Cat bite

I am a cat person. I have 2 indoor cats and 3 adopted outdoor cats. Yes, that's a total of 5! But I'm only just beginning. My current retirement goal is to be the crazy cat lady of Ocracoke (that's attainable, at least!)

It's not that I have anything against dogs. I like dogs, too. I'm just more of a cat person. On Ocracoke, cats are very popular in general. There are a good number of feral cats on the island, and there is a great program called Ocracats which spays and neuters as many as they can catch each year, to prevent the population from getting out of hand. If you see a kitty with a clipped ear, odds are good that it's an Ocracat (that's how they mark them, so they know which ones have been "fixed").

Many people on the island ensure that the feral cats are well fed. There are particular spots where food is always left out for them (not surprisingly, that's where you can always find groups of them spending their time!)

One of my three adopted outdoor cats likes to walk with me. (Well, all three of them have been known to do so every now and then, but Bucky does it consistently). We have walked together through Springer's Point many times. A few weeks ago, we were doing just that when Bucky spooked and bit me. I was shocked (not to mention in pain: he gave me a pretty darn good bite!), having never expected that. But in the days since, I have realized that this incident has taught me a lot.

I used to have a poster that said "everything I need to know I learned from my cat". It had all sorts of cute ideas on it, such as "stretch", "yawn like you mean it", and "take naps". Those are all certainly good things to learn from a cat, but what I learned when Bucky bit me is a bit more complex.

First, I realized that it is very difficult to learn to trust again when you have been suddenly, unexpectedly hurt by someone (or some-animal) that you love. This is a great lesson for relationships of all sorts.

But the other lesson was more subtle, and more important. Bucky bit me because I moved very fast and very suddenly. It scared him, and he reacted the only way he knows. Ever since the incident, I have walked very slowly when he is with me. Which is, of course, a better way to go through life. Bucky taught me to take my time when walking through Springer's Point, enjoying the journey as much as the destination. Now, that's a good life lesson. Pity it took a cat bite for me to get it!