Pepper was my sewing cat. She was very smart, and had figured out when the light on my Viking was on she could stand on the big foot control and it would go. I learned to turn it off, even if I was just pressing, although I did let her have her fun sometimes -- with no thread. She would step on and off the foot control, over and over and over.... I always tired of it before she did. She also knew it didn't work on my featherweight -- the button you push is to small and hard to press for a cat, and she would have had to figure out just where to step.
Pepper sadly disappeared around Christmas. It is one of the dangers of taking on stay cats out in the country, sometimes you lose them. It's pretty tough to convince a stray or feral cat to become an indoor cat. She would never tolerated it, and everything breakable would have been broken. Pepper couldn't meow, so she would get our attention by taking things.if taking didn't get the proper response, she would start knocking things over; glasses, jars of buttons, figurines, she'd knock it on the ground while staying right at me. The only expensive thing she broke was the shade to my antique bankers lamp, when she knows something off the bookshelf and onto the lamp. Fortunately I have a persistent antique dealer friend who found me an original replacement. Thank goodness for bartering, cause that shade would have cost over 200 bucks!
I just realized I hadn't seen at all since she disappeared, or blogged, so I got my featherweight out, since my roommate had worked on the bobbin case for me. There was a wee bit of corrosion on the bobbin case, which I was pretty sure was causing the driving problems I had been having. James worked a miracle, I thought I was going to have to supporting for another one. Betty Jean now sews like a dream again!
I still miss Pepper, although we still have our other three helper cats, and my daughter found a nearly starved and obviously abused kitten (we thought) about the weeks after Pepper disappeared. Precious was so tiny we thought she was a kitten, then she doubled in size within a couple of weeks. Her tail had been broken in a couple of places and has nerve damage. She can swish the last four inches of her tail, but from the base to that break she can only stiffly twitch it. Her hindquarters are also shrunken compared to the rest of her. Precious is also terrified of men, she still won't let James pet her very often, although she trusts me enough to let me pick her up, and I don't have to fear blood loss when I pet her. She also lets my daughter pet her, but she is nervous about picking her up.
Precious always sleeps near me, occasionally on me. Sometimes the other cats will pick on her, and I am her savior. They are starting to get the idea that I don't approve. I also with a water sprayer next to me, and I'm not afraid to use it! Our make cat, a big orange tabby, is the worst one about it, but even he's getting the idea. Natural selection doesn't apply to our house. The vet told me someone must have loved her once, or I would have never won her over. We also found out she is 2 or 3 years old and had already been spayed.
We think Cassidy chose her name well, since it isn't likely she would have survived much longer if Cassidy hasn't found her. She's still got some hand ups, kinda like she'll shock, she asks to be let out, but sometimes will still his and growl as I approach the for. I am the only one who she will come to when called. James will see her at the door, but she won't come in, if she's upset, unless I call her. She's also afraid of brooms. The vet said someone probably threw her by her tail, this causing the nerve damage. She's not to sociable with the other cats, especially Teddy. She is starting to tolerate the other two females, and they are starting to accept her.
Precious had no reason to trust humans, but somehow she knew Cassidy was safe, and learned to trust me. She is slowly healing from her trauma, as are some of us. She may never completely calm down, but she has come a long way. We feel her trust and love is a special, precious gift. Tonight she watched me sew a bit, so maybe she can help me to.
May your weekend be peaceful, and you have precious gifts come to you that will help you heal too. We all have a few scars.
