Chapter FIFTEEN: Judging a book by its cover? NEVER!

Never thought I was to bump into a special character that will inspire one of social channels creation. Because of his special character- not his looks, I totally overlook the fact that - to never judge the book by its cover.

He was a mix of Garfield and a peculiar character. I decided to call him GRUMPFIELD, because his expression.

Grumpy…. All the time?

Cats are lovable, cuddling, playful, everything you could imagine about a cat….

But….

Why honey? Why that putty face?…..

At early age, his character was always the quiet type of guy, cool, laid-down-to-earth type of guy. I found him one day riding a bike across a empty park facing the back of some houses in the neighbourhood. That day I decided (for some strange reason, take that route. Somewhere in the middle of the park route, a faint meowing called my attention. 

It was steady but shy, like saying: please look at me…, please take me - I'm cute as a button.

Don't leave me behind please!

That day was the few days I called to be the transition from fall to winter. Still cold and damaging, the coolish wind did go through everything, even the warmest living feeling anyone could've had. No space for mercy. Even this word fell short of having any meaning g when cold season approaches.

I slowed down and as soon as I stopped, I saw on the corner of my eye a fluffy black fur ball. His big black eyes won my heart. His cuteness stole my heart. His waving paw asking me to hold him up, couldn't be ignored by myself.

He got me.

Way back home, accompanied by this cute little kitten, to a new home went in and about.

He was lucky I heard him.

I was happy, this cuteness trapped in a fur ball stole my heart.

A warm new home was waiting for him, with lots of love and attention and tons of cherishing loving care.

Once at home, I carefully took him to the washroom. I saw his big eyes looking at everything in the house, with an awe and curiosity, he miaowed with a kind of high pitch I thought there was something wrong with him.

Talking to him softly seemed to calm him… momentarily. I offered him some warm milk, it seemed to work. Short after, he started to complain?

Meowing louder… 

I ran to get a number of a veterinary clinic to take him for a check up..

Is he in pain? 

O m g ! What to do?!

The least I expected was to harm him.

His purring was kinda weird. I never had a cat under my care, so I just pretended it was okay. At the end I knew it was proper of his breed. I didn't know but more surprises came along as he grew….

As a kitten, he was as sure as button. As a teenager, like on all teenagers, challenging, daring, destructive his way, moody, sleeping all the time.

Again, maybe he is sick, again?

Why? What did I do? What was wrong? All these thoughts keep going around in my head, constantly. I googled it. Everything seemed to be okay. Everything I did, how I fed him, how I cared the first night and feeding him every 2 to 4 hours. I even put him closer to me on bed to meme him feel more protected. He seemed to love it!

He continued purring until he fell asleep. Any movement I would make, it would wake him up, converting his purring into meowing again! Had to sit by him without moving a hair, so he would not wake up and find himself alone again.

One day, I saw him sitting in the windowsill in the kitchen, GRUMPFIELD seemed to be chanting and kept staring at something in the garden. His whiskers shook as he murmured his cat words. I noticed his change, facial expression was not of a happy cat. Although he was Thankfull for being taken by me to a warm house where he is loved to death, he had a weird, kind of grumpy look on his face.

It was fate I decided to call him GRUMPFIELD.

Was this naming a curse?

I'm feeling so bad now😢

But GRUMPFIELD had a way of showing love and being an expert of attention seeker, his gift, no one could escape his charm, his way.

He knew when the mail man came to drop the mail. He was always at the window rain or shine….or snow. He wouldn't leave the window until he waved( his way) to greet the mailman. A moment both enjoyed, specially for this mail man that found this weird cat with a grumpy face, wave at him. Every morning, became a must for both to attend this appointment.

Some days, when the mail man was either late or in holidays, then GRUMPFIELD would claim the rights of his claiming his characteristic miaowing. 

Was this waving normal of a cat?

I'm puzzled….

Some school kids that spotted him, happily waved at him, and some neighbours that saw this peculiar cat suiting on my windowsill, with a grumpy expression waving at them when walking by.

One of my neighbours spotted this funny guy waving at him…. Great work for GRUMPFIELD! Another admirer to his list…..

The other cats in the neighborhood knew about him…they came to visit him to play, to which he asked - meowing and raising his paw, like asking for attention.

GRUMPFIELD is a pristine cat, respectful. Never got into fights, always laid back, never in a hurry to complete things. 

Coincidentally he was dark caramel color with faded brown striped lines, like a mini tiger copycat…. Hmmm still a cat right?

GRUMPFIELD was loyal his way, loving his way.

One day, I noticed, when I sat in the kitchen to enjoy a cuppa of tea, a song was being played on the radio.

He sat and got closer to the speakers. He started to miaowing again.

But a different miaowing this time.

It was a song from Take That: PATIENCE….

Another coincidence?