As you might have noticed, he’s a cat – but please don’t tell him that. I’m not quite sure that he thinks that he is but it seems to wobble between a real boy (Pinocchio reference anyone?) to a dog that just so happens to jump really well. Either way, I’m not sure that cat is really in the running.
I have had Murray since the day he was born (almost 7 years ago) in the window box outside of my bedroom at my parents’ house. He’s an orange tabby and was named after Bill Murray before he even played Garfield. If you must know, I named him Murray because he had so many stripes and Bill Murray was in the movie Stripes. So it’s a little bit of a jump on the association, but I think that the name suits him.
Before Hubby and I got together, Murray was my roommate. He had been strictly an outdoor cat for the first several years of his life but one day, after getting home from a mission trip to Guatemala, I went to pet Mur as he sat on top of the refrigerator in the barn and pulled my hand away covered in that sticky plasma stuff that you get when you are really sunburned.
So off to the vet he went! Did you know that cats could sunburn? I sure didn’t, and the vet knew it but had never seen it. The plan to healing was simple – no direct sunlight and medicine day and night. And so the outdoor cat came to live inside. He pitched a fit and yowled and cried until he got moved into my room. And then he was quite and happy.
The big hurdle was the fact that he had never used a litter box. He started out in a large dog’s wire frame kennel with a little litter box and a little bed made out of a towel. Eventually he really had to “go” and went on his towel. As he was folding the towel over his “business”, he reached past it into the littler box and you could all but see the light bulb go on. Thank goodness!
As Murray healed, he became my constant little cuddle bug. He slept with me every night (right next to my pillow) and would hang out with me while I read or watched movies. He even got upset when Uma Thurman was in danger in the movie The Avengers. We can’t watch that one anymore because it upsets him.
And then Hubby and I got together. And got the Duplex. And while Hubby was at work one day Murray moved into the duplex too. And then things got interesting.
You see, Murray wasn’t interested in sharing me and Hubby wasn’t entirely interested in having an animal in the house (more on that – and his cat – later). There were some tense times, but things eventually evened out. Now there were growing pains in the situation – Murray had to adjust to a smaller place on the bed and Hubby had to learn to pick up clothes and towels from the floor because Murray strictly enforces the house rules! A few times of items being “tagged” goes a long way to things making their way into the hamper!
Animals can take a lot of effort and some figuring out, but I for one would say that they are what helps to make a house a home. Hubby might not agree with me on this one though, so take it as just my opinion. But hey, what dog can get this good of a spot for his own little neighborhood watch?
Love,
Meg (and the ever watching Murray)
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