Last of the Charlie Chronicles

Don't worry, the old guy hasn't kicked the bucket - I just thought I might blog about other things. :-) But before I get on with that, a few more tales about this crazy guy. First of all, what kind of cat actually likes their Halloween costume? Note how happily he is sleeping! :-)

Ever known a cat that liked to play hide and seek? Well, Charlie did, and he had more than one version of the game he liked! In the townhouse in which we lived there was a small landing on the stairs. The wall facing this landing had a small archway that linked the living room and the stairwell, meaning you could stand on the stairs and look into the living room, and vice versa. Charlie loved to sit in this archway - it was just the right size for him. He'd sit there, and if we'd indulge him, he'd act as if we couldn't see him and as we walked by, or twitched a string his way, or stood at the bottom of the stairs crouching, he'd reciprocate with lively play! 

His other favorite version of hide and seek was on top of the tall bookshelves in our upstairs hallway, or on top of the Hoosier cabinet, or the fridge, or anywhere else he could get higher than the tops of our heads. There he'd crouch, waiting for us to walk by, and as we did he'd reach out and tickle the tops of our heads with varying degrees of ferocity. If we made just the right "I'm about to chase you!" movements, he'd run up the stairs, jump on top of the shelves, and we'd follow and play our game. Quite unusual, strange...and wonderful!

Now that Charlie is 18 and all he does is sleep (eat and poop), it is sometimes hard to imagine how playful, how creative, and just how lively he was. Sometimes he's been a hassle. He went through an, "I am a fierce animal and will try to make you bleed by attacking you when you least expect it!" phase, attacking for no good reason, hiding behind chairs, etc. He also, at one point in his life, got seizures brought on by the stress of me travelling a lot. Yes, high maintenance cat! We have, however, had some wonderful times with this old guy. Oh, how we would laugh and play, running up and down the stairs, chasing each other, usually ending with a jump onto the bed and a good snuggle. I've had him almost as long as I've had my husband, and that's saying something!

Charlie, I do love you!