Patrilling and Tom Has a New Girlfriend

TOM, THE WATCHCAT

Did you know that cats were placed in ancient religious temples as watchcats to prevent thieves from stealing the jewels and precious articles from the temples, albeit those of pagan religions.  If you don't believe me, watch your own cat around nine or ten pm.  The feline may pace its own circuit around your house, that is if the cat is allowed in the house.

Tom has his own version of patrolling.  He begins in the morning, after his breakfast, by checking out the wildlife from the windows.  If a bird flies in the direction of another side of the house, he races to the windows on that side to find out what the bird is doing there.  After that he waits in the hall blocking the doorway, until I finish dressing and applying my better face before the lighted bathroom mirror.  After that he follows me into the center of the house.  He goes on into the utility room to have some more of this breakfast. 

I have called my cat Tom the Timid in the past, but lately, I have paid attention to him when I put out the remaindeer of his dinner in the evening, when he decides to finish the meal he began around four to five pm.  He has a final nap after this meal and then waits until it is nearly dark before he sits down by the door and waits for me to open it for him.  If I am too attentive to my TV set at that time, he claws the back of my chair which causes me to pounce at him.  But back to the subject.  Tom does not dig in to his food right away,  He looks all around and then runs off the patio and goes all around checking out the yard for the bandit cats that come to steal his dinner.  At last he approaches the food dish and looks about nervously before settling down to enjoy the evening meat menu.

June 7 New Blog, Tom Has a Girlfriend

Tom has a girlgriend.  She has the same dark markings Tom has on his back, but she lacks the white face, paws, and white front and underside.  Also she is a long-hair, whereas Tom is a short-hair feline.  She lives somewhere in our neighborhood, I think.  She has formerly come to steal Tom's remaining dinner after I put it out for him  So I have run her off by going out and shouting and clapping my hands at her.  She goes around the corner of the house and waits, and returns.

Later I noticed that Tom sat outside, after deigning to go outside just about the time it got dark, looking at this cat, while she sat and looked at him.  So they appeared to be tolerating each other, at least.  That seemed to encourage her.

As of last week, she came to sit boldly by the glass patio door and announce herself loudly, "Tom, come out and play with me."  The hussy.  Tom ignored her curled up on the chair in front of the door.  She did this again after being discouraged by Tom and by me.  As of now, that romance appears to be on hiatus.