Luke

 

JJ used to have a very beloved cat named Kaylee. They had a very special “a boy and his cat” relationship. When Kaylee died, JJ was heartbroken, so after a while we went to our vet to get him another cat to love. Our vet keeps a cage in the reception area filled with (free) cats and kittens needing homes. It is dangerous for us because we fall in love with every cat in the cage whenever we take one of our pets to the vet. I can’t tell you how often a trip to the vet resulted in a new cat…The day we went to get JJ another cat, there were two tiny black kittens in the cage. We didn’t know which to choose and we couldn’t bear to leave one behind, so we took them both. We called them Luke and Han because JJ loved Star Wars.

Luke and Han were tiny when we first got them, so we bottle fed them for a while. Luke bonded strongly with JJ while Han bonded with EJ. (Han died of a stroke a few years later, saddening EJ greatly.) Luke follows JJ around and meows plaintively if JJ is too long away from him.

Luke is a very gentle and cuddly cat. He practically melts into us when we hold him. He likes to rub his nose against ours. If we are sleeping, he will “rake” our hair to wake us so we will let him under the blankets to cuddle with us. 

Luke loves to leap up at the fridge and pull down papers and pictures held by magnets. Luke also loves to carry around milk rings, and we find many collected under the fridge or stove when we move them, and sometimes in our shoes.

Luke has a health problem and has to have his own special food. Since it’s expensive, we try to keep it only for Luke, which is difficult in a house with many cats. We solve this problem by putting Luke in the bathroom and closing the door while he eats. He has learned to open the door when he is finished. 

A year or so ago, Luke taught himself to use the toilet. I discovered this one day when I opened the bathroom door and saw “someone” using the toilet. I started to say “excuse me” and shut the door and then I realized it was the cat.

Luke is a very smart cat.