Saturday, September 07, 2013

Rascal's Cantaloupe


Rascal and Me. 
Napping on the sofa, circa 1979

Rascal was my first ever cat. Ever since I can remember, Rascal was there. I think I was about two when she showed up. According to my parents, she just showed up on their porch - pregnant - and refused to leave. After a few days, they relented, took her in and adopted her. She had her kittens, and then stuck around for the next 20+ years. She died when I was a junior in college... so she was with us through my whole entire upbringing.

It's funny to try to remember a pet because there aren't any conversations to remember or vacations together... but instead, there are the feelings and qualities that I remember having when I was around her. When I think of her, my heart feels quiet and wide. She was very affectionate and gentle - especially considering that we were kiddos and were probably rough with her sometimes. She would often sleep with either my brother or I in our beds, and that was always the best. She had a loud purr - so loud that you could hear her from the other end of the living room sometimes - and when she slept with you she would cuddle you, keep you warm, and purr away.

I also remember that she would often find someone's sweater and drag it around the house like it was a little kitten. Whenever she did that, she had a very special meow that she would make. I wonder if it was sad, or just a little goofball thing that she did. We would usually just pet her and give her some cuddles when she did that, in case she was feeling melancholy.


She loved sitting in the sun, all curled up in a little ball. I remember that after she died, I would see a black sweater or towel on the sofa and briefly mistake it for Rascal. So bittersweet.

 (for me)

(for Rascal)

Another thing she loved was cantaloupe. I don't recall when we figured this out, but she used to love to lick out the inside of the cantaloupe after I was done eating it. She would stick her whole head inside and lick it dry. To this day, every time I have a cantaloupe shell sitting around, I think of Rascal and wish that she were still here to enjoy it with me.




26 comments:

  1. Rascal sounds a lot like Puddington! I should see if she likes cantaloupe. What a sweet story.

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    1. Rascal was such a great cat. I don't remember her having any rough edges. Everyone in our family loved her!

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  2. What a sweet post, I love that photo of you and Rascal at the top! I also grew up with a black kitty (she passed away this summer) and my brain does the same thing whenever I see something black from the corner of my eye. So strange, and as you said, bitter-sweet.
    My parents used to have a cat who loved melon too! so cute. :)

    I am loving your MoFo theme, by the way. These drawings the cutest and they go so well with all your lovely stories. Thank you for sharing them.

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    1. Hi Bonnie, thanks so much for your sweet comments! I didn't know other cats also liked melon! I wonder if it is a cat thing? Neither of our current cats seem interested.

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    2. I don't know, I've never noticed it with other cats either! But it's funny how some cats seem to go crazy for certain foods. My kitty did that with bread and liquorice - she would tear open the bag if you didn't hide it from her!

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  3. how sweet!!! those drawings! i love this post. thank you for sharing rascal with us. purry cats are the best.=)

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  4. This brought a little tear to my eye <3

    And my Samba makes that "special noise" whenever she drags around her little stuffed kitten toy ("wow-wow-wow-wowo")

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    1. oh, Samba!! <3 tell her "meow" from me and the gang!

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  5. What a lovely post - such great memories of your childhood cat :)

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    1. yes, she was a wonderful friend!

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  6. Aww. Sweet melon for a sweet cat. I love that.

    (Does Yummers eat melon? Does Francisco like "people" food?)

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    1. no! Yummers is totally not interested in melon. Francisco hasn't shown much interest in people food yet. We always give Yummers pumpkin with breakfast, and we gave Francisco some and he didn't eat it at all. Hm.

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  7. You are writing such beautiful posts this MoFo.
    My little red kitty Sahara loves to lick persimmons, and she's had a go at rockmelon as well. Unfortunately she has IBD now and is on a very strict diet, no fruit (and no broccoli - her favourite) for her.
    My first kitty Mo started my entire life of being a cat lady.

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    1. Oh Susan, I thought of you when I wrote this post! I'm sorry to hear that Sahara can't have her favorite snacks any more. Yummers loves broccoli too!!!
      And yes, I think Rascal set a very good example and that is why I have 5 pets now. <3

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  8. my last kitty roscoe also liked cantaloupe. i used to give him little cubes of it as a treat :-)

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  9. I feel so lucky to have grown up with a pet too :) My first dog Milo was around before I was born until I was 11. I've got lots of special memories of him too. Rascal sounds like a lovely little kitty.
    I have some melon hanging out in the fridge right now. I'm going to see if Alfie, my current dog, likes it!.

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  10. So sweet. Not a day (really not an hour!) passes without thinking about my babydoggy, and you made me smile instead of cry thinking about him and all our wonderful pets.

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  11. So sweet. I love that yr noshtalgia extends to pets!

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  12. Awwww, Rascal! Such an adorable story it must have been brilliant to grow up with a kitty companion.

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  13. What a beautiful story (and great sketches as always!); thank you so much for sharing! Rascal sounds like she was a very sweet, loving individual; how wonderful that she was with you for so long!

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  14. i LOVE that you did a post for your kitty. I truly know how great the love can be between a cat and cat mommy. I think its amazing that she was with you your entire time growing up, that is such a blessing. She lived a long and happy life with you. The cat I have now is my world. I got her when I was 9 and I am 23 now and she is curled up next to me as I am writing this. I love all her little quirks and when I am with her I feel that unconditional love that non-cat owners don't seem to get. I, too, love to share food with her. I will feed her mac and cheese off my fork, and then let her lick the bowl. She loves to try and steal toast off my plate, and I always give her a nibble. She will even try to eat a cupcake right out of my hand when I am eating it. This is such an incredibly sweet post :)

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  15. Anonymous7:00 PM

    Oh man, I totally teared up when you mistook a sweater or towel for her after she passed. :( I really had to try not to cry. That's how I feel about the cat that I miss every time I get to the end of the vegan yogurt container. He really loved vegan yogurt. Any flavor. He'd start meowing the second I opened the lid. <3

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  16. Anonymous8:46 PM

    Awwww... this was so sweet. Kitties are precious. I lost a kitty once and used to think I was seeing her on the porch where she always used to hang out.

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  17. Anonymous5:09 PM

    love this post so much! what a little sweetie rascal was. <3

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