The Cat with Two Birthdays

The Cat with Two Birthdays ©

By Michael Casey

It was Totoro’s Birthday yesterday, my small daughter told us Totoro would be One so it must be true, the cat couldn’t speak for itself after all. Totoro was born around the corner, one of a litter of four, I was shown a picture and it was me who picked him out. I had said jokingly that they could have a pet, if I died they could have a dog and if I had a heart attack they could have a cat. So immediately my 2 daughters went on the Internet looking for both cats and dogs. I just laughed.

Then a few short weeks later while still in the Christmas Season I had an unplanned quadruple heart bypass, the decorations were still up on D5 in City Hospital, this was in Jan 2015. My bed was right next to where my dad was when he had his near fatal heart attack, it’s all in Padre Pio and Me. I said don’t tell me anything to the doctors, so they just told me it was a triple, then 6 months later I discovered it was a quadruple. There were also 3 Michael Casey’s in the hospital at the same time, or was it 4?

So I came out of the QE, as they did the actual op there after I’d been transferred from the City Hospital. I had an Indian surgeon and an Italian Prof look after me, while I read Don Camillo prior to  O day. But what about the cat? The girls held me to my promise, and as my daughters friend was having kittens we were pencilled in to have one.

So I said a male cat was easier to deal with, no stray kittens etc. Then I picked out the male cat to join our family. A cat box was bought so they  could carry the kitten home. A cat basket made of wicker was bought too, not forgetting a litter tray and cat litter. So everything was sorted. You just have to grab the kitten and place it in the litter tray whenever it started to pee or pooh. You have to be quick, very quick, it’s easier with a baby as they have nappies. And why do cats always choose up a corner amongst all the wires of the tv?

Our Totoro, is named after the cat from Studio Ghibli if you were wondering, but my girls are ½ Chinese/Shanghai so its natural the cat should have a Eastern/ Japanese name.  Totoro also had another trick up his sleeve, Totoro was not a boy, he was a she. Totoro has six nipples, which proves he is in fact a she. This does not really matter, but to be on the safe side Totoro had to be done if you know what I mean.

A cat is a great thing, they have personalities, our Totoro even likes to play the piano, and if 25^th March really was his or should I say her Birthday then she shared it with Elton John. Though Totoro just jumps all over the piano, and is not as musical as Elton John, not unless you really are a very harsh music critic from Melody Maker.

Today Holy Saturday we had a text from Totoro’s human mother saying happy 1^st Birthday, and don’t forget your 3 siblings. So we had to sing Happy Birthday Totoro all over again. Totoro just took it all in her stride, which is very quick as she gallops all over the house upstairs and downstairs and in my lady’s chamber or her own litter tray.

We have a stockpile of Whiskers under the kitchen table, as Ocado will deliver it for you, I tried moving some and hurt myself in doing so.  Don’t move heavy things after heart surgery, even after 15 months as it really hurts. But I’ve learnt the hard way.