An Elephant in Tap Shoes

It could be an elephant in tap shoes dancing above my head or a thundering herd of wild mustangs galloping across the upstairs bedrooms and bath, but no it is a single, neutered female cat, Willow. A cat left behind in my care when my younger daughter Anna married. The loud pounding of her feet almost echoes through the downstairs as she rushes from room to room on some secret mission. But changes into a stealthy mode when I make the trek upstairs to use the computer or to go to bed. She lies in wait at one of the other open doorways for me to come near, then in a flurry of fast moving paws, she scurries away from me, the invader of her domain.

I have to be careful where I step in the middle of the night when I don’t turn on a light. Many times her favorite resting place is in the middle of the top stair landing or on the stair’s treads. She is a black and white, medium haired creature with an intrinsic passion for getting underfoot.

Sometimes in the middle of the night, I will hear the jingle of the bell on her neck collar just before the pounding of her feet and the leap onto the bed. It is always on the side opposite from where my inert form has decided to sleep for the night. Then I feel her walk across my body only to stand on my mattress waiting to have her ears scratched, then she will leap onto the floor to hide for awhile. Sometimes, I sleep sitting in my lounge chair. She does something similar and leaps into my lap. If I don’t stroke her and scratch her head quickly enough, she will nudge me with her chin until I do. Then she will curl up in my lap for her nap.

I’ve thought about getting a playmate for her, but she is so very territorial, I wouldn’t dare try. A stray, very young kitten came onto my porch and Willow went wild. She would hiss and jump against the storm door until the kitten would leave. Each time the wee cat returned, Willow would bound against the door, trying to get out and chase away the interloper.

Sometimes I would like to contact Barnum and Bailey, but I know they’ve done away with their pachyderms.