A Year of Magic

My January/February newsletter of 2024 introduced everyone to a seven-month-old kitten who was abandoned on our property and took refuge in our barn.

I thought I’d start the new year by giving Magic a chance to show everyone how he’s grown (and boy, has he grown) and thrived as a member of our family.

Magic has turned into the most gorgeous, sleek, shiny, healthy and intelligent boy. He’s a big kitty, probably the largest cat we’ve owned. Everyone who sees him exclaims on how beautiful (and spooky … those eyes!) he is. I marvel at him every day, and wonder how anyone could have thrown away such an amazing cat.

Of course, I wonder how anyone could just discard any animal, of any species. But even among the special, Magic is special.

He and Kira, our little Italian Greyhound, are the best of pals. They entertain us with their antics every single day. Magic will begin the games, which develop into mad chases (with them swapping roles of chaser and “chasee”). There are wrestling matches that look wild enough to make us gasp. But, other than the “I have to stop and wash off the dog spit” moments, no harm is ever done. Magic will stand up and grab Kira around the neck with a takedown that would make Hulk Hogan proud. (No worries, Kira actually does the shoulder roll willingly. Their competitions are as fixed as the ones produced by the WWE¹). Then they begin the racing game again. Our house has open space that turns it into one big racetrack loop, and “Garfield and Odie” make hilarious use of it. Often, if he gets ahead of her enough to round a corner first, Magic will duck behind something and leap out at Kira as she goes by. Tackle! Bound away! Reverse direction, and off they go again.

The laughter around here usually leads to tears. With all I’ve gone through in the past few years, that laughter is healing and joyful and greatly appreciated.

The pair of them are so attuned, that at bedtime, when I tell Kira, “It’s time to go pee-pee,” as Kira goes for the back door (which is located in the laundry room where the litter box lives), Magic will run to his box. Our BFF pets even pee together.

As most of you know, I have several health conditions that can cause quite a bit of pain. By the end of most days, my legs are cramping and sore. Magic is as intuitive as any cat I’ve ever owned (with, perhaps, the exception of Pree). He’ll climb up on the bed many nights, and “make biscuits” on my aching legs. He’s quite the talented masseur, and always knows when I’m hurting. (It really works! I sleep better after a Magic leg-knead session.)

As I mentioned last January, many people, when they first heard about the kitten in the barn, said Missie had sent him to us. He’s fit in so perfectly to our family, that I truly believe this.

Thank you, Missie. And to whoever dumped this baby in our yard—may karma find you. Your loss is our gain.

1. Don’t jump on me, wrestling fans. It’s a joke. 😁 ↩︎