Lucky's Story

I thought it only fitting since I wrote Halle’s story that I tell you how Lucky came to be a part of our family. It’s a simple story really; he was “the chosen one.”

First, I have to tell you about our “first born” Petey. He was a 6 month old male cat that came to our door on a cold night in January, 1999. I found out about a month after we took him in that he had wandered away from the home of Jon Eller, someone I actually knew from work. Jon lived about 2 miles from me and told me I could keep the cat if I wanted. Darn right I was keeping him, I just paid to have him fixed!

Now fast forward to June of 2004. Petey had been moping around, constantly lying beside the sliding glass door looking out to the backyard. We thought he was watching for a neighborhood cat that periodically made visits. Our human nature interpreted this as he was lonely for other cat companionship. That’s what we pet lovers do, we apply human characteristics to our pets. What? You’ve never watched the Dog Whisperer?

Anyway, a few days later Rick happened to be at the home of Dan Yonikus talking to him about refinishing some furniture. Rick noticed a boat load of cats in various stages of growth hanging around Dan’s garage-turned-storage-shed-for-all-his-antique-furniture in the back of the house. Rick asked Dan what he was doing with all those cats. Dan’s reply was simply, “You want one?” Rick pointed to a little 7-week old, long-haired, orange and cream colored ball of fur and said, “Yes, I want THAT one.” Dan told Rick that the cats were wild (they didn’t have much human interaction except at feeding time) and that he would have to catch the one Rick wanted. He said he would call him when he caught it. A few days later, Dan called and Rick went to pick up the kitten, but Dan had caught the wrong one. Oh, it was similar, but not the RIGHT one, not the one Rick had picked out. Dan said he would try again. The next time Dan called, he got it right.

We picked up the kitten after church on Sunday, June 13. When Dan said the cats were wild, he wasn’t kidding. This little ball of fur bit Rick on the finger when he tried to pet it. We decided to put the cat in our second bathroom to give it time to get accustomed to the surroundings. You couldn’t touch the little thing. It would swat at you with its tiny but deadly claws. I got the idea to use an old backscratcher that we had as a tool to offer food to the kitten. The backscratcher was in the shape of a cupped hand and had a long handle. I put the food in the cupped hand and slowly presented it to the kitten. It worked. He accepted food this way. Then I got another bright idea. As I was sitting on a small wooden stool talking softly to the cat, I decided to “meow.” Yes, I said, “meow.” I was pretending to be a cat to see if I could coax the little guy out from behind the toilet. “Meow, meow, meow,” I said softly. I saw the kitten peak around the corner of the cabinet and then come towards the sound. I kept at it, “Meow, meow, meow.” The kitten was now at my feet. “Meow, meow.” Then all of a sudden it jumped into my lap, layed down, and started to purr. I had him at “Meow!”

Rick and I discussed what to name him. Rick didn’t like any of the names I picked…too girlie he said. I had a cat named Rusty when I was young, that name would have fit because of Lucky’s coloring, but Rick liked the name Lucky because he was lucky Rick picked him out of all those cats and saved him. A few months later Dan did take all the cats to the shelter. So Lucky was very lucky indeed.

Lucky was introduced to Petey after being in the house a few days, but Petey really didn’t want to be bothered. I guess he tolerated Lucky but sometimes Lucky brought out the kitten in Petey. That was always fun to watch. Petey and Lucky played together for the next 8 months. Then on a cold day in February Petey went to kitty heaven. A sad day for me.

There are a lot of sides to Lucky’s personality. He’s smart and seems to understand me when I say certain words or phrases. He likes when you talk baby talk to him. When you do, he rolls over on his back and looks up at you. And he’s taken over the job of my alarm clock. I’ve read, “There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast.” That statement definitely defines Lucky

He’s also likes adventure. One time I left the cabinet door in the kitchen slide out open and Lucky got in and disappeared in the underbelly of the RV for several hours until he decided to come out. Now he remembers he’s been down there and will meow at the door wanting to get back in. But I don’t let him because I don’t know what he can get into down there.

Another time he escaped from the car when we were visiting Barb Bergstrand. He avoided capture for about 20 agonizing minutes, but was eventually cornered in her barn. Now I am very careful when I move him from house to car.

But Lucky can also be a scaredy cat. He runs for the hills whenever he hears the crinkle noise of aluminum foil. He’ll even run if he just sees the box because he knows what’s coming next…the dreaded crinkle noise!! And if I turn on the vacuum or the hair dryer when he’s around, he will slink down and quickly leave the room while keeping his eyes on the “monster” until he is in the clear.

So that’s Lucky’s story in a nut shell. He’s a cat with a sweet disposition, beautiful face, inquisitive nature, affectionate when he wants something, and can be fearless or fearful depending on the moment. I consider myself to be fortunate to be his owner partner because, as you know, no one ever really owns a cat.

If you want up-to-the-minute information on what is going on with Lucky and Halle, please visit my Facebook profile page and click on the “Catbook” tab. You will see pictures of them, can leave them a comment, and see what groups they’ve joined. My cats are now in cyberspace!!