Greg Freeman: Small Visitor Makes A Big Impression -- Much To Our Surprise. P-D 8/2/2001

Headline: SMALL VISITOR MAKES A BIG IMPRESSION -- MUCH TO OUR SURPRISE
Reporter: By Greg Freeman

Publication: ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Last Printed: Thur., Aug. 2, 2001
Section: METRO, Page: B1, Edition: FIVE STAR LIFT

There's a stranger in our house.
He's never been to our house before. We never even saw him before two months ago. But he's living with us this summer. And, get this, sometimes he even sleeps with our son! His name is Cornelius, and he's our son's new kitten. When Will came home from college for the summer, he brought Cornelius with him.

I had once decided that we would have no more cats at our house. A month after my wife and I married, we came into possession of a kitten, Maxwell. He lived for 20 years before exhausting the last of his nine lives two years ago.
During Maxwell's lifetime, we managed to get a couple of other cats as well. When a good friend landed a job in Memphis and he and his family needed to give their cat a good home, we were good Samaritans. We decided that Maxwell could use a friend, and Bullwinkle joined the household.
Then, several years later, as my father-in-law's health began to fail, we took in his cat, Josephine, as well.

I grew up with dogs but never had cats until after my wife and I married. I had become accustomed to one cat, and two cats were fine, but three cats were a handful.
And while Maxwell and Bullwinkle were fun-loving -- at least for cats -- Josephine clearly deemed herself a queen. She liked things just so and didn't want to be bothered, except when it was time to feed her. Had she been a person, she clearly would have been an elitist, one who didn't speak to commoners.

Max outlived the other two cats, and when he died two years ago, we all missed him terribly. But we decided that his death provided us with an opportunity to get new carpeting.
Besides that, I wasn't sure that I wanted another cat -- it was pretty heartbreaking when the other cats died. So we had decided that was it. If we were to ever get another pet, it would be something that required less effort, like goldfish.

But all that was before Will came home with Cornelius.
     This new kitten is playful. Give him a ball, and he's happy for hours. A piece of string might as well be a gift from Gucci as far as he's concerned.
     Cornelius has an insatiable curiosity. When I'm sitting at my desk writing, he likes to jump on the back of my chair and watch, with great interest, like an editor who's ready to offer a suggestion.
     He's also fond of hiding under pillows and running around the house with a burst of speed.
     Will's clearly his best bud. He sleeps in Will's room every night. And when Will leaves the house, Cornelius stands by the door and meows, as if to ask, "Why didn't he take me with him?"

Now, I'm doing my best not to get attached to the cat. After all, when Will heads back to college in a couple of weeks, Cornelius will go with him. I want to think of the cat as reporters thought of me years ago when I was a college student and a summer intern for the Washington Star. I was only at the paper for three months, so most reporters didn't bother to get to know me. Although a few reporters took me out when I left, I suspect most of them didn't even know my name. I doubt there were any moist eyes when I left.
When Will leaves, I want to say "see ya" to the cat and move on. But this cat has a way of growing on you, and fast. Just when I get irritated with him for knocking something off the mantle or scratching the furniture, he jumps in my lap and falls asleep, purring happily the whole time. Or he comes to you to have his belly rubbed. Or he starts a game of "soccer" with a ball of aluminum foil.

Clearly, I've got to watch it. If I'm not careful, Cornelius is going to make my wife and me go out and adopt a cat of our own. Who knew this stranger could have such power?

Daniel Schesch - Webweaver

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