{"id":653,"date":"2011-05-23T15:08:36","date_gmt":"2011-05-23T15:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/?p=653"},"modified":"2011-05-23T15:08:36","modified_gmt":"2011-05-23T15:08:36","slug":"dogs-have-owners-cats-have-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/?p=653","title":{"rendered":"Dogs Have Owners, Cats Have Staff"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Fuji and Pogo relaxing after a tough day<\/p><\/div>\n

My grandmother and mother were vehemently anti-cat, almost to the point of phobic, so growing up I had no contact with felines.\u00a0 Apparently dogs made the cut because we had one starting when I was nine.<\/p>\n

Years later, after my third dog died, no family member was up for city\u00a0 dog walking.\u00a0 I felt that my young daughters (and I) needed what was then called a “pet” and in today’s PC world, an “animal companion.”\u00a0 Enter Tinkerbelle, a laid-back ginger cat with numerous tricks up her, um, paw.\u00a0 No question who was in charge–in her last years, my husband dispensed her water from a wine glass (no neck bending required) and cooked\u00a0 chicken livers to tempt her failing appetite. After Tink came Sushi, who dealt with one episode of house moving by retreating to a closet shelf for three days.\u00a0 When she shuffled off to the great litter pan in the sky, my husband was so wrecked, almost a year went by before he would consider thinking about another kitten.<\/p>\n

On the way to the Second Chance Animal Shelter in Shaftsbury, VT,<\/p>\n

\"\" I suggested he might feel less disloyal if we adopted two kittens. We left with six-week old litter mates, Pogo, (tiger, named after Al Capp’s famous possum because both have ring tails) and Fuji (a tortoiseshell, named for our nod to things Asian.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Pogo<\/p><\/div>\n

I’m writing this and simultaneously cringing because I don’t think of myself as someone who carries on about her pets. My sentimental button must be switched on.<\/p>\n

Fuji and Pogo clearly never read their handbook. They don’t know they should hate water, dill sauce or asparagus.\u00a0 Left-pawed Pogo uses the\u00a0 raccoon-scoop technique to drink. Every evening,Fuji\u00a0\u00a0 shoots to my side to drop her toy octopus, (the day’s ‘kill’ ), at my feet.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Fuji with Octo<\/p><\/div>\n

Here’s a little ditty for P and F to the tune of “You’re the Top,” with deep apologies to Cole Porter.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re the top
\nYou\u2019re the cat\u2019s pajama
\nYou\u2019re the top
\nGive the best cat karma
\nYou love olive oil, arugula and steak
\nWhen I make a salad or spread the butter I get no break.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re the top
\nCat TV\u2014birds flying
\nNap for hours\u2014full of snores and sighing
\nYou like shopping bags, the bathtub and all guests;
\nAnd if they\u2019re allergic, you work it harder as total pests.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re the top
\nLet me kitty-pedi
\nAll eight paws, holding nice and steady
\nHate your carriers, adore your Dorset digs;
\nOn The New York Times you stretch your spines for reading gigs<\/p>\n

You\u2019re the top
\nAs your staff we know it
\nAll our clothes have cat hair to show it
\nOur infatuation with you never stops
\n\u2018Cause as kitties go you girls are just the tops!<\/p>\n

Originally, I didn’t plan to include a recipe as I draw the line at crafting\u00a0 feline treats. But as I was trying to get lunch on the table (squirt gun in hand to fend off marauders), it was pretty clear that salmon salad got an A++ on the cat eating scale so herewith:<\/p>\n

Salmon Salad<\/strong><\/p>\n

1\/2 lb. cold poached salmon (this\u00a0 also works with canned salmon -not as delicious but less work)<\/p>\n

1\/2 dill sauce (mayonnaise with 3 T chopped fresh dill mixed in–or use plain mayo<\/p>\n

2 T fresh lemon juice<\/p>\n

Combine all ingredients, cover, refrigerate and let sit for a few hours to meld the flavors. Remove and bring to room temperature. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve on a bed of pretty lettuce. Or, make it into a sandwich–more lettuce, more dressing if you like gloppy sandwiches.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My grandmother and mother were vehemently anti-cat, almost to the point of phobic, so growing up I had no contact with felines.\u00a0 Apparently dogs made the cut because we had one starting when I was nine. Years later, after my … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[92,93,39,94,18],"class_list":["post-653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-cats","tag-feline","tag-salmon","tag-second-chance-animal-shelter","tag-vermont"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=653"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":683,"href":"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653\/revisions\/683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}