【寵物情緣】
小傢伙是朋友抓給我的流浪小貓咪，來的時候才兩個月大，毛色是暗喑黑黑的，個子瘦瘦小小的，模樣並不起眼， 因為個頭太小，又兇得耍命。不放心他和大狗大貓一齊共處，就把他放在書房裏隔開餵養。
每日早晚餵他時，等他吃飽了，曾試著抱他一會兒。他雖不願意，只要時間不長也就忍耐着等我放開他。有一天我不知怎的未開始餵他就抱起他，誰料這傢伙突然發狠，不止抓，還用力咬我一口，我吃痛甩開他 ，才發現傷口很深，而血流了一地……這之後我沒有再嘗試抱他。
奇怪的是，小傢伙竟然猜到我生氣了。我不抱他，他倒自己靠近我，在剛好沒碰到我腳的距離，抬起頭望着我，我這才發覺他有一雙又圓又大的眼睛，滿神氣的呢。又過了兩個星期，我倆都習慣互相凝視了，我才第二次抱他，防備又小心翼翼地。他就在半想發狠半忍耐情況下，被我放在一個大鉄籠裏，然後連離帶籠搬出客廰。
一般新貓的反應吧，總是怕得要死，早幾天差不多全躲在角落不敢動。小傢伙卻一點不怕，只要有東西經過，他是見貓抓貓，見狗打狗。他小小爪子隔着籠子使命往前搆，抓狗的鼻子，玩大貓的尾巴……有誰不耐煩打他，兇他。他躲得掉，回頭再抓；躲不掉吃痛只大叫一聲，又衝上前再抓貓打狗。
我觀察了三個星期，確定貓兄狗姐們只嫌他煩，不會真的對他怎嫁，就放了他出來。小傢伙一獲自由，半刻沒耽誤地去追大尾巴，搶大夠玩具，和小磨人精似地跟在我身後。這幾個星期，不止我們觀察他，他也觀察我們有了心得。
第一，他知道食物從我而來，跟着我不會少吃的；笫二，他知道那隻貓的食物可以搶，那隻不可以；第三，他清楚狗老妲不會對他怎樣，喜歡頭對頭咀對咀的和她撒嬌親熱；第四，他也清楚狗大哥不好惹，只時不時從暗處偷襲他的尾巴，狗大哥沒動靜他抓控咬抱把玩齊來，狗大狗不耐煩想發難就先一步一溜煙跑掉。
我最初看他兇又毛色如虎，主觀以為是男孩，一直叫他小虎。現在差不多過了五個多月，小傢伙長胖了毛色變淺變漂亮了，才發覺原來是三色貓，是母貓！小姐怎能叫小虎? 叫虎妹不好聽，想着這傢伙古靈精怪如韋小寶，而小寶這名字似乎女孩也適合，以後就管她叫小寶吧！（作者：馮小茹）
This little critter, a stray cat that someone dropped off, was only two months old when he got into my life. He had a petite body with dark and gloomy hair, wasn’t much to look at for sure. For a cat with a tiny head, he was vicious. I wasn’t comfortable leaving him with my larger dogs and cats that I already have, so I decided to put him in my study all by himself.
I tried to pick him up and hold him, usually after I fed him, once in the morning and once at night. I figured it would be easier when he is full. He was unwilling mostly, but as long as it wasn’t for a long period of time he will cooperate. And one day, I wasn’t thinking about it, I picked him up before I fed him. Oh boy did he got mad, scratched me all up and even bit me. It hurt so bad I let him go instantly, It was a very deep bite. I’ve decided I’ll never pick him up again, ever.
The strange thing was, it seemed like he knew that I was mad at him. I still wasn’t going to try and pick him up, no way. Since then he had been coming to me all by himself, usually hung around next my feet, as close as one could get without touching me of course, then proceeded to stare at me with those big eyes. I’ve never realized how big and round his eyes were, quite lively indeed. Several weeks had gone by, we got used to sizing up each other, I’ve decided to try and hold him again for the second time, except I was prepared and being careful. You can tell he was alarmingly annoyed but didn’t quite went crazy. I quickly put him in a giant metal cage, and proceeded to move him into the living room.
The way I saw it, for a new cat on the block, he should be scared, probably going to hide in the corner and stay still for a couple days, right? Not a chance with this cat! Anything that went pass him, he clawed at it, cats, dogs, doesn’t matter. He tried to craw them with his tiny paw through his cage, from the dog’s nose to the cat’s tails. What kind of animal wouldn’t get annoyed and fight back? Or at least scare him? If he got away with it, he went back for more. And the times that he didn’t get away with it? Well, he will let out a big yell and, went back for more.
I’ve observed them for three weeks. I was for sure that the older animals thought that he was annoying, but not annoying enough to actually hurt him. So, I finally let him out of his cage. “Oh The great taste of freedom!” He sure didn’t waste any time as he went straight to the cat’s tail, next stop the dog toys, next thing I knew I got a new shadow. We learned about him as much as he learned about us for the next several weeks.
First, he figured out that I am the one who feeds him, he sure wouldn’t be hungry as long as he stayed on my good side. Secondly, he learned which cat’s food he could steal and which ones he could not. Thirdly, he realized that the old lady dog wouldn’t do much to him, so he rubs her on her head and give her kisses. And finally, he learned that that he wouldn’t really want to mess with the boy dog. The most he would do is to ambush his tail. If the boy dog doesn’t move, he will pull every trick in his sleeve try to play with, or annoy him. But ifthe boy dog does get annoyed, he’d be gone before the dog can do anything.
When I saw him in the beginning, he was vicious with hair color like a tiger. I figured he is a boy, so I called him “little tiger”. Now five months had passed, the little critter gained some weight and his hair color got lighter, and prettier. I realized it’s a Calico, a female Calico! How can I call missy “little tiger “anymore? I figured this cat is as witty and sly as Wei Xiaobao, and Xiaobao sounds pretty for a girl’s name too. Xiaobao she will be from now on! （End）
觀看亞利桑那州壹週報電子版請登陸：https://www.nextweeklyaz.com/electronicpress
Comments