Cats on 13th Street

By Beverlee Hilton

In the Cat's Eyes Our master's the best, We usually don't let her rest. When we're hungry we cry, She jumps up with a sigh. There's food in our dishes, But it's not to our wishes. We like gravy and meat, And we know how to spell "treat" After we get all we desire We watch master (with coffee) retire. We'll nap for six hours, But we're always awake, Just try to sneak out, and a commotion we'll make.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098052775

Book preview

Chapter 1

Speedy

In Newberg, Oregon, we lived on a few acres farm on Bell Road with a couple of cows and horses and a dog. One day, I found a little orange kitten under the rhododendron bush. He cried when he saw me and came right to me. I didn’t have any cats at that time, so I fed him some fish I had. I thought he was one of the kittens that belonged to the neighbor’s cat. They had a female that had kittens every year, but none had come over to our place before. I decided I’d keep him, and so off to the vet I went with him.

He was full of energy and ran all around the yard, up the trees and back and forth. So I gave him the name Speedy. He liked sleeping in the barn with Tabatha, a little filly I’d just bought along with her sister, Nikki, both Arabian fillies. He just loved snuggling up to Tabatha. But one day, she stepped on his tail and that was the end of their sleeping together. So I brought him into the house to live. I’m a little embarrassed to say we played games. I ran upstairs and waited for him to come running behind me, as he always did. I’d jump out at him and run down the stairs, and he’d follow. I’d peak around the corner at him, and he’d run back up the stairs and peak around the corner at me. He was indoor outdoor cat.

One evening that summer, he was hit by a car. My husband saw the whole thing. He put Speedy in a box and brought him in the house. He was still alive but not moving much. It was very late, so we just waited to see what would happen. I prayed a lot for the little guy.

That morning early, I called the 700 Club for prayer. It just happened to be one of my favorite programs on TV, and as soon as she prayed with me, Speedy got up out of the box. I was so excited. I put him in his carrier and took him to the vet. He checked out fine but had one broken tooth. After that, I just wanted him to be an indoor cat. I was afraid to let him outside.

Speedy was not done with his problems though. He contracted feline leukemia somehow. The vet said to give him some vitamins and come back in eight weeks. In the meantime, my sis came to visit me, and I told her all the details. Speedy wasn’t feeling well and had a temperature. I was keeping track of his vitals. My sis and I prayed for him, and he vomited a huge bunch of green stuff and then seemed to be okay.

Around eight weeks later, I took him to the vet as he had suggested. The vet was surprised to see him. Then the vet told me, I thought he would die, so that’s why I said bring him back in eight weeks. I told him Speedy really liked the vitamins, and the vet said, He’s not dealing with a full deck. We both got a good laugh.

About that time, we decided to move. The neighbor’s cat had a litter of kittens again, and this time she had them in our barn. They were adorable. Just like all babies are. God makes all babies cute, so we’ll love them and take care of them. Because the mother was tame and friendly, the kittens were also. They all came out and played in the yard. One stood off by himself from the others, but the busy mom took care of all of them. They were probably about five to six weeks old. I wondered why that one separated himself a little from the others. And he caught my eye. That’s the one I want I told myself, and so I took him in the house to be a friend to Speedy.

The Mom cat didn’t seem to mind. She had four others left. The neighbors took the rest back and we moved. So we left Newberg with Speedy, the two fillies, the old mare I had named Tana, and the new kitten.

Speedy had his special talents like all animals do. He opened doors. Not all the time, but a few times. Once, I forgot my keys and had locked myself out of the sliding glass doors, and I motioned Speedy over to the door, and he unlocked it. It was a simple lock. All he had to do was push down on the lever, which he did. I didn’t expect it. It was a good laugh, and I didn’t have to break a window.

I trained him to a leash, and he didn’t really like it, but he knew he could go outside so he accepted it. He walked right out, and I followed him. He was the leader. But since he would accept it, I just let him lead.

He was the only cat I ever had that loved baths. I’d bath him a couple times a month because he enjoyed it and kept all the fleas off. Sometimes, he’d sneak outside, and a neighbor would call me because she knew I didn’t want my cats out. He enjoyed being groomed and would fall asleep and have just a tiny snore.

He liked having his teeth brushed, would make a few sneezes, and then off to play with his toy mouse, which he threw several feet in the air. Once I had to climb up on the kitchen counter to fetch it from the top cupboard. He got along well with all the cats that I accumulated over the years.

Sometimes I took him to a groomer, and they would put a little orange bow in his fur when they finished. The groomer said he was really what you call pink color not an orange tabby.

Jingle Bells

Jingle bells, jingle bells, all the way home,

The party’s over, and I’m all alone.

Ate all the chocolate, cookies, and candy,

My whiskers still tingle, from all that brandy.

Dinner was excellent, I feel so stuffed,

I look like Pooh, all belly and puffed.

New resolutions, I think for the year,

No candy, no chocolate, brandy, or beer.

Happy New Year, now I’ll take off my hat,

Crawl into bed for a nice long nap.

Snoring and tummy grumbling, I’m fast