Betsy

Betsy (feline)

Born August 4, 1995
Primarily white with large tabby/tiger spots


Betsy came to us in March 2004. She came with her name and knew it. If one says “Betsy” she will look directly at that person.

Her human mother was getting a divorce and leaving the state. I found out about Betsy through my veterinarian, Dr. Bill. She and Sadie resided together with this nut job human and a yappy dog. I probably would not have made the call if I knew this was not the first time the human made life changes that put her pets at risk of abandonment. It took both Betsy and Sadie a long time to adjust to our family.

At the time that they came, Molly (canine) and Scooter (feline) were long-time members of our family. We had lost Eb almost a year earlier. Molly and Scooter were good friends. They played together often. But, when we went away to do business (kettle korn) Scooter was left alone with lots of food, water, and kitty litter, as Molly came with us. Scooter was always welcoming when we got home. Steve thought she was lonesome and that she should have another cat to keep her company while we were gone.

A picture of Sadie was posted at the vet’s office. I called the woman. She said both cats had to go together as they had been together. I said, “OK.” She lied. The two cats still do not get along and hiss at each other whenever they are within twenty feet of each other.

Betsy spent the better part of the first couple of years hiding out on the top of the refrigerator, usually behind my cookie jars. She never knocked anything off. Today she usually sleeps in my guest room surrounded by pillows. When I looked in this morning, all I could see was her back in the middle of a rainbow of colored pillows.  When she sits, she reminds me of a Porcelain Cat.  She sits sooooo still.

She is my talker. Meow, meoooow, meow. Yak, yak, yak! She was a day-time outdoor cat for some time, but now that she is getting up there in age, she stays in more.

When she was with us about a year, she disappeared for what turned out to be three full days. We could not find her anywhere. When we did find her, she was meowing… From where was that sound comin'?  Well, it turned out she had gotten under the eaves. There was an ever so small opening that she somehow crawled through. I guess she felt safe up there, but finally got hungry. So, she came down. She loved high safe places.

The kettle korn business took us north for the summer season. We had moved to Florida and unlike many people who become snowbirds when they retire, we became snowbirds because of the business. Kettle korn in Florida in the summer does not work. So, back to New England. We did this for twelve summers.

The critters always traveled with us…the cats in carriers, depending on the year—one, two, three or four. The dog in the front seat. The cats were never happy, but would settle down after a couple of hours.

When we got to our house in Connecticut, we always found that we had given our home refuge to many mice for the winter. Betsy is one of my hunters. Within a couple of days in Connecticut, there were no more signs of mice in the house. I think that they told each other, “The cat is back! Scram!” Some years, for the first couple of mornings, we would find the carcass of a mouse, always in the same place. Thank you, Betsy, for the wonderful gifts you have given to us.

We no longer make the trip for the summer, so she gets to stay in one place. We moved since we got her. The rural area suits her well. I have found her on the roof…not on my roof, but on a neighbor’s. I cannot imagine how or why she got there, but within an hour or so, she was back in our yard.

Betsy wears a watch (or so we think). Every afternoon around four thirty, she comes out of “her” room and sits on the arm of the Lazy-Boy chair waiting for us to bring forth our evening vittles. She’s never late. We have become animalistic and eat most of our meals in front of that infernal TV. So, that arm is a good place for her to sit. Sometimes, she gets her favorite treat—chicken; sometimes, she gets nothing. She gives the alarm to Friskey and Roscoe as they now join her in the begging ranks. It is always amazing to me that many times I have not yet started the evening meal, so it cannot be the aroma that gets her attention. The watch is probably a Mickey Mouse watch or maybe Alice’s Cheshire cat! But she hides it well, so we cannot tell for sure. But, we know she has a clock of some sort.

Leave me alone...can't you tell it's nap time!