Monday, December 11, 2006

Back When I Was a Kitten ...

Well, at the risk of sounding old and crotchety, back when I was a kitten and lived Way UpNorth, we didn't need to stick any of these fake plastic things to the window to look like snow. We just had to look out the window and the real stuff was there. And when I went outside, I had to be tough enough to walk on the cold stuff. And if my original humans were a little slow in letting me back inside, I knew what it meant to be COLD!

Winter evenings, I would sit and listen to my original Man tell the story of when he was a boy and had to walk three miles through the deep snow to get to school. And if it snowed during the school day, he had to be sure to walk behind his older sister on the way home or his little short legs would get stuck in the snow. His sister would back up his story, so there's probably even some truth in it.

Now, I live here in Florida and am trying to explain "COLD" and pass on family history to the new kid, Maggie Fu. Before I moved, first thing in the morning, I used to WANT to go outside to "do my business" even when it was 20 below out there. That is MY definition of "COLD". HER definition of "COLD" is when the house is 68 degrees and she has to walk across one foot of bare tile to get to her litter box.

Kittens these days.

Sigh.

--
Blackie

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I quite like her definition of cold as well, though I am aware that it's not really a true cold...

Fat Eric said...

I'm afraid you may never be able to make her understand "cold", Blackie, unless you all move house. So far this year it is not cold here. Just wet and windy.

Anonymous said...

we liked your story of your original Man - it was furry sweet an we hadn't effur heard it before.

Shaggy and Scout said...

Up North here in Minnesota there is no snow yet and near 40 expected all week. So you can't even come back here to experience it for old times sake.

Susie said...

Oooooh, 68 degrees - Brrrrr! That's cold in California too!

Merlin said...

It doesn't get furry cold either. Though last week it was colder than normal, like 20 degrees, and today it was 60 degrees! Weird. But I like it warm so maybe Mom will open the windows and I can sniff the fresh air.

Shilgiah the Cat said...

It must be a hard job teaching Maggie Fu, but how hard it also must be to imagine what you have never experienced. I live in Albuquerque which kind of sounds like it would be hot but this is "High Desert" so it means it gets cold enough in winter to get snow (sometimes) and I love that because when mom takes me out in the snow I look invisible(except for my harness)so it looks like she's walking an invisible cat. Maybe you could take a road trip to some snow and teach Maggie Fu about it. Or better yet, have one of your cat buddies mail you some snow and you could let Maggie Fu play in it.

Unknown said...

Hi There! Thanx for your comments! We are glad to meet you!!

We live "up north" in iowah. It was rainee here 2day, but no snowflakes.

We gonna add u to our blogroll so we can come back to read all bout yous!!

D
J
CC

Gattina said...

Too funny this story ! As we never have a lot of snow either in Belgium, when it snows my four cats get crazy an run and jump after the snow flakes ! And Arthur the white cat disappears completely in the white snow which suddenly has a tail and dark eyes !

Don't you want to participate on "Cats on Tuesday" ?

Dragonheart, Merlin, Devi, and Chloe said...

I haven't seen any snow yet, but my humans say I wouldn't like it, since I don't have any fur to protect me from the cold. Thanks for sharing the story of when you were a kitten.

My human mom says you look very handsome in your photo, contemplating the snowflakes on the window.

The Crew said...

I agree, Blackie. It's a challenge to teach kittens the things they need to know. Misty is my 3rd student and I'm getting tired of this. I'm putting my paw down...Mom needs to stop getting kittens!

Tell Maggie Fu to teleport here to Whisk-onsin and she can see all the snow she wants. Mom is giving away everything that falls in our driveway!

George

Angel Junior, Orion and Sammy said...

I know! Young Whippersnappers! They just don't realize how good they have it!

Zippy, Sadie, Speedy and M'Gee said...

Eh, the new jenerashon, watcha gonna do. I still go out in the snow, no matter how cold it is. But those kids, jeez!Sorry kids, 68 in the howse is not cold!~Zippy

Anonymous said...

Kittens! My grown-up *sisters are like that, tiptoeing across the kitchen tiles in the morning and warming their rear ends on the heating vents! We live in Las Cruces (the southern part of NM), for heaven's sake!

(But even Mom thinks it's been especially cold here this winter.)

It's nice of you to try to pass history along to Maggie Fu!

Anita said...

The new kittens generations don´t know what is life. I like much the landscape of your window.
Purrssss!

Rascal said...

Hear, hear, Blackie. Well put.

Victor Tabbycat said...

Wul, our basement floor is purty cold an when I return to bed at night, Mom says I carry the cold air on my fur (an a little litter on my nose). But I sure don't know REAL cold. Mom saw pictors of a cat in SasCatchewan, runnin out when it was -40 to greet a visitor. Now THAT's cold.

I fink my beans used my ears to make the tree straight cuz they stood back an looked at it an at me.

Toffee K. Ripple Fuzzypants & Feline American Angels said...

Yep, youngsters think that they've got it rough. I 'member livin' outside and sleeping on top of a cold metal shed efurry night. Sigh ... good times.
DaisyMae Maus

Smeagol and Strider, Mystery (Sunnin' at the Bridge) and Gizmo too! said...

It gets purrty cold here, but it hasn't been too bad yet this year. Strider likes to escape sometimes when it's really cold so that Mom has to go out in it and catch him. She doesn't enjoy that game very much!

The kittens here (Mini Moes) were complainin' 'bout the "cold" too, we don't understand the young ones sometimes...