Hawkeye

How could I not? I met this little fellow in December, stopping by the Human Society not actually certain I was going to get another pet. It'd been a year almost since my last one passed away. He was nearly twenty-five. He stayed with us throughout most of my son's life and held on at the end until the day my son moved out. You can imagine whos' cat he really was, even though I'd gotten attached to him over the years.

Black cats are an interesting breed, being either very needy or extremely independent. They'll adopt themselves right into your family, whether you want them to or not. So, when I went into the Human Society in December, looking to maybe get a new cat, this little guy actually adopted me. I say it that way because as I'm looking around the cat enclosure, I feel the soft patting at my calf that made me look down. There I am, staring down into those adorable little cat eyes, on that adorable little face. I asked him if he wanted me to pick him up and I hear that soft, kitten sound, "meow".

Picking this little guy up he immediately crawled up on my shoulder and perched himself across the back of my neck. His soft purring sound relaxing me. I pull the little guy around and find the tag on his collar. It's a series of letters and numbers that identifies him to a tag on the side of the cage. He's a stray, like most cats in the Human Society pound. They don't know much about him, other than he's approximately six months old, healthy, and has been recently fixed and up to date on his shots. He meows in my ear, it's a soft, sad meow. I wonder, does he want out of that crowded pen. There are like nine cats there and he's arguably the smallest.

I take him off my shoulder and look him over. He's got one white whisker making him as distinguishable as he is adorable. I hold him and pet him, running my hand down his paws. I notice he's got an extra pad on each of his front legs. He's a polydactyl cat. It makes them very attuned to picking things up, standing on their hind legs and holding things, and taking things right out of your hand. By now, if you're reading this far, you know that he's come home with me.

That was in December and he's been the most entertaining animal I've ever had, bar none. Hawkeye is an energetic kitten that loves to play and run around the house. In hindsight, I should have named him flash because he's so fast he shoots by like a blur. Hawkeye loves to be the center of attention. In the Covid world, I spend a fair amount of time working from home and my home work station. Yet, on the toughest of days, he makes me laugh and he cuddles up to me when I'm watching a movie, reading a book or trying to work. He's become my little buddy around the house.

Get a black cat, preferably a kitten. Get about eight dollars worth of cat toys to throw at them from your local Walmart and enjoy. Pets are our best friends and there's plenty of them needing to be adopted from the Human Society, Animal Shelters, and other various animal protection organizations. Even if you can't adopt one, consider giving them a donation.