Innerview with a Legendary Cat

When I first began blogging, I started a series about Legendary Cats from our hood. I wrote about the Legend that was Foofie but never took the series any further. I'll hum while you go back to refresh your memories.

Grandma Scruffy

Now four years later, here's part 2 of the series: Scruffy the Cat. I had a chance to innerview Scruffy from the Rainbow Bridge.

CK: Scruffy, how did you know to visit the peep's house?

Scruffy: All the strays knew there were a few soft touches that lived there. Lovey put the word out that the stinky goodness was worth hanging there for.

CK: Tell me how they came to call you Scruffy.

Scruffy: When I first showed up for dinner, a bean called me Fluffy. Then the younger beans renamed me after the band Scruffy the Cat.

CK: Your new name fit you cos you was scruffy around the edges or so the peeps say. They also said you were a real nervous Nellie. Would that be accurate?

Scruffy: Yeah. I guess. I was just looking for a meal for myself and my unborn kittens. After Wendell C and Sissyknife (named by the beans) came along in 1985, they seemed to like the beans and vice versa. My kittens never went hungry. Wendell was a bit of a fraidy cat too, but I heard he eventually moved in with one of the beans that lived in the house.

CK: What became of Sissyknife aka Whitey?

Scruffy: One of the beans, the one you call TW, tried to bring Sissy into the house to make her a house cat. It didn't work out. My girl was as independent as me and would stay an hour or so and then she'd want out. She wanted her freedom cos she was footloose and fancy free. Then she got knocked up. She was barely 5 months old. When she told me she threw up on her nip kicker, I knew I had to prepare her for the joys of motherhood.

Sissy told me a funny story. She said the TW bean tried to give her a bath in the kitchen sink. The water wasn't bad but as soon as the bean put the pink shampoo on her, she bolted. She was a pink cat for about a week. She looked so funny all the mencats teased her.

CK: Sissy bore 3 kittens in the outer hallway of TW's house. They lived in a sturdy box on the front porch. Were you still coming around for grub?

Scruffy: No. Another family moved in at about the same time. Gertrude Calico was about as mean a cat as there was. She didn't like the fact that Sissy and her kitties got preferential treatment over her family. She had 6 kittens a few days after Sissy did. I couldn't come into the front yard anymore so I hung around the back.

You can biggify the collage by clicking on it.

CK: What became of your Grandkittens?

Scruffy: The two white ones went to homes on the next block and the bean's Mom kept the gray tabby.

CK: Your Grandkittens were socialized from the minute they were born but somehow the gray one, Big Tym, wasn't too swift so he never figured out the socialized part and was a vicious biter much like myself. Hey Woman, you best not be implying that I'm not too swift! When they were teaching the kittens how to use a litter box, he'd dig in it and then look all around as if to say "now what do I do."

EPILOG: After all the kittens were weaned, Scruffy went along with Sissy and Gertrude to the vet for their Ladygardenectemies. Sadly, Sissy's two white kitties were poisoned by a crazy Vietnam Vet who lived on their block because their new humans let them go outside. I can't stress enough that it's dangerous to let house cats roam the streets in the city. They could jump into some nut's yard who has poison-laced food waiting for them.

Coming soon: Gertrude's story. I promise you won't have to wait 4 years for it.