13 Things about Gracie

Ok, this is just a silly Thursday Thirteen and will probably mean nothing to anybody but us. But that's ok because I want this blog to be fun.

We have this cat, Gracie. It is a strange cat in so many ways that coming up with 13 things to say about Gracie will be easy.

1. Gracie is a boy. Yes, I know Gracie is a girl's name but we got him as a young kitten and were told he was a she and we didn't bother to check ourselves. Then one day my husband and I were playing Yahtzee while sitting on the floor. Gracie walked in and around us and I happened to look over at him just as he was walking away from us. I was shocked to see boy parts hanging down. I grabbed his tail and lifted his hind-end up while telling my husband, "Look at this!" We decided that since he and we were used to his name by this point, we'd just keep it.

2. Gracie sneezes. The vet tried telling me that he had an upper respiratory infection that needed to be treated. We tried treating it several times but he never did stop sneezing. So, we have a cat that sneezes....often...when he is laying on top of you in bed. Yuck!

3. Gracie has dark gunk that comes out of his eyes. The vet tried telling us he needed treatment for this. Sound familiar? We tried treating it several times but it never clears up. So, he lives with brown gunk around his eyes. When it gets bad, I clean it. He hates it...the cleaning that is.

4. Gracie was sewn together. Or at least that's what he looks like. He is completely solid white with a few oddly placed exceptions. The top of his head, including his ears, appears to be sewn on using a brown and black striped fur. His tail also does not appear to be original as it is also brown and black striped. He also has a patch on his back that is vertical brown and black stripes. Oh, there's a strip of patchwork down one of his hind legs as well.

5. Gracie LOVES attention to a fault. Yep, he does. He follows me every where I go, even to the bathroom. He is known to jump on my lap while I'm using the toilet. He lays on my chest, at my head, or between my legs when I'm sleeping or nursing the baby. He lays on my lap between the laptop and my chest while I am typing...he's there now. He lays next to (or tries to lay on top of) the baby when he is nursing on the nursing pillow. HE WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!!!


6. Gracie is determined to prove he has 9 lives. By our count he is on life number 5. The next several listings will explain why.

7. Gracie had at one point smelled like he had been dead for several days. Once Gracie came home smelling like he had already died. It was horrible, aweful, and disgusting! He had some sort of blisters all over his tongue. We didn't know what was wrong with him but he smelled so bad we did a horrible thing...we kicked him out of the house. We were sure he was going to die. He didn't. Somehow, he lived. 8 lives left.

8. Gracie has a crooked face. Once he came home obviously very hurt. We think he got hit by a car. All we know is that he healed but his face is crooked now. It's not that noticable but if you look at him closely, it looks rather odd. 7 l ives left.

9. Gracie knows how to fly. One morning our neighbor knocked on our door and asked me if that (pointing to a cat on top of a very tall telephone pole) was our cat. Yes, yes it was. I called my husband at work and we decided to leave him there and see if he comes down himself. About an hour later, he was still up there, panting, and obviously very distressed. I called the fire department and asked them if they really do rescue cats. They do. Does it cost us anything? Nope. Ok, can they come get my cat. Yep. When they arrived, they explained that cats normally jump when they get up there. I told them that was fine; at least he'd be down. Well, that's just what he did. In the process of trying to get down, he ripped out claws from all four legs. Can you guess what happened to him? He got better. 6 lives left.

10. Gracie was, at one point, on his death bed...again. Gracie once was so ill we thought he was going to die. He crawled into a small space in the back of our closet and wouldn't move. We thought he went there to die. We made him a bed so he'd be comfortable and did our best to nurse him back to health. Do you think he died? Nope. 5 lives left.

11. Gracie loves just about anyone. See number 5. If you'll pet him, he'll love you.

12. Gracie sheds ALL year. And I mean ALL year. As fall turns into winter most cat owners are silently celebrating the end of shedding season. Not us. We have white fur in abundance 12 months a year.

13. He scratches the windows. When Gracie wants to be let in, he scratches the window with his claws. Think fingernails on a chalkboard. If you ignore him, he will persist. You'll never win that battle.

We jokingly try to give Gracie away...as payment for a favor...in trade...or even for free just because. No one will take him. So we are stuck with this strange, shedding, sickly, half-dead cat. Just kidding. We actually do kind of like him despite everything.

Have fun viewing other Thursday Thirteen participants here.