Dr. Laritson's Cat Tales

Dr. Laritson

Spencer Stories

Many of you have heard some of these tales that I’ve shared over the years about our newest cat, named Spencer, but at the urging of several individuals, I agreed to put some on our blog.  So, if these are repeats to some of you, bear with me.  Depending on how these are received, this may be a regular segment of our blog, or perhaps a one time rambling about a peculiar cat.

A little background about Spencer first.  He is a foster failure.  He came to our house because he needed his wounds attended to post-op and had to have his antibiotics all weekend.  That will be 3 years ago next month!  Like a house guest that has overstayed his visit, Spencer has remained.  Now I’d like to say I let him stay, but the truth of the matter, like many households, is that my wife and kids wanted him to stay.  My opinion was that we should try to find him a home as soon as he was back on his feet.  However, during his recuperation period, he was allowed to interact with our other cat, which was still young and thought that a playmate was a great idea!  When time came to send Spencer away, our other cat now had a best friend and I had to reluctantly agree to keep him. 

I say reluctantly mainly due to his behavior.  You see, while he was recuperating in our basement “hospital,” he was very shy, didn’t want to be held or cuddled, didn’t play or purr at all--a relatively easy decision in my mind as to whether or not to keep him.  There are so many other wonderful cats in this world that need a home, why keep this one.  Perhaps it is this reasoning that Spencer and his behavior torments me the most!

Spencer is a Bengal cat or at least that’s what was told to the shelter when he was dropped off.  He looks like a Bengal and hunts like one as well.  He can be very vocal and loves to eat.  And it is these last 2 traits that seem to get him into the most trouble.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention his other trait—he is very smart!  He has figured out not only how to find a new home, but also how to get what wants.  He is also very persistent.  So all of these traits combined leads to a unique cat.  One that I didn’t appreciate early on, but like mold, he is growing on me.

He loves food.  He has a butter fetish!  I have caught him chewing on the cardboard wrapper that the sticks of butter come in.  Our butter has to remain in a cupboard, on the second shelf, no less, or he will help himself.  Recently he has acquired a “smash and grab” style in sneaking butter.  He waits until a back is turned, then jumps up, grabs a mouthful of butter and runs away to eat it.  Now Bengals are big, agile cats.  And Spencer is both, with an ability to jump and surf the counters with the stealth of a hunter.  So when he grabs a mouthful of butter, it’s about a quarter stick.  Sometimes the only way to know that he’s been up to no good is to find a chunk missing and the grooves from his fangs in the remaining butter.  He also loves anything that is made with butter, from toast to bakery.  He loves donuts and cakes.  One birthday cake recently while cooling was found to have a large chunk missing from one edge when we came back to ice it.  A container with donuts is also preferred hunting for Spencer.  He pushes the box off the counter where it opens up when it hits the floor, and he darts in to grab his prize.  I’ve come running from the family room at the sound of a crash only to see him running away with a whole donut in his mouth.  He is very reluctant to give up his prize.  We have to chase him around the house, him growling the whole time and our family yelling out instructions to each other trying to cut off his escape routes.  Needless to say, now bakery also goes up in a cupboard, and also on the second shelf!

He is a hunter.  While most normal cats may pounce on your feet under the covers when the move, it’s usually just a playful game.  Spencer doesn’t really play.  He hunts.  So when he decides that there is something moving under the sheets, he attacks.  His pounce and bite has drawn blood.  Blankets are a must on our bed now to try to prevent this.  Like some cats, flying insects are also fair game.  His housemate loves to spend an hour tracking and batting at a fly that has managed to get into our house.  But Spencer, once he sees what the other cat is doing, quickly and silently stalks the fly and attacks when in range.  In a matter of a second he catches the fly and eats it! All the while the other cat is watching and wondering what happened to his toy. 

Over the years, Spencer has become a member of our family now.  He is a unique cat, both in his looks and behavior.  He has many other naughty habits, which will have to wait for the next installment (if there is one), but we love him (most of the time).