Scamp

Scamp has been with us since June of 1993. We were living in Venice at the time and a neighbor found him under her house. He was a scrawny, dirty, flea ridden little thing.

We learned that he was about 8 months old and was in need of some TLC. That first year was quite an adventure for both him and us. There was no Advantage for Cats - just a drop on the neck keeps fleas away for a month - he was subjected to quite a few flea baths and fleas had taken up residence in our apartment. I bought flea bombs and, dismayed, learned that I had to vacuum daily to keep the little buggers away. The flea baths had to be done by a professional as I still have some small scars from the time I attempted to put him in water....

He was undernourished, having foraged on the streets for quite a bit. One night while I was preparing chicken for dinner I turned my back on the counter while putting the chicken on the stove. Scamp jumped up and snagged the absorbent inner packing material and ate the whole thing! In a panic I called the vet. Will it expand in his gut? Will we have a cat emergency before morning? The vet told us to get some vaseline into his mouth and it would facilitate passage of the material. Fortunately the vet was correct and all those rumors of nasty salmonella proved unfounded as he didn't get sick from the uncooked chicken drippings. Well, maybe cats aren't as sensitive as we are....

We were living in an apartment at the time and pets weren't allowed so we trained him to stay inside. That was when I discovered the wonders of the spray bottle. Spray bottle filled with water in hand I would go outside the door. When I opened the door there he was, ready to explore the great outdoors. Imagine the look of dismay and disgust on his face when he was met with a spray of WATER. Well, it took about 5 repeats before he completely ignored the open door.

In February 1994 we moved from Venice into our home in Camarillo. Scamp's only trips had been to the vet so he wasn't fond of his carrier or the car. After all our belongings were on their way I put him in the car and began the hour drive to the house. At first he yowled and yowled and yowled. It seemed that no amount of talking was going to get him to be quiet but then, quite suddenly, he stopped. I drove for a while wondering what had happened but grateful for the quiet. Then slowly I became alarmed. I pulled off the road to check. Was he dead from the stress? Was he catatonic? I found him huddled in the farthest corner of his carrier, shaking in terror. No amount of reassurance was going to get him calmed down so we hit the road again. Finally we pulled into the driveway of our new place. One of the bathrooms was to be his home until all the furniture had been unloaded and the movers had gone. I put a big sign on the door "Do Not Open This Door".

All went well. The unloading took much longer than I thought it should but then we had a lot of stuff! We waved goodbye to the movers and went to get Scamp. HORRORS! The door was wide open and no matter how much I called, Scamp didn't come running. OK let me tell you, the last thing you need on moving day is a lost pet! I wandered the neighborhood calling his name and knocking on doors. One woman looked at me as if I was from Mars. Why make such a fuss about a cat? It'll find it's way home in a bit.

Exhausted, I went back home, hoping that she was right. After all he had survived the city streets so he had "street smarts". We made the bed, got some take-out for dinner and crashed. As we were drifting off to sleep we heard a strange noise. Wasn't coming from the garage or the living room or the kitchen but the bathroom. By now it was quiet in the neighborhood and we heard the mewling of a far-off cat! But only in the bathroom. Seemed to be coming from behind the sink so I opened the cabinet and called Scamp. He had crawled up behind the bathroom sink into the wall! To this day I don't know how he managed to get himself into that tiny space. Exhausted, we all slept well that night.

I could go on but you know by now that he was well named and has provided me with endless stories. Until his age slowed him down he was the supreme critic and household supervisor. Nothing happened without his presence. He insisted on participating in every task except vacuuming. Now that he is a bit older he has trained his new companion Jenny to take over most of the supervision but on days when the sun is out and his joints don't hurt he still accompanies me on my daily chore trail.