Nine Lives Minus One

We have a cat. That is not remarkable unless you know that I have a longstanding dislike of cats in general. I warmed up to the idea of having a cat only when I heard that they would keep mice, rats, and snakes at bay. The Merritt’s cat had a litter of kittens when we arrived in June, so we agreed that we would take one of the kittens when we had our own house.

It only took a few days for our kitten to convince me that I had been wrong about feline pets. Indeed, Makua has entertained us on many occasions with his playful antics. He’s proven to be a great mouser, although it is a bit disconcerting when he brings his prey indoors for the kill. On one occasion he proudly arrived with a 12-inch snake in his mouth and was very unhappy that we disposed of the snake before he could do the final execution himself.

We have joked that Makua must be a teenager in cat years. He likes to stay out all night and sleep all day. He runs to the refrigerator and stands there any time the door is opened. He wants to eat constantly. But worst of all, he’s obsessed with car engines.

That was almost his undoing last Tuesday. David didn’t know that Makua had climbed up into the engine when he started up the Land Rover. He could tell that something was wrong, and when he turned off the engine we could hear Makua’s pitiful wailing. I was sure he was cut into pieces and went into the house so I wouldn’t have to see his mangled body. A carpenter who was working at our house opened the hood and managed to extract Makua all in one relatively unharmed piece. Apparently there was a space between the fan belt and the radiator, and Makua managed to be in that space. His only major injury was a gash on his upper leg.

We placed the rather shaken up cat in a box and drove to town to find the vet. The vet wasn’t sure he had the right anesthetic, but he found something and stitched up the leg. He told us that Makua would be “out” for about an hour. We suspect Makua got a little more anesthetic than he needed, because he was out for most of the next 10 hours. When he did come around, he was one drunk, miserable kitty. He couldn’t walk without falling over, and he had a glazed look in his eyes.

For the rest of the week Makua spent most of his time sleeping in the back of the guest room closet. He ate only tiny bits of food and had no interest in playing or going outside. We were afraid that our playful Makua had lost his sparkle.

Yesterday, though, we caught him trying to climb up on the dining table. Later he jumped around a little, pawing the air with his previous friskiness, and he began standing expectantly over his dish meowing for more food. We’re glad to have our entertainer and exterminator back in service.