Rascal and Rocco

Written by L. E. Mastilock

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Cats’ Mishaps Bring Cheer to a Heavy Heart, Dealing with loss, and a Big Surprise!

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It’s been a rough couple of weeks and I haven’t been able to write about it until now, but we lost a very close family member recently. It was the day after she passed away and I couldn’t stop tears from falling, though I was trying to function enough to make lunch for the kids.

As I stood against the kitchen counter, trying to see through my red, blurry eyes, Rascal jumped up onto the counter, sliding in his not so graceful way (he always seems to over estimate his jumps!) across the tile, and jammed his head under my hand. It had apparently been hovering in mid air holding a spatula. I switched hands and gave him some love. He must have known I needed it more than he did!

Then of course, in Rascal style, he leaned too far, his back legs slipped off the counter, there was a moment of legs and claws scrambling to find a hold, and before I could help him, he was twisting in the air and PLOP, landed flat on his back on the kitchen floor! He sped off with his wounded pride and I couldn’t help smile! Even a little chuckling was in order! Thank you cat, for making me laugh when nothing was needed more!

As I said, it’s now been a few weeks, there were some more moments the cats brought out a smile here and there. You may have seen some funny pics and videos on my Instagram, FB, and Twitter:

Rascal and Rocco- Cat's Mishaps Bring Cheer to a Heavy Heart

Now, I always have a water glass around, usually on the table. Throughout the day I sip from it as I walk by. I’ve done this every day for years! This particular day, I walked by and caught Rocco’s head in my glass! I am still trying not to think about how many times this has happened before! I choose to believe it was the first time ever. Yes it was!!! 

I now use my travel water bottle more often.

Rascal and Rocco- Cat's Mishaps Bring Cheer to a Heavy Heart
This day Rascal had it out for the blinds! Apparently I did not raise them high enough and they kept touching the tip of one ear. He could take it no longer and showed them who was boss!

Then he found that it was nice to rub his head against, see following video. (I couldn’t switch to camera fast enough to catch the attack, but I’m glad I got this picture)

After that I raised them up for him, but as soon as I walked away, he pounced on the string and almost broke it! There’s no winning with this one.

Rascal and Rocco- Cat's Mishaps Bring Cheer to a Heavy HeartI’m so blessed to have the cats (and kids) to take my mind off the deep sadness that is otherwise overwhelming. However, as the days went by, it seemed to get worse rather than better. Especially for my husband (it was his mom that passed). The cats did their absolute best to cheer him up.

I know there’s no fixing it, but desperate measures were needed to bring some cheer this past weekend. And since it so happened to be National Pet Adoption Weekend, I told a little white lie and snuck off by myself to the SPCA! I decided if the perfect dog was there it was meant to be, if not, I’d go home and not mention it.
He’s been wanting a dog (yep, I said DOG) and my son is at the perfect age to start caring for one. I did not want one right now, though I do love dogs, because I knew it would be impossible to find one that fit all my requirements for a decent price. 
My Unreasonable, but hardly flexible Requirements of Dog:
I am a BIG dog lover (my last dog, and first baby, was a Rottweiler/German Shepherd Mix and he was gorgeous), but my house and yard are small-
Must be bigger than a chihuahua, but on the smaller side
Must have no relation to any Chihuahua
Great with kids
Great with cats
Not yappy!!!!!!!
Not fluffy!!!!!!!
short, but soft hair (little to no shedding)
not a digger
not a barker
not a chewer (last dog chewed every kid toy he could find, all the chair legs, and through the fence!)
not a jumper
not a drooler
no smashed face or buggy eyes (silly, yes, but I’m a BIG dog person)
not a snorter (we dog sat a few months back for this adorable pug that snored whether he was asleep or awake!)
mellow, but likes to play fetch
loving and sweet temperament

So this list basically cancels out any and all dogs you would ever find at the pound. I mean, my last dog was the love of my life, but half the things listed were a big problem and I did not want to deal with any of them again any time soon! However, something was nagging me to go look (Grandma? I think so). 
I walked in and the first dog I see… well…. lets just say there’s been a lot more smiles in the house the last few days!
Rascal and Rocco- Cat's Mishaps Bring Cheer to a Heavy Heart
Meet Max
We’ve had him almost three days now and he’s so perfect (everything on the list) that it’s scary! He’s three years old, a Terrier/Basenji mix (and I have always liked Basenji’s!), trained, great with the kids and with the cats! He ignores them and they’re already getting used to him being here.  
Rascal and Rocco- Cat's Mishaps Bring Cheer to a Heavy HeartNot that they weren’t pissed! Trust me! They raised their fur, hissed and let him know he was by no means sticking around. Sorry cats. They’re the same size as him, maybe a bit bigger, so I was afraid they’d gang up on him, but he shows no fear. Just stares at them and they stare right back, with a much less pleasant expression. They’re spending more time on counter tops, and he’s made himself right at home. Even curling up for his naps on their couch, but I didn’t hear any hissing today!
Rascal and Rocco- Cat's Mishaps Bring Cheer to a Heavy HeartMy husband was totally surprised and thrilled! And my son is in seventh heaven! Every boy does need a dog and this one has had more exercise in two days than he’s probably ever had! We’re all much happier and completely in love with this sweet little guy. 

Welcome to the Crazy house Maximillion! 

And thank you Grandma. We love you. 

 

Comments

  1. Beth says

    I’m sorry for your loss! I bet she sent Max to you to help cheer everyone up. I’ve always found a lot of comfort in having pets and Max sounds like he is just perfect! There are so many wonderful dogs in the shelters and I’m glad you found the just the right one for your family!

