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Animal
House Folly
Farm Blog
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We named him Rudolph because he was the only kitten in the litter with a pink nose. All the newborns of the calico were male. All were white with yellow spots, appearing not unlike miniature cows cuddled together in the basket... We named him Rudolph because he was the only kitten in the litter with a pink nose. All the newborns of the calico were male. All were white with yellow spots, appearing not unlike miniature cows cuddled together in the basket. All the brothers have grown to adulthood, have been neutered and are thriving. Rudolph was always a little slower than his brothers, such as in figuring out how to operate the cat flap to the terrace area. The logic of pushing with his head escaped him. He‘d try a paw, then give up, so I always opened the door especially for Rudolph. Back and forth. Alas, Rudolph lacked the capacity to lead anybody anywhere, quite unlike his reindeer namesake. All the cats in our household have different talents and each individual personality is accepted. It was clear to us how some were evidently cleaner, others faster, others more playful. No two cats acted alike. One day I asked Rudolph, "Out?" And he howled back with an "A-oooout." I was stunned. A meow rarely came out of his mouth. Rudolph had been dubbed the silent brother. When it happened several times in a row, that Rudolph seemed to mimic my word while waiting patiently at the door, I told some neighbors. Soon people were coming over to see Rudolph in action, but he, of course, remained the silent brother all the time. Nobody heard a thing come out of his mouth. After a few months, some neighbors did chance to be nearby when Rudolph made his a-oooout sound and he soon became quite the talk of the neighborhood. Our backward little kitty had progressed so amazingly and he gained a bit of local notoriety. He enjoyed the extra attention and pats on the head he was getting. I was feeling rather proud myself of our little genius. One day he sat in front of the food bowl. "A-oooout!" This was soon becoming his favorite, if not his only, sound. He repeated it as a greeting to me. He seemed to enjoy making this single, all-purpose sound and expected to get scratched behind the ears each time. Soon anything and everything Rudolph did merited an "A-oooout" And one day he sat on the kitchen counter, where he is not allowed to be, and called out "A-oooout," letting me know exactly where he was. Maybe Rudolph wasn‘t such a genius after all.
About the Author: Roberta
Beach Jacobson is an American writer who moved to Europe in 1974. Most
of her writing for books and magazines focuses on some aspect of European
travel. You can read more of her work at www.islandmania.com
and www.insidereuropa.com
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