I read these entries, and I am motivated to tell you about my fabulous cat, Cilantro. He was brought to me by the neighborhood children when he was 3 1/2 weeks old, and on his deathbed. He recovered from his previous living situation with someone who had taken him from his litter at 2 weeks old, born of a feral mommy.
Cilantro has Bengal ancestry. His features changed to be more tabby-like when he got older, but he started out very ambitious in his attempts to fly from high perches, and loved water. He was a passionate, fun kitty who took many showers and baths with me, and who ended up fracturing his femur indoors. He was immediately mended, no worries, just don’t put that Bengal kitty in a room with children’s theatre set pieces and high perches for him to try to fly from. He may not have Bengal in him, on the other hand. Orange kitties vary.
His mom somehow knew Cilantro was with us when I took him in. She used to hold vigil outside my home located on a very busy street, in the inner city. She would sit just close enough that she could escape if I came outside. She actually was orange too, and prolific.
Cilantro ran away from me once, when I was away on vacation. He had been an indoor kitty since he came to me, so it was his walkabout. I had left him with the wrong cat sitter who left the door open and handled Cilantro’s adopted kitty-sister so as to cause her pain. The cat-sitter didn’t tell me for a few days as she didn’t notice, in the inner city, and then was ashamed. Like his mom, he is immensely loyal and committed; he made his way home through our inner city neighborhood 10 days later. I was frantically searching for him a few times a day, and I think someone may have snagged him for herself and then let him go when I showed up at her door with flyers…or he escaped from where he was. For the first few days after his return, he was constantly checking the doors and windows as if he was afraid of someone coming for him, or as if he had been chased by someone who was trying to catch him.
He is neutered, but it’s hard to tell. He has a certain machismo to him, and likes the female kitties. Right now he is doing his meow-meow thing in the wee hours by my front door for the mating season, but won’t do it if I am not well, or trying to meet a deadline.
I just know that he has a wonderful personality with depth and complexity. He is smart, he is loving, but he is discerning about whom he cherishes. He is great with children, but he does not allow them to pick him up. He is excellent at establishing boundaries clearly and without a shameful resonance, except when an adult is not respecting him. I have never hit him, and he remembers who has hit him. He knows it is wrong. He also knows about children, and treats them differently from adults. He is great in the classroom, clear about who he is, and brave. He chooses whom he cuddles with, and develops relationships over time.
Orange kitties, like humans, have a lot going on with them. I feel fortunate to have my orange kitty with me as a partner in my community work.
