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| Name: |
Madison
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Age: |
Sixteen years old
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| Gender: |
Female
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Kind: |
Tabby
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| Home: |
Gretna, Louisiana, USA
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This
is Madison. She was born to an abandoned former pet in the my
sister's neighborhood, caught and socialized by my sister and nieces.
Madison started life badly. In addition to being a runt, she has a
dislocated right shoulder either from a birth defect or a kittenhood
injury and has always walked with a bad limp. But don't think that slows
her down in the least. She rarely goes any place slowly, but limps along
at high speed. The hurried limping gait as she walks in front of you,
trying to get to where she thinks you're going before you get there,
sometimes looks a bit comical.
As a feral cat she had two kittens very early in life, before she was
caught and spayed. Later, she used her handicap and the fact that she was
such a very good mom to land the coveted position of inside kitty.
I got her three years ago from my sister. She is by far the most active on
my three cats (ages 15, 16, and 18) and is the only one that can jump the
six-foot fence in my back yard. My other two senior citizen kitties jump from
floor-to-chair and chair-to-table just to get on top the table inside.
In her younger days, she was the most active cat I have ever seen. Her
play was active and constant (but, unfortunately, solitary; no one else,
feline or human, was ever permitted to join in). She is still an expert
tail chaser and frequently romps across the floor batting and chasing
whatever small object is handy. When she chases her tail in the confines
of a small box, it sounds a bit like a tornado.
Madison suffers from FIS, Feline Insanity Syndrome (that is, she's nuts).
Actually, she does not suffer at all, WE suffer; never expect Madison to
do any thing rational, even from a feline perspective.
Since the start, however, she has craved attention. As a younger cat she
would be in ecstasy when you stroked her or rubbed her ears - for a few
minutes, after that she would generally mistake some human action as
aggression and then claws were out and she was ready to do battle.
She has mellowed with age now, and only rarely becomes combative. She is a
constant year round lap cat and still loves attention. When I am working,
she will pester me for attention. Madison's signature pester is to head
butt my mouse hand while I'm trying to work on the computer. A very
effective attention getter, I might add.
A few weeks ago I had a very painful (and brief) illness. Madison was the
only one of my kitties to recognized I was hurting and tried to help. She
laid in bed with me several times during the day and started to lick my
hand and arm to comfort me.
Both of my other cats give way to Madison even though she is the smallest,
less that the size of my male. When she in standing near the cat door, no
one dares use it. Not that she is aggressive or trying to be the alpha
feline but who can trust a cat with FIS? If she catches my Calico in a
compromising position like coming through the cat door or trying to get on
the table while Madison is already up there, she is not above giving her a
swat. If the male gets too familiar, she will take a swing at him (always
being careful to miss him be a mile). Mostly, all my cats tolerate each
other, I have heard only a very few hisses since we have all been
together.
Madison rarely meows, probably less that once a year, but mostly she
squeaks or puts out a monosyllable eh! Occasionally I hear her also making
a strange almost wailing sound that ends in a sort of an elongated meow
when she is playing by herself just after I turn the lights out at bed
time.
Madison, a very unique kitty cat, good and getting better with age.
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