My Furry Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day!

In honor of the holiday, I introduce Futz, my brother's cat.

In my lonely single days, Futz was my Valentine. He bought me cards and gifts, but more importantly, always provided a lapful of kitty warmth and affection when I needed one.

Futz was abandoned with his brothers and sisters when he was a kitten. Someone brought the litter to the veterinarian's office where my brother worked at the time, and K, whose heart is bigger than anyone's, adopted Futz. Futz must be at least 20 pounds of solid cat and loves everyone - and he never lets anyone forget either quality. He also really loves his catnip, and he's a funny drunk.

Once an orphan, Futz is lucky enough to have two homes. One is with my brother in the apartment they share with Maximus the cockatiel, Jasper the ball python, rat brothers Pierce and Maurice, and some fish. His other home is with my parents, where Futz has learned to tolerate his canine relatives. Having the typical kitty ability to "rise above," he occasionally deigns even to play with Toby, Mom's baby Dachshund. Friendship has its price, however, and while Steve and I were over for dinner a while ago, we were treated to quite a show. Toby, wound up and looking to play, puppy-bombed poor Futz, who was just trying to nap. With a running start that made him a blur of fir and legs, Toby bowled Futz right over, and cat and puppy rolled for several feet in a startled embrace. Lucky for Toby, Futz no longer has his front claws! This didn't stop him from giving Toby his just desserts a few days later, though. I wish I was there to see this, but I had to hear it second-hand. Apparently, once again, Futz was trying to nap when Toby attacked. This time, Futz grabbed Toby and began to squeeze. (He must have learned that trick from Jasper.) At first Toby thought, "Fun! Kitty wants to play!" and his tail raced back and forth in excitement. However, Futz kept squeezing, and Toby realized he might be in trouble. He froze, and slowly and gradually, his tail wagged to a stop. I believe the story goes that Futz lost interest after a while and let go, and I'm sure Toby no longer remembers this particular brush with kitty aggression, but for a while at least, Futz had the upper paw.

So thank you, Futz, for being my little buddy and Valentine. You'll always hold a special place in my heart.