"C'mon, Monk. C'mon out." During the warm months, our housecat spends much of her time outdoors, watching birds from the back porch, lounging in a spot of sunlight, often trekking behind me to the garden. But when.the outside temper ature drops below about 70 degrees, this aging, pudgy, black-and-white feline claims the fuzzy blanket on the couch as her domain, pretty much parking herself there for the duration. She abandons her cho "Qua City is remembered long after price is forgotten" 1925 West Main Street, Ephrata, PA 17522 717-738-3781 Fax 717-733-2226 ■ ai^^ere L&' #*# Sit &> ottffcN'ge '"■ ; ' ’ _■ ' : if',."' " ' ■ - you i&oai4 itt oar two <ms«t ■ ‘ ■■^.Jp# 1 ' n aro«ja4.orcail t a»4w# will aettd yott a catalog. «**«& toW fixep are than other Uaeaver Nut Company OUTLET STORES Lancaster 3519 Columbia Avenue 1925 West Main Street Lancaster, PA 17603 Ephrata, PA 17522 Phone: (717) 285-3818 Phone: (717) 738-3337 Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:30-8:30 Sat. 8:30-5:00 sen spot for cat food and litter box stops, an occasional round of chase-the-yarn and any opportu nity to snag a spot in a willing lap. At lease once a day, unless the weather is absolutely horri ble, she gets put outside a least briefly-like it or not-in an effort to prevent her from becoming a total couch-potato pussycat. As much as Monk dislikes cold, wet, and snowy weather, she disdains other animals even more. So, one evening last week, when she paraded to the base- ment, as we carried in wood for the stove, and poked her head around the open door, I coaxed her to come outside for a bit in the fresh air. "C'mon Monk, there aren't any other cats out here." Meeoooww. The low sound came from off to the side of the porch. "Wanna 1 bet?" asked The Fanner. From a shadowy corner of the porch, under the picnic table, emerged the dark form of anoth er cat. Monk shrank behind the door and disappeared up the steps. " Midnight, where have you been? I didn't see you all day." Midnight is the stray that we coaxed to the yard one Sunday evening in late summer, after hearing his loud crying from the weedy overgrowth of the aspara gus patch. And not only did he gobble up catfood, milk-and the homemade bologna we used as the convincing argument to trust us but he pleased to be pet- lit > Inc -‘I I - Wholesale distributor of Nuts, Dried Fiuits, Candies, Coffees, Sugars, Pastas 8 Teas More Than 5,000 Varieties HOURS: Mon.-Sat. 6:30 AM - 3:30 PM Sun. Closed ted. Not held, thank you. Just petted and stroked, while he rolled on his back in obvious pleasure. We've always been pushovers for black cats. This nearly grown youngster had the poten tial to be a beauty, though gaunt and scuffed up when he arrived. Under his right eye was an ugly wound, likely the result of bat tling some feisty quarry on the cat food chain. In the ensuing months, sort of truce of toleration has been struck among the animals which claim rights to our yard. Midnight's cardboard box fitted with an old quilted shirt is now in the distant, dark comer of the porch, sheltered from a neigh bor's pair of curious dogs that often check out his food dish. If the pups get too pesky, he just climbs high up in the woodshed, out of sight and reach, which no doubt irritates the cat-chasing pair. The ribs-showing, wounded W 1 COUIMTM , " / MMCvnovna* lOIOIAM V^K] MB V 3519 Columbia Avenue Lancaster, PA 17603 Phone: (717)285-9688 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 13, 1997-63 Midnight is now sleek, well muscled and ,J soKd under his shlffihg black c3BEj \Wfflfho signs'**"" of iprmer injury. And he has become trusting enough that he almost waits'to be held, though* he still prefers to roll over on his back and have his soft, satiny underbelly rubbed. But neither inside or outside cat will yet tolerate the other. Monk might gp outside if Midnight's not around. His pres ence is, probably, a good excuse to slink back to the fuzzy warmth of her blanket. And if she does show up, he high-tails it off the porch. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty," I called a few evenings later, returning from the bam after dark. Midnight had not been around all day, again. A very faint "meow” answered, then ripping around the side of the house came...a big furry, orange cat. r /'r i ' <‘Z- V" i ..m , n t, An orange cat? Where did that come from" Though orange icats are not our farm favorites, this one was a beauty, fat, furry and appearing tame, but cautious. The sound of a handful of catfood pouring into a ceramic dish was enough to bring him to my ankles and begin purring as he sampled the handout. Na sign of Midnight And Monk had fled upstairs, seeking safe refuge on our couch blanket. With all these cats about, why does our basement reek with the smell of a dead mouse somewhere in the wall?
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