Cat of the Week: Cousteau
Saturday April 21, 2007
My husband and I invited Cousteau into our lives about a year ago after our ginger girl Lali went missing in the mountain area next to our house one night (she was a stray and it was impossible to restrict her to the indoors). The loss was so big, we decided to get an indoor cat as a playmate for our other cat, hence Cousteau (a cream point Birman) joined our family to become 4 again. Cousteau's light red/cream patches was a soft reminder of our beloved ginger cat.However, Cousteau was not going to be the obedient indoor cat. He loves the mountain area and the outdoors and runs for any door/window being opened. To make up for being in the house during the day while we are at work, we take him and his older 'brother' for a walk in the mountain every afternoon, walking 2 cats as others would walk their dogs!
Cousteau loves 'helping' us in any gardening chore and it brings him enormous joy to walk in the red mud outside and then to leave big paw prints all over the house! He thinks we are the most stringent parents when we bring him inside at dusk every day - suppose these light red patches in his coat are actually Lali's free spirit showing through…
- © Reenie O'Connell
Cats Pictures of the Week are selected from general photo submittals. (I do not accept photos submitted specifically for "Cat Picture of the Week.") Cousteau's picture was submitted for the upcoming April Cream Cats Picture Gallery.
You may send your own photo, using the guidelines on the Photo Submittal page. Be sure to write a paragraph or so about the cat, at least two or three sentences. Our galleries have space for 2500 characters, including spaces, so don't be afraid to tell us about your cat within those parameters. Remember that not only the quality of the picture, but the care you take in describing your cat may make the difference in its being chosen as Cat of the Week!
Comments
Lovely picture! What beautiful blue eyes!
Cousteau is beautiful! I have three cats, all females, ages 3, 7 and 11. We started the 3 year old as a kitten on a harness and leash. She takes walks like a dog and loves to be tied out. We now tie all three – the other two like to take walks but aren’t as great at it. I would say, starting at day one with a harness is the way to go because they don’t know the difference. They go to the door and wait to get their harness on knowing that it means going out. Let me now add something VERY important. When I say they are tied out, it is only when I am in very close proximity, usually working in the yard so I can check on them constantly.
When I was a child, my aunt and uncle had a cat that went outside, but on a leash of a sort. He was tied to a long string with a small log at the other end to keep him from going over the fence or to climb the trees after the birds. It was funny, cuz after awhile the Blue Jays figured out the he couldn’t get him and dive bombed him in the yard. But never hurt him. I guessed it worked out for them as the cat never got hung up. but HeyCat(Algernon) was a smart cat.