I love my cat. He has been a great companion from the day I brought him home. Westin came to live with me the summer after I came back from the hospital. I was working at a vet clinic as a kennel worker and fell in love with him the day he came in. He was a stray and looked awful, but I knew I wanted to take him home. After a brutal interview from the lady that found him and brought him into the clinic, he was mine. He started out with the name Tilly, but after a few weeks of food and love the vets changed their mind on his gender and I settled on the name Westin. It seemed to have fit him well. He started out so scrawny but grew into his name.
After a pretty awful start to life, I decided to keep him inside. He never seemed to mind. In fact, until this year, I could leave the door open and Westin would only sit at the door and look at all the activity outside. Occasionally he will now venture out onto the back porch but run back in as soon as he is noticed outside. He hasn't seen much action in the 10 years I have owned him. Well, he hasn't seen much outside action.
In my final year at Baylor, Molly, Westin, and I all lived in a small house in the middle of a corn field. Westin had the time of his life in that small house. It was where he was first introduced to the fun and games of mice. I had them in the house quite often. Sometimes I would hear Westin chasing the mice through the house at night. I saved a few and through them back into the field yelling, "Stay out there, you probably won't be as lucky next time." Most of the time, he hunted when I wasn't around. I always turned on the light before I stepped in the house. Often he would leave his presents for me at my front door. He also left them beside my bed for me to find. He was always proud of his gifts. Though I was a little freaked by the dead mice, I was also glad that I didn't have to worry about killing them myself and I didn't want to hurt Westin's feelings. I praised him and asked him to leave them a little further from my feet (to no avail).
I hadn't thought much about Westin's mice hunting days in awhile. I haven't lived in a house with mice problems since Waco. Last night, my younger days came flooding back to me. I was in that blissful state where you are almost completely asleep but not quite. Dreams were at the edge of my hazy mind but I was still aware of my surroundings when I felt Westin leap onto the bed. Westin comes and goes all night long. I don't normally notice his night prowling, but for some reason I was brought from my sleepy bliss to wakefulness when he landed on my bed at 11:45. There at my feet was a very proud cat staring at me with his mouth full of mouse. He had brought me his prized treasure and was awaiting my praise and adoration.
I can't even describe how awful it is to open your eyes and see both cat and mouse eyes staring at you. I was jolted awake needless to say. If you have ever had the privilege of seeing a cat with their treasure, you too would know that it is hard to tell if said treasure is dead or alive. They don't wiggle much when they are in the enemy's mouth. My fear last night at 11:46 was that this little treasure was still alive, and my adoring cat was going to lay it at my feet. I had visions of scampering mice running under the covers with me. Now remember, my mind was just recently in that slow dreamy state of haze and now I had to think fast. I did my best.
I calmly coaxed Westin off the bed and into the hall. I raspily called Nathan as loud as I dared. I certainly didn't want to awaken Brenna. I had a big decision to make. Did I want to try to take my cat who doesn't really like to be outside out in the dark or did I want to hope for the best and coax him to release the mouse? I did neither and called for Nathan again who finally heard my cries and came to my rescue. About the same time, Westin decided to give me my present and released the mouse in the hall. There was no movement. Thank you Lord for small blessings at 11:50 at night. I didn't have to chase a big cat and little mouse quietly through the house so that I didn't wake the sleeping toddler.
Nathan took the poor mouse out to the garbage and I thanked Westin for bringing me such a lovely prize. Then I calmly asked him to leave any other mice for another day, and next time, please go back to his past habit of leaving those treasures on the floor. I didn't really need them in bed with me.
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