Northern California Muse

Rugie is a great cat. He is also available to anyone wanting an affectionate, playful black cat. He is adorable; he loves people, cats, dogs, moles, mice, lizards, birds, snakes, invertebrates and any other living thing. If he finds one, he will bring it home and play with it until it escapes in my house. A good nickname for Rugie might be One-A-Day. We usually find his new toys in the bathroom and usually in the shower, so if you are visiting my home, please be very observant. You might find a snake coiled around the toilet. Rugie transforms the very large shower into a racetrack with Rugie in the middle keeping the toy moving his long black paw and claw.

I must explain the Claw. Rugie got his arm tangled in a cage door at the Humane Society when he was a very tiny kitten. Of the thousands of cats and kittens using the pet-safe cages, only Rugie got his leg caught. Without the special attention from the staff he would have lost his leg. The incident left him with one non-retractable claw. He keeps it very sharp and it has become a specialized tool. And Rugie is a very adaptable cat. He has learned to find many uses for his very long sharp claw.

Another name for Rugie might be Captain Hook. When hungry – he can reach out and grab your shirt or arm when you walk by to remind you of his desires. He uses his claw to encourage on sluggish toys in the shower. He can pick up anything with it and flip it in the air. This includes your earrings or other jewelry or small valuables. He also uses it to inspect his food. Rugie loves canned cat food. It is a real treat. Rugie uses his claw to remove it from the bowl and flip it onto the counter or wall before he eats it. I think this behavior relates to his bug-catching skills. He loves to catch bugs and bring them in the house. Any bug or spider is a good bug to Rugie. He likes to flip them in the air just like canned cat food.

Fortunately for us, some days he can not find any live toys to bring in. But Rugie loves life and can always find something to do. His original name was RugRat, because as a kitten he tore through the house with reckless abandon. He never stopped.

Rugie’s playmates are 3 large dogs. He also teases and chases other cats and runs away hoping to be chased. He loves to tease a dog and run. He just loves the thrill of a chase. The sound of all the dogs chasing a one 8 pound cat through the house can be a terrifying sound. Rugs, chairs, tables can go flying. Sometimes I come home to find my entire living room rearranged. You can see where some large animal has squeezed behind the couch to catch a cat. The 10 x 16 rug moved 3 feet with the furniture, because some large dog has made a “speed stop”. I have seen a “speed stop”; Rugie flying down the hall into the living room with a 110 pound dog in pursuit. Rugie stops. Dog stops and the entire contents of the room on the carpet keeps going. We no longer keep breakables on a coffee table or any table. We in fact do not keep breakables in our house, except in locked cabinets bolted to the wall.

Rugie has a theory. If it moves, Rugie will move it. If he can not move it, he will find one of his dog friends to move it for him. If you can watch it crash to the floor – great. If you watch it crash to the floor from a great height – even better. All shelves in my house are empty; barren.

Rugie loves his dogs and particularly likes one very large furry dog. They play games with balls, toys, pens and any object from my desk. They often imitate kid games like “Hide and Go Seek” and really quit fun to watch. They more often are loud raucous games and seem a little rough as the dog grabs the cat or the cat swings from the muzzle from the dog, blood dripping from the pin holes around the dog’s face. But it is handy to have a large dog friend. If you lose the little ball under the furniture, the dog can lift or move it so you can retrieve it with your claw. Real teamwork! Dogs can also toss the toys great distances; which of course adds to the fun. Then both the dog and cat can chase it or each other.

I guess we will keep him …………but some days I am not sure.