Although every cat owner thinks they will only ever have one cat, the cats choose differently. Paul and I have had five cats since moving to Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Today is National Black Cat Appreciation Day, so here are pictures of our two black cats, Harvey and Londo.
We were gifted Harvey after our pet D’Argo passed away. Several of Paul’s students at Gering High School saw how sad he was over the death of D’Argo and skipped part of their school day to pick Harvey up from a farmer in rural Scotts Bluff County. They said their detentions were totally worth it.
Harvey came from a litter of four and was scared of humans because, according to the students, the farmer was mean to Harvey and threatened to “get rid of him” if the students hadn’t picked him up. Harvey was about seven months old when we got him. He’s 13 years old today.
Harvey likes his catnip.
Harvey is a British Bombay cat. We named him after a character in the science fiction television series “Farscape.” In the series, Harvey was the name of the neural clone in John Crichton’s head. The idea for the name came from the original Harvey, who was an imaginary six-foot tall rabbit in the movie “Harvey” with James Stewart.
Harvey sits on the dining room table shortly after Irene finished building it.
Harvey likes to climb in the refrigerator, climb on top of the cabinets, be wrapped in a blanket, and drink out of the toilet. He also inspects computer printers.
Many people are superstitious about black cats, which is stupid. They are actually lovable little goofs and tend to attach themselves to one person in the household. Harvey and Londo like Paul far more than they do me. I’m good for handing out food and treats.
Londo, Harvey, and Paul.
I’ve written about Londo before, with details of his first few months with us. He arrived at our house after Paul, who was driving along 42nd Street in Scottsbluff, saw an animal wobbling across the road. He thought it was a squirrel and thought he’d better check it out. He discovered a kitten, about five or six weeks old, and nearly blind from the conjunctivitis and goop oozing from his eyes. Paul picked up the kitten and brought him home.
We took him to our veterinarian. In addition to the conjunctivitis, he also had an upper respiratory infection. We came home with a kitten and two medications. We named him Londo after Londo Mollari in the television series Babylon 5.
Londo, with what’s left of his cat toy.
Londo likes to play fetch and follows me around the house wherever I go. My friends, Steve and Maria, dropped off some sweet corn the other day. Londo enjoys eating the green bits. He does this with pineapples, too. Then he barfs it back up for the humans to clean up.
Londo eating the green bits of sweet corn.
All of my cats help keep me sane, especially during the down times. I hope you all have a great day and get the chance to hug a black cat. They’re awesome.
Jennifer Harms
❤️🌹