|
A whole new world of wonders opened up for Buster as an
inside cat. He hadn't been born with his snout in a silver
bowl, but now got the experience on special occasions.
That's him eating with Kili and Wally.
He also became quite the catnip toy aficionado, often
dumping over a container of toys in order to roll around
with a number of his favorites. We called this pose the
"rug". Note the back toes curled in delight.
|
|
|
|
Buster didn't remain an inside cat for very long. Soon a
cat door gave him, and the others, the best of both
worlds.
This allowed Buster to retain his status as a champion
ratter, something he probably learned from Tommy. Tommy was
such so intense that one night he delivered a rat to our
door, rat trap and all. Buster followed suit, with our
banana trees a favorite hunting ground. He usually enjoyed
bringing his catch back home before dining on his favorite
delicacy. He was prone to "rat-overs", a special form of
hangover known only to our feline friends.
|
|
|
|
Buster loved his tucker, as an Australian friend
once observed.
He would often plant himself on our table during
dinner, confident that some kind of great treat
would be passed his way. He wasn't an aggressive
beggar, just persistent.
An exception came one afternoon as I stood at
the sink peeling shrimp while and Buster stood by
hoping for a handout.
|
|
|
|
I finally found a photo of Buster in his regular
afternoon spot, sprawled out full length about 2/3 of the
way up our driveway, enjoying the heat radiating from the
blacktop, waiting for the sound of the car delivering us
home from work.
In the early days, it would be Buster and Tommy, and for
the past several years Buster and Hiwa, friends and
contrasts, our black cat and our white cat. Black and
white.
|
|
On the way home from the veterinary hospital the day
Buster died, we tried to prepare ourselves for the impact of
his absence. But as we drove slowly up the length of our
small street and turned into the driveway, it was strewn
with a light layer of fragrant white flowers shed by two
Mock Orange bushes, now small trees, that arch across the
entry. Black and white.
|
|
Aloha, Buster. And welcome home.
|
|
