Are Cats From Outer Space, Or Just Spaced Out

Recently, I saw a cartoon where a cat was seated outside the open Pearly Gates. Saint Peter is saying “Well, are you coming in this time?” The caption read “Why cats have nine lives”. Kind of explains how cats can disappear for days and show up looking like death warmed over doesn’t it?


I grew up with both cats and dogs, and I can say unequivocally that I have never known any cat that would meet the human definition of sane. For the feline species, crazy is normal, so it is no wonder that all of ours exhibit varying degrees of what we call insanity.

Ed is convinced they are space aliens, and has already given a brief introduction to the four who live with us. As for me, I know they are cats and are, therefore, crazy.

As Ed told you, Captain was given to us by a friend. She was probably six months old, and I think she was never properly weaned. She does little things to give it away, like sucking on our clothes and chewing on our hair. Oh, did I mention she will chew through plastic bags to get to the bread?

Twice she has decided to go on “walkabout” since we moved. I think she was trying to go home. I’ve had cats do that before. The last time, she was gone so long; I had pretty much given up on her. We she did come home; she was disoriented, and skin and bones. She didn’t even go back outside for weeks after she came home. She still doesn’t go out much. She’s gained all her weight back and then some. Now, she kind of resembles a calico Jabba the Hut.

                                                    Captain pouting next to "her" chair

If I’m sitting in my chair in the living room, she will often come out from behind the curtains behind me, and climb on to my shoulder. Remember the Jabba the hut analogy? Then she will start chewing on my hair, and I will have to try to get her off me without hurting her, and without getting scratched myself.

To be fair, I should probably mention that Captain might believe my chair is hers. I often come into the room and find her in it. If she isn’t in the window and I sit down and start reading or writing, she will come up and sit on whatever I’m working on and stare at me as if to say “Why are you in my chair? I think I’ll come over and chew on your hair.” And she does. At least the frontal assault makes for an easier escape.

In her favor, she really is a pretty cat. Her fur is very soft, almost all white, with back and orange markings on her face and tail. She has green eyes. She is sweet natured and she tolerates the dogs well, drawing the line only when Meeko tries to lick her. The only critter on the place that can make her fuzz up and hiss is Marshmallow. She does not like him and the feeling appears to be mutual. Oh, and she’s a great mouser too.

To digress a little, within a few weeks of her coming to us, she was found to be “with kittens”. Katherine was ecstatic. Ed and I, not so much. We were able to find homes for all but one…Bookworm. She is a whole different kind of crazy, but I’ll save that for another time.