Tag Archives: cats

Cats are a part of my life. They always have been and always will be. This is a short story about Buzz the grey feral cat. He is surrounded with a cloud of mystery and synchronicity.  I do not know what became of him. I trust that my ex-husband took good care of him after I left.  Buz was last visited at my ex-husband’s house about 22 years ago.  As noted in the image above. At this time Buz did not accept me anymore and so I let him stay.  Cats are transitory little beings. Domesticated cats are 10 % wild and 80 % domesticated. Buzz was 80 % wild and 10 % domesticated.  He grew up to be a hide & seek cat. He was not social with humans. In the mid-1980s, he was my cat and came to me only. I am 70 % wild and only 30 % domesticated. Buss and I had a lot in common.  So the story goes…

Once upon a time there was a very intelligent cat name Sir Huckle Berry Finish Raoolish Maximus.  We called him Huckleberry or Huck for short. He was a gift from our photographer friend named O who hung out with the punk band M.I.A. Huck was a grey American short hair. We loved him.

One night we had a party at the house. I left to go get some more party supplies. Huck got out and followed me. On the way back I saw him lying in the street near my home.  It was a hit and run. We took him to our veterinarian. They did all they could do to save his life. He passed away. This was a very sad time for me.

I watched a series on Nick at Nite Nickelodeon called Route 66.  The original TV series was aired in the 1960s. The main characters Tod and Buzz traveled the land in their Corvette sports car. One day at the local thrift store after the death of Huck I found a vinyl LP called George Maharis Sings. On his album George sings Moon River. The song Moon River is the song that inspired me to name this cat Huckleberry. I did not know that George Macharis sang this song but he did play the character Buz on the series Route 66.  I felt captivated by Huck when I found the LP. I listened to the song over and over and cried. I missed my Huckleberry! I did not know it then but two cats and a song were about to make my life come together in a very interesting way.

“Two drifters, off to see the world

There’s such a lot of world to see

We’re after that same rainbow’s end, waitin’ ’round the bend

My huckleberry friend, Moon River, and me.”

The same day I found this LP I later took a walk and noticed across the street some kittens and their mama sunning their bodies. I thought this was cute. Then I noticed that it was right across the street from where Huckleberry was hit. With my eagle eyes I focused in on a little grey cat. This kitten looked just like Huck. I was amazed. All this coincidence hit me hard it had to mean something.

What could all this mean? The Record with Buz signing Moon River, the place where Huck died, and the little grey cat across the street, all came together through the process of synchronicity.  I then made a plan. The next two weeks I studied the mama cat and her kittens. I saw a pattern. They lived under an older house on the street. They only came out at certain times for a sun bath, sleep and play. The kittens always stayed very close to their mama.

I then made my move while the feral cats were sleeping out in the sun. I walked down the street, crossed and slowly approached the cats. I quickly grabbed the little grey kitten and made a run for it. That mama was on my tail for three blocks. She yelled like a wild animal. She clawed and bit my feet and ankles. Then she gave up. I do not blame her but her wild little grey kitten was mine now!!

It took some time but the grey kitten learned to love his new home. We took good care of him. The other cats became his family. I named him Buz or sometimes Buzweld when he was bad, which was not very often.