TheBanyanTree: Snack Pack

[Maria Gibson]

Baby Jack is the newest member of the family.  His coloring identifies 
his whole personality; he's a dark, dark brown-nearly black-with muted, 
barely visible stripes.  He's dark, bitter chocolate versus milk 
chocolate.  He makes his own way, makes his own rules and has kicked 
animal butt all over this house.  For the tiniest member of the family, 
he has the most spunk and heart.  His soft and nearly weightless tread 
can strike terror in the hearts of the older cats and even causes pause 
for the pit bull pup.  Jack is a force to be reckoned with.  I'm in love.

My sweet Socks, boy cat of five years, died last year on the day after 
Thanksgiving.  Fearing my grandmother may not live much longer, I chose 
to leave my desperately ill cat and visit Ohio.  I always knew that when 
Socks died it would be extremely difficult for me and it couldn't have 
been by accident that I was hundreds of miles away, surrounded by 
family.  I was unable to focus entirely on his death until coming home 
and by then it wasn't the same shock.  It was a kinder cruelty.  My 
heart still aches for my baby boy and I still sometimes think I can see 
the tip of his tail saunter by the bed. 

Socks never had the same love for me that I held for him.  He was always 
Dad's cat and would sit on Randy's lap for hours at a time.  His little 
heart beat for the tall guy whose beard was always worthy of a good 
licking and whose hands knew every special spot that liked a good 
scratch.  Sometimes, when it was just Socks and I, he would come up to 
me for petting.  Yeah, I knew it was a pity pet offer, I knew I was 
second choice but it was alright.  I knew that so long as there were no 
witnesses and no hard evidence, he'd allow me to be his favorite for a 
short time.  I took it, though, knowing I was second banana, him knowing 
I knew and us both knowing that as soon as the door opened and anyone 
else came in, I would be thrown to the scrap heap.  Still, my heart beat 
for the big orange cat and I took whatever was offered.

Socks had severe asthma all of his life, taking a regimen of 
prescription drugs twice a day to control it which give him free 
breathing.  We always understood that the medications would shorten his 
life but they gave him a good quality of life and so that was the choice 
we made for him.  Our vet told us that many people would have given him 
up but we knew that he was meant to be with us and as a member of the 
family, he deserved the best care possible for as long as it was 
supposed to be.  He developed diabetes from long-term steroid use and 
then a liver condition when he couldn't eat enough to keep him healthy.  
It was a sad, sad day when we learned he died and I still cry when I 
think of him.  I miss him.

I went to a friend's house a few weeks ago to visit and what to my 
wondering eyes should appear but a tiny, dark colored kitten laying on a 
box in the living room.  He was so quiet!  He was so compliant!  He 
loved me picking him up and cuddling him and stayed on my lap, stretched 
to his baby capacity and then I learned...he was up for adoption!  Oh, 
he loved me, he worshiped me and, I was thinking, this soft and quiet 
bundle could come home with me and be my cuddlekins and we would be best 
friends and he would ignore anyone else and be my baby!  I scooped him 
up and snuck home with him.  Apparently, that's when Jack woke up.

Jack is not quiet.  Jack does not like to cuddle.  Jack doesn't think 
Mom is his favorite person in the house but given his age, I'm working 
on him with that.  I'm almost to the point of smearing tuna oil on my 
head but I'm reserving that for later, only if it's absolutely 
necessary.  I'd do anything to be Jack's favorite person.  He is very 
funny, though, and it's great to have a kitten in the house again.  We 
keep finding his head stuffed in the mouth of the puppy which was a 
little disconcerting at first but we now know is great fun for the pup 
and Jack doesn't seem to mind a slobbery head.  Besides, only the pup 
can give Jack the run for his money that he needs.  The older cats keep 
one eye out for Jack at all times because he leaps on their backs as 
they try to sneak by and the older dog is missing tufts from the tip of 
his tail thanks to Jack.  Oh, we've all been Jacked up here in the 
house.  Randy had his eye brow, yes eye browl, bitten by Jack.  Jack 
thinks nothing of jumping on our heads and screaming and crying to be 
pet when the mood strikes...at three in the morning.  From under the 
bed, razor sharp claws will quickly shred toes but that's only because 
Jack can't see through the dust ruffle.  When he knows he has flesh at 
hand, so to speak, his claws stay in and he doesn't do any harm.  He's 
smart like that, Jack is.  Sure, he has the usual brain cells left over 
from those necessary for basic living as other cats, but he's put his 
leftover two cells to use and rubs them together for the preservation of 
our skin.  Jack loves us in his little cat way. 

This started out as rebound love, I think.  I've resisted getting 
another kitten because I missed Socks so much and even when I brought 
Jack home, I couldn't help but think of Socks.  It's all about Jack, now 
though.  He's his own cat, he's his own personality.  Yeah, he tricked 
me.  He portrayed himself to be a quiet cuddler and turned into a crying 
Tasmanian devil but that's ok.  I don't think I'm his favorite and 
that's ok.  He's not Socks.  That's ok, too.  I love him as Jack, little 
Snack Pack, Jack in the Box, Jack Attack.  I may not be his favorite but 
he's mine. 

Maria