  4. robin lorraine williamson says

    Hi leah I'm so sorry for your loss. Thankful you found another joy to add to your life. The boys know you needed max to help cheer the family. Trust me they'll be curling up together soon. Have a great Thanksgiving Zen hugs from Frankie and Lorraine

  6. DelSheree Gladden says

    Sorry to hear about your loss, Leah. A few years back we had two family members die within a week of each other. It's a difficult time for the whole family. I'm so glad you had your animals to offer a little cheer to your family. I loved your list of requirements for dogs. I have a similar list 🙂

    • L. E. Mastilock says

      Wow, I can't even imagine having to deal with so much loss at once! And someone else commented, it's good to have unreasonable lists sometimes. Sure has worked in this case! Thanks for commenting

  7. Karen Dawkins says

    I have ALWAYS been a cat person… my sweet cat lived to the ripe old age of 24. I NEVER wanted a dog. Then I met Daisy. She's a poodle, jack russell mix. She barks too much, but other than that, she's absolutely the best dog ever… Amazing enough to make me like her more than my beloved cat. She is teachable and fun, sensitive and sweet, and very, very, very loving! She makes me laugh — when she falls asleep in a patch of sun on the stairs and rolls over and down… Twice! I simply love her!

    Please do not share this comment with my husband! Ever!!! He'd be jealous (but I do love him, too)

    May your hearts continue to heal as you adjust to the new normal without Grandma/Mom.

  9. Life by Cynthia says

    I'm sorry to hear of your loss. We are going through a similar situation. My Grandma is in her final moments and my heart is heavy. Your post perked me up, thanks!

  11. Katie and Glogirly says

    Thanks for friending us on BlogPaws! We wanted to come over and say hello.

    So sorry for your loss…our pets have an amazing way of reading our emotions and making our hearts hurt just a little less.
    Congratulations on Mr. Max!!! What a sweetie…

    xo, Glogirly

  12. The Island Cats says

    We heard about you over at the CB and came by to say hello. We're so sorry for your loss. But we're glad the kitties brought you some comfort. We're good for that! And that new woofie, Max, is very cute…though we don't really like woofies much…but that's because we're cats. 🙂

    Wally, Ernie & Zoey

    • L. E. Mastilock says

      Understandable, I'm surprised my kitties are getting along so well with this woofie already! They're completely ignoring him now. Probably they've decided he's so inferior as to be beneath their notice. They're putting their noses in the air, pretending he doesn't exist. Thank you for stopping b and commenting!

  13. Baby Patches says

    Hai Leah, Rascal, Rocco, and now Max! Its furry nice to meets you. I so sorry to hear about your loss for your family. It is not easy but I know how us fur babies have a way to bring love to our peeps hearts. I hopes you all get along really well. I has a blog and helps my momma run our shop. I hope you can stops by. Purrrrrrrrs

  14. William says

    Hello, Welcome to the CB, after reading this first post I can tell that your stories will be very interesting. We will add you to our follow list.
    —William

    From William's Mum – that is so sweet that she "sent" that little doggie to you, I still think that my Grammie "sent" me William after she passed a short time before we moved to CA in 2008.
    The pain will heal in time.
    —Amanda

  16. Tillie and Georgia says

    Hi kitties and welcome to the cat Blogosphere.
    It is a safe and friendly place to be 🙂
    We look forward to learning more about you.
    Drinking from Moms glass…pawsome, heehee
    We also want to say we are sorry for your recent loss.
    Comforting purrs to all.
    Purrs Tillie and Georgia,
    Treasure,Tiger,JJ and Julie

  19. KitKat says

    Glad to see you are on the CB. We don't have a blog but have been following so many since 2007. We have a lot of kitteh friends who have blogs and hope to make friends with you. We are so sorry for your loss.
    We will be checking back.
    Smoochies.
    Angel Normie, Mika, Sasha & Grady Lewis

    • L. E. Mastilock says

      Thank you! So many wonderful new friends! I'm finding that cat lovers are some of the friendliest people! (and their kitties, too) So happy to be part of such a fun community

  22. Mariodacat says

    I just came over from the CB also. What a great blog. Sorry you had to go thru a loss recently. Congratulations on finding the purrfect dog. He is a cutie. .

  23. ~*Connie*~ says

    *waves hi*

    another one from the blogosphere..

    Wonderful post, so descriptive, well written and heartwarming. So sorry about your loss, but so sweet of your kitties to brighten your day.

    Sometimes having a list of impossible brings you the most wonderful things. Congratulations on Max!

    • L. E. Mastilock says

      Thank you! He's a perfect fit! He's been really mellow, but then yesterday after his first bath, he was so happy he spazzed out and ran all over the house, intermittently rolling around like a goof; cracking us all up. Yes, he definitely belongs in this family!

  26. Bellen says

    I too read on the Cat Blogosphere site that you were new, so I thought I'd come over and see what's going on. I'm sorry for the loss to your family. Such things are never easy to recover from. But the two cat brothers are obviously affectionate with each other that I'm sure they will come to appreciate Max soon.

    Just a note: you may get a number of responses from 'Anonymous'. I don't know if the comment you've already received means anything to you, but many will be semi-incomprehensible and just advertising for sites about wrenches and watches and the like. You can avoid these by adjusting your 'comments' to require actual addresses from respondents.

    Otherwise – welcome to the Cat Blogosphere!

    • L. E. Mastilock says

      Thank you! I'm surprised how fast the felines are adjusting to the new member of the family! They're already ignoring him. And thanks for the note! I changed my settings. 😉

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