Senior Privileges

Jersey likes to pick out her own popcorn

                With old age comes certain entitlements—at least if you are the only female feline in a house of tomcats.   Jersey is approaching 84 in cat years.  In exchange for playing the part of prey during Frank’s hunting practice, she insists on receiving a few specific benefits.  First off, the space on the pillow between my head and the headboard is hers.  Frank will just have to settle for sleeping on my shoulder.  She refuses to relinquish this spot even when he lies on top of her.

                Secondly, twice a day she herds me to the bedroom for her dose of chicken-flavored morphine syrup.  Yes, she is addicted and we are her enablers.  The arthritis that she takes it for hasn’t made an appearance in several months…not one limp or stiff movement or hesitant jump.  By all appearances she doesn’t need the pain killer, but no one here has the heart to cut her off and deal with kitty withdrawal symptoms. 

                Her third senior privilege is popcorn.  Not only does she have my husband trained to hand feed her every day during our noon Netflix break, she will only take the popcorn that is saturated with butter.  If he gives her a plain piece, she will ignore it and climb into the bowl searching for a tastier one herself (he’s a good sport to let her!).

                When pets are younger, we spend countless hours teaching them manners and good behavior, but when they are twice our age, it just doesn’t seem right to tell them what to do.  I guess by virtue of surviving this long, they earn a little slack.