While growing up on a farm with lots of cats, I hadn’t had any for 40 years but frankly always wanted some.  While taking care of a dog for a friend last year, Foxy one day early August of last year started barking incessantly down the road so I went to investigate.  Foxy was barking at this very little kitten that evidently she has taken in her mouth since this kitty had dog slubber all over her.  This we soon named Fenix who had 4 beautiful kittens this year and doing well.

This is what AI drew up to picture me as a Philosopher who has cats and is a literal stoner (meaning I like stone but not the weed type).

Since there was one kitten, we figured there must be more, and it took us a couple days to find them as mama is a feral and very protective of her brood.  But the next day I saw a cute little guy next to mama and I quickly grabbed him to be a companion to Fenix.  I quickly called him Felix and while he hissed at us for a day or so, he was very happy to get organic half and half.  Both were approximately 6 weeks old when we found them.  Of course there were 4 more in the batch for a total of 6. 

This is Felix as he was still recovering but feeling much better. Still very skinny in this picture as he has put on some weight since then.

Felix quickly grew very fond of me as I had him over to sleep with me many times, and so by the time winter time came I could not let them stay outside so I brought them into my place to stay warm.  I made tracks in the snow for them to run and they all had a good time playing in the snow during the winter as they all kept growing up.  While all the other kitties certainly enjoyed the warmth, it was Felix who would sleep with me every night as when I would wake up he would come up on my chest where I would give him a nice early morning petting as I was waking up.  He would let me put him on his side where I slid him onto his back where I put him in my armpit so I could rub his belly.  His purring was nonstop while he just laid back in ecstasy.  

It’s just the truth! Felix was clearly in a little bit of heaven as he would surrender to me completely as he trusted me implicitly!

So the kitties were growing all winter long and by about April 1^st is when Felix was fully grown.  Thus, being a boy cat he was extremely strong and it is clear his instincts were to seek out the girls.  He was the alpha cat of the crew and the biggest for sure.  Thus in the early part of spring he was extremely adventurous and explored the area not always coming home at night.  This led to a scuffle with someone at which time he came home one time with a pretty deep cut under his chin.  One night I could not find him anywhere and was worried about him only to find him in my bed sleeping where he would spend the next 2 days.  I even had to move him so I could go to bed.  Felix was shaken up by a fight with someone as his alpha male instincts made him feel infallible of some sort.  After a few days of this he recovered and for a while he stopped coming to sleep with me.

While for humans it indeed takes a very strong person to admit they have been completely deceived, it appears for Felix getting beat up seems to have done the trick.

At the beginning of July he came home with a very bloody back foot as he had broken a toe somehow.  He was limping and moving very gingerly.  Because of this he was sticking around home, and to try and treat his foot I used some Manuka Honey and hydrogen peroxide.  He certainly did not like to be treated obviously.  I could see the toe swelled up with an infection and was watching the best I could, but it was clear the infection was getting worse as he was losing weight and started to not eat while not cleaning the snot off of his nose.  But during this time which he was uncomfortable and had significant congestion, he started coming back to sleep with me.  By this time in August mama had actually had her second batch of kittens and spurred her first batch which is the philosopher crew.  All these guys instead of sleeping with mama then started sleeping with me as they were only 4 months old.  Felix was used to sleeping with me mostly alone and now he has company not that he always likes however.

Felix and the philosopher kitties most certainly like my bed. Felix is on the left side, while clockwise starting the Goethe in the front, is Socrates, Aristotle, and Voltaire. I go to bed and wake up every morning with this crew! If purring is medicinal due to the vibration as some say, then I am most certainly getting lots of medicine!

By mid August is was becoming clear I needed some anti-biotics for Felix and thus I took him to the Vet.  I gave him the medicine and he was soon eating again and feeling better.  He has been gaining his weight back as he was extremely skinny and he would not have survived it I did not do something.  Felix lately has not ventured out much and has stayed very close to home.  It is clear Felix the aggressive dominant Tom Cat this spring has been humbled.  He is mostly recovered but still I am sure needs to build muscle like he had this spring as he is sticking very close to home.  And I am sure he will get a sense that winter is around the corner and he will remember that being inside is a much better place to be than outside.

Felix most certainly has been eating well again. I obviously know our food supply is poisoned on purpose so I also do my best to avoid all the bad garbage!

While Felix was a little resentful of the competition from the Philosophical boys of Socrates, Voltaire, Aristotle and Goethe, he now embraces them as his brothers which they are completely biologically related.  Plus this morning one of the batch from fertile mama who are about 5 weeks old Felix was licking the cleaning while playing with one of them.

The reality is Felix has been humbled over the last few month and it seem to have changed him somewhat.  It is something frankly that we all need to do and be humbled by setting away our pride.  At the beginning of the spring Felix was seemingly on top the world as he could climb things and was a little reckless.  He seem to eschew me to be independent and on his own.  But his run ins and misfortunes he has come back to me and seems to appreciate the comfort I give him and I am very happy about that.  He still is in the woods and may do as he pleases, but his humbling experiences this summer seemed to have settled him down some and he appreciates more all that he has.

I personally can relate because many moons ago I went thru the same thing. I remember being arrogant and then brought down to earth.  I noticed my walk with God on the beach and all the other times I 2 sets of footprints, while my tough times I only saw one.  I realize now it was when God was carrying me.  It is also the tough times where God tests you and breaks your pride for good reason.

For Felix and myself, having our pride crushed was certainly humbling, but I know it made both of us wiser!

It wasn’t easy for Felix or myself, but those times in the end bring wisdom.  It is just more of the complete inversion we are in.

For sure, I shout and scream alot! I do my best to wake people up, but it is certainly difficult!