Learning to love a cat.

Life with Fuzz

A tiny, brown ball of fuzz
Slouched furtively on the grass,
Meowing his way, begging hard
To be let into our hearth.

My spouse pointed to his plight,
I gave in, after much fight.
I knew he would make a mess
Of our tidy little nest.

Admitted into our clan,
Little imp did not waste time.
Fuzz climbed lacy curtains high,
On bedcovers spread his thighs.

I raced to pull shoes and clothes
From his mighty little paws.
The strands of my knitting yarn
He entangled one by one.

A havoc of my kitchen
Did make, our “lovely” kitten,
Turning over bowls and glass,
And heirloom china, alas!

That’s when he blasted my fuse.
I swore I would let him loose,
But he hid in a fruit bowl
To wait out my frantic howl.

Later on our little brat
Lay by me on his back flat,
Inviting strokes on his fur
In exchange for a loud purr.

He chose the sunniest spot
To curl up into a knot
In sweet abandon, to dream
Of birds and mice, milk and cream,

Or his favored tuna fish
That he gobbled with relish.
Fuzz, for sure, showed his dismay
If his meals were not gourmet.

He kept a vigilant eye
On all rodents that came by.
No animal ventured close
To test his powerful claws.

He grew up a handsome cat,
The neighborhood gadabout,
And an occasional flirt
Did not his self-esteem hurt.

All preened for his evening rounds,
Challenging the barking hounds,
Fuzz ventured out on a prowl
For queens awaiting his call.

Wild meows flew into the night.
Was there a feat or a fight?
I just hoped our valiant knight
Would find his way back intact.

At home, all spent, he would curl
In bed by my little girl,
Or sneak ‘tween me and my dear,
Snoring right into my ear.

I learned to share bed and board
With this self-appointed lord,
And tug him close to my heart.
I, the sworn foe of a cat!