I hear them say to someone else that Black Cats are Bad Luck, I will get into that argument. They are NOT bad luck. They are the best luck in the World and if you ever have the chance of loving one do it and if you are ever loved by one just know how special you are!

Happy Black Cat Day: Midnight and Mochi - and happy non Black Cat Day too my other feline "babies."

                                                                       Kazz 💋