My Cat Red

My entry to Portrait Photography organized by @juliank with @photocontests and #dailypetphotography hosted by @Kona.

A portrait of my proud and beautiful cat.

Red

Red came into the house as a birthday present from Hubster. A few weeks before Red’s arrival, one of my cats, Houlton, a Maine Coon cat, had died. After he passed, the one cat left, a beautiful calico named Angel, was lonely and seemed depressed. Angel was almost sixteen years old when Houlton died. They had been good company for years and it was natural she missed him.

I had debated about getting another cat to keep Angel company. Hubster took the decision out of my hands when he saw a newspaper article from the humane society advertising an overflow of animals, especially cats. They were having a special sale of older cats and kittens at the Eastlink Center Arena beside the Red Shores Casino and Horse Racing track in Charlottetown.

Hubster went to the Arena to check out the selection of cats. He liked this one little fluffy orange ball of fur with the golden eyes and brought the 3-month old tiny kitten home. Along with the kitten, he had a box of extra things for a cat to play with and a syringe and medicine provided by the humane society. There were antibiotics in the box to give to the kitten by way of the syringe.

What kind of a birthday gift is this - a sick kitten that had a cold and wheezed a lot?

Not only did he have a cold but he would often be sick and throw up after eating. On top of that, Red had to be wrapped in a towel and held closely so he wouldn’t scratch me when I dropped the medicine in his mouth every morning.

Red never bonded with Angel and Angel did not like him. I thought as female and male they would get along but they never cuddled together and hissed at each other whenever one came near the other.

The only time they were in sync was when a mouse got in the house. They worked together, stalked it, caught it and played with it until the mouse no longer drew a breath.

Red was a little over a year old when Angel passed. After she left, his personality changed from the rambunctious kitten stage to a somewhat quieter one. He was becoming healthier and did his job mouse hunting. The few times a mouse got in the basement, Red put to good use the lessons Angel taught him about mouse hunting.

Although they did not like each other, I could tell he missed her presence. There would be times when he would check where she had slept and then walk around searching different areas of the house crying out for her.

His loneliness was heartbreaking to witness and that began another search for the right kitten to keep Red company.
That is another story for another time...

Contest Info

Location: Prince Edward Island, Canada
Photos by @redheadpei

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