Siamese (Cat) Tyrant

[Sue Littleton]

Elizabeth Taylor eyes, bandit mask,
splendiferous contrasting white whiskers,
black gloves and boots,
voice like a diminutive fog horn.

His favorite pastime is chasing a soft yellow ball
(no substitutes allowed)
and bringing it back to me to throw again...
and again ... and again.

If I should get bored with repetition,
or distracted at the computer,
he takes a dainty black paw
and moves around the room, tap-tapping
at any of the numerous paintings
within his reach,
driving me insane by throwing each one
just ... a .... little ... off ... center.

You can picture, pun intended, my agony.

All this because I have put away his yellow ball
for safe-keeping,
or he has knocked it under the sofa,
or forgotten where he left it.
Woe to bystanders until we find that ball!

The other day an easily impressed visitor
asked me in amazement,
“How on earth did you train a cat to chase a ball
and bring it back to you?”

I gazed sullenly at my interlocutor.

“HE trained ME to THROW it,”
I snarled.

[jim turner]

Fun reading! I was trained like that years ago, but by a poodle. jim

[Sue Littleton]

= = Love from Petruccio. Throw the ball, okay? Get with the program, Turner! = = Poodles! Rowr! All poodles patter after balls ... = =