Life with 15 cats - part 3 - Lucy

Lucy was ( and still is) my second official cat. Last time, I wrote about KaChoo and how she became my first cat in 1994 after I had been married for 2 years. Lucy was my birthday gift to KaChoo’s for her 7^th birthday on April 1, 2001.

I had only met Lucy a couple times at my friend’s house. I thought she was pretty and petted her without incident. A while later, my friend had a baby and no longer wanted Lucy. I really hate it when people do that, but Lucy kept sitting on the baby and my friend was a nervous new mother. It was a small place and nowhere to keep Lucy away from the baby except in the basement which wasn’t fun for Lucy. I don’t think she wanted to harm the baby,  she just likes warm spots. Then again, Lucy is well, Lucy.

I wish I could take credit for naming her because her name is very fitting for her personality. For anyone that has ever watched the classic TV series, I Love Lucy, you may remember Ricky yelling, “Lucy, you got some splainin to do!” That is pretty much what I say to her every day. She also reminds me of Lucy is the cartoon, Peanuts. She would definitely pull the football away from Charlie Brown or anyone for that matter. Despite all that, I love her to pieces.

When my friend no longer wanted her, I immediately said I would adopt her. I felt bad for KaChoo being alone all day while my husband and I were at work and figured another kitty would be perfect for her. Lucy arrived here on April 1, 2001 for KaChoo’s 7^th birthday. I envisioned a happy meeting and them living happily ever after, but that isn’t exactly what happened.

I knew I had to introduce them gradually so I kept Lucy on the enclosed porch the first day. I also had pet rabbits out there and that really scared Lucy. She kept hissing at them and trying to get into the kitchen. She wouldn’t let me pick her up to comfort her and I got my first scratch - in the eye. It was at that moment, I saw a side of Lucy that I continue to see to this day.

Luckily though, she is a sweet cat despite being very jealous of other kitties and a bit of a grump. I ended up letting her go wherever she wanted in the house after the first day. I knew KaChoo wouldn’t bother her and Lucy would keep to herself. For the first month or so, I felt like I had made a big mistake, but I only provide forever homes so things just had to work out.

My Dad was very sick at this time, he was actually dying, but I didn’t know it at the time. He had been in the hospital and was staying with us to regain his strength. He ended up in the hospital again and one day on the way home from visiting him, I had gotten some Chinese food. While I was eating it, Lucy came along and grabbed some of the pork I had picked out of the pork fried rice (yes, I am weird, I pick the pork out). From that moment on, she was my buddy and dining partner. She and KaChoo didn’t really play together, but they seemed to nap together a lot.

Since 2001, there have been many changes in our household. My niece lived here all through high school, college and a little beyond. KaChoo passed in 2010, we have had many more kitties join our household and some of them have passed too. Lucy has definitely remained the Queen and rules with an iron paw.

She doesn’t often go after the other cats, but if she is on higher ground she will. And if any cat is naïve enough to get too close to her, she gives them a whap. I can understand this as I like a big area of personal space myself around people. She also gets very jealous when she sees us loving up another cat, especially in bed. Lucy loves to sleep between my husband and I and will hiss at whoever takes that space before her.

I also have to give her a lot of attention every day or she will “punish” me by peeing on the bed or some other inappropriate place. This is when I usually shout, “Lucy, you’ve got some splainin to do!” She likes to think outside the box, this is not a good trait for a cat to have. I put a puppy training pad right near the box and most of the time she uses this - except when punishing me. I have had her urine tested and it was fine, she is just Lucy being Lucy.

Despite being so moody, she is an excellent model. Long before I started blogging, I had been posting photos of her dressed for every holiday. Many of my sweeter cats won’t tolerate hats and outfits, but Lucy is a trooper and seems to enjoy photo shoots.

Lucy has had some health problems over the years. In 2010, she had a mast cell tumor between her toes. She had to have a toe amputated, but was stomping around the same day. I can’t trim her nails anymore though, it is almost like she is protecting the rest of them after losing one. Fortunately, that was the worst problem she has had - knock on wood.

Lucy does have a sensitivity to plastic which gives her acne on her chin. Many cats have that and it is easily managed by using stainless steel or glass bowls and plates. When she first had it though, the plastic allergies were not as widely known so she had to be a guinea pig and keep trying different medicines.

Lucy has been a wonderful companion to me all these years. I will do whatever is necessary to keep her healthy for many more years. I don’t even mind that she was grumpy way before “grumpy” cat and still is, she is my sweet little Lucy.

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