Often times, I can be seen taking an evening walk with a camera in my hand. Not all of my photos are worth publishing. Most will never be seen by anyone other than me. My favorite are those that evoke a moment or an era. And so, the very first photograph that I shall share with you will not be of a person, but of a cat. I took the photo on East Michigan Street near Lesley Avenue on a warm afternoon in 2001. I had no idea at that moment that in a few months the world was about to change. No, it was just me and this cat...
 |
| Lazy Cat (Photo by William Gulde, Summer 2001) |
This cat, "Momma-Cat" was the first stray cat encounter for me upon my move to Irvington...during the winter, this young kitty came to my door - I set out food and water each day but never accepted her inside (I was going to prove people wrong who voiced concern I would be an easy pushover for the Irvington strays). I called her 'Little Girl Cat'...and assumed I would be needing to get her spayed very soon. She proved hard to catch and as late winter approached, she disappeared...the last I saw her she had started to plump up. I had a feeling she was having a litter somewhere... I went out in the backyard to enjoy the green of early spring and I noticed small tuffs of color moving beside the garage by the alley...I beheld her litter of wild hissing kittens she had in the neighbor's garage - she was bringing them into my yard...some yellowish, grey, brownish, and a black and white one. I turned the vacant backroom into her nursery and took out the window from the security door so she could come and go. "Momma-Cat" became her new name, and a good momma she was...always returning to nurse and bringing her growing kitties big bugs to play with. I amazingly was able to find homes for these spitting, hissing kittens - I was hoping my continued presence would warm them up to humans, but they were still wild. I ended up keeping the black and white one, 'Sport'...she lived as a free to roam cat (spayed of course) till last year 2016 when I finally put her to rest at an expected age of 21??? "Momma Cat" died a couple years previous...long and happy lives they both lived - always at that address of 5626 East Michigan Street:)
ReplyDeleteWow! There was an entire epic about this kitty. Loved knowing what became of her. Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDelete