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When the Thief Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree

by L. Osmon
8/07/2019 / Family

My aunt and my son are more alike than I realized. They both love cats and have blurred the lines a bit in how they have acquired them. By the time I realized they shared this gene it was too late to change the outcome or the family tree, so I will just have to settle with telling you their “tail” …

One summer my son was hired to pet sit our neighbor’s cat while they went on vacation. Jazz was a short-haired tabby who was aloof with everyone, even her own family. Several times a day Keith would walk over to take care of the cat and as instructed left the garage door open a crack so she could rest inside. By the third day he proposed that we leave our garage open a bit too. That way, he explained, we would see him more often. When it was almost time for the owners to return they called to see if we could watch kitty for the rest of the summer. Keith was thrilled and by then Jazz was in the habit of waiting for him on our porch every morning.

Keith and Jazz were inseparable. That was made apparent the night I found her cuddled up next to him in his bed. He confessed that he had cut a little kitty door in his window screen so she could “come in from the cold”, remember it was summer. We then discussed the deeper meaning of the Bible verse “Thou shalt not steal” and I assured him it did apply to cats. I reminded him Jazz already belonged to a family, even though she wasn’t all that excited about them. Prying her out of my child’s arms I then escorted “Her Highness” back to her castle. It happened a few more times, but eventually the neighbors returned, and we resumed our cat-free lives - or so I thought.

One day we saw a “for sale” sign planted in the cat owner’s yard. Keith burst into tears. He confessed he had been sneaking Jazz into his room for the last few months and couldn’t bear the thought of her moving away. He was heartbroken. That night the neighbor called and asked me to come over. While sitting on her couch she told me they had noticed Keith’s “attachment” to Jazz. I quickly apologized for my son’s behavior, babbling on about how I would do everything to make sure he didn’t continue on his path of crime. She assured me they were not upset and were wondering if he would like to keep her. A couple days later, on Christmas morning, they brought over “Jazzy” wearing a big red bow. She was his kitty for the next 15 years. He stills says it was the best Christmas gift he ever received.

Recently, I shared this story with my aunt. When I finished, she had a funny look on her face and said, “I got my first cat from my neighbor too! They had one of those Persian cats, all fluffy and white. I thought he was so beautiful, so I picked him up and brought him into our house. I think we had Mr. Kitty-cat for a few months before he got out again. The next time I saw him he was wearing a new collar with a bell attached. I guess the owners wanted everyone to know he had a family.”

“Ce-ce, you stole your neighbor’s cat?? Are you kidding me?!!” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

Without batting an eye, she replied; “I could tell he wanted to be in our family, so we figured out a way to get him back. One night I peeked over the fence and saw him in their backyard. I had Uncle Johnny climb over and get him. When he handed over the kitty I got so excited I ran for our backdoor. Then I heard a whisper-shout, ‘Hey! Help me get back over!’ Eventually, we all made it back inside. I don’t think they ever realized it was us because by the next day we were on our way.”

“On your way where?” I was afraid of the answer.

“To our new home up the coast. We had everything all packed up. Mr. Kitty-cat was the best little traveler too. Honey, don’t worry too much about how Keith got his cat. He didn’t really steal her. If anything, it’s Jazzy’s fault. She stole his heart - they do that you know.”

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