Saturday, November 26, 2016

Her Youth is Just a Bad Memory



Josie was found in the engine of a truck. She isn’t the only cat of whom I’ve heard such a story. I suspect that a number of them climb into automobile engines for the warmth they feel there. It’s probably how some homeless cats come to be found in parking lots. My Chubs was a kitten then. I adopted her when she was an adult in 2008.


The interesting thing is that for many years, I thought that Josie had been born in 2003, and have been calculating her age accordingly. Recently, I put some of my computer files on disc in order to preserve them and came across Josie’s vital statistics from when she was adopted. Her birthday was estimated to be in 2004, not in 2003. She was born at mid-year; since she was a kitten when discovered, it would have been clear that she was not very old, and the rescuers certainly knew what the year was. I must have been aware of the correct year of Josie’s birth originally, but at some point, it became 2003 in my mind.


So the Great White is actually twelve and a half years old, not thirteen and a half. She remains my senior cat and, in spite of this, in good health. And Josie has demonstrated that, while age is just a number, youth is just a bad memory – mine, in this case.

19 comments:

  1. Josie, you don't look a day over 8 anyway, no matter your real age. Besides, you're only as young (or old) as you feel. :-)

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    1. I think my Chubs is feeling quite young these days.

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  2. Josie, many of us senior ladies would love to find we are a year younger than we believe. I your story is a good reminder for all of us to check our cars on cold mornings before we start up.

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    1. We had a cat in the rescue-group, just adopted, who lost his tail while in an engine. Fortunately, the rest of him is as healthy as can be.

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  3. That's wonderful! She certainly looks happy and healthy.

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  4. You take such great care of your cats, I'm sure Josie will forgive you for adding a year on to her age. The important thing is that she is in good health. I had a similar occurrence last night. I was going through some papers, and I came across a picture of Jessica I hadn't seen in 16 years - Jess was 5 weeks old at the time.

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    1. I'd like to see pictures of my beasts when they were kittens. Some I can't imagine being kittens at all.

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  5. Great White...you are a sweet beautiful girl always despite your age. I am almost 10!!!

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    1. Ten! You and Josie are barely touching middle-age.

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  6. Josie our Mom put down my age wrong when I celebrated my last birthday! But she's hard some hard times so I forgave her, especially since she made me younger! :)

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    1. I always figure girls should exaggerate their ages, rather than take years off. That way, people would think they look great, no matter what: "Seventy? Really? You look like you're not even thirty!"

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  7. That first picture, oh how ladylike...

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  8. Josie, you look like a happy cat. I'm so glad you were rescued from the engine compartment...the alternative makes me shudder.

    As far a memory goes John, I have similar story. Except in my case, I thought my son would be 28 this year, he corrected me reminding he is 29. I was present at his birth so have no excuse!

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    1. Ha! That made me chuckle. Well, you were at his birth but you probably were too pre-occupied to think about dates.

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  9. No matter what age she is, Josie looks very happy.

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  10. hey look, the fountain of youth ;)
    This just proves that ages is little more than a number..

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