In the summer of 2002 Hubby Tony and I chose two kittens from a litter at our
sister-in-law's house. We waited until they were weaned, then brought them home and named the kittens Pepper and Jackson. Counting
backward from their weaning date we arbitrarily assigned them a birthday of
May 15th. The two brothers had a great life together until Pepper crossed the
Rainbow Bridge in November of 2019.
Today Jackson turned 20 years old. In honor of the day we catered to his needs
and gave him extra attention whenever he looked like he wanted it. Tonight Son
Donald came over for dinner. After we ate I got Jackson's birthday treat
ready. On a piece of paper I wrote the number 20, taped it to the kitchen
floor, and arranged 20 cat treats on the lines.
Jackson was MIA, and Tony went to find him. Turns out that Jackson was in the back of the condo enjoying his early evening nap, and a little annoyed at being woken up. He was even more irritated when Tony carried him into the kitchen. Jackson doesn't see as well as he used to, so when Tony set him on the floor he walked past the paper a couple of times. Eventually he realized it was there and made quick work of the treats.
After all the crumbs were sniffed out and consumed Jackson left. I watched him walk down the hall, and suspected he was headed back to the bedroom for more napping. But it was his day to do anything he wanted.
Five years ago: The Wide Spectrum of Mothering
Happy 20th Jackson!
ReplyDeleteHow sweet!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful!
ReplyDeleteKeep going Jackson!
ReplyDeleteOh lovely! What a great way to celebrate his birthday.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Jackson.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
You gave Jackson a fun 20th birthday. Now he will expect to have treats on a piece of paper at least a couple more times, when he isn't in a mood about getting woke up from his early evening outside nap.
ReplyDeleteYes, he probably will expect more treats. No, he probably won't get them.
DeleteAwwwww, that Touched my Heart, Dear Jackson, Happy Birthday Old Man. We had a Cat named Rat Boy, who actually was a Girl, had been a feral rescue Kitten not expected to even Survive, who lived to be past 20. Not many can celebrate that milestone of their Species, he looks quite Handsome still for such an Old Man!
ReplyDeleteThe Internet tells me indoor cats have a normal life expectancy of 13-15 years, so you and I must do something right.
Delete20 years is good for a cat. Sounds like he had a lovely Birthday. I hope he has many more!
ReplyDeleteAww! Happy Birthday to Jackson! I had a cat that lived to two weeks before she would have turned 20. Love those senior babies!
ReplyDeletewhat an amazing kitty! Seems like his nose still works, and all of the important body parts. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteJackson's nose, eyes, and legs are not what they once were, but as long as he's able to function that's all right by me.
DeleteWell done, Jackson. Happy 20th.
ReplyDelete