It's Sputnik!

All too neglected these days at Chez Vel-DuRay is the cat, Sputnik.

Sputnik and I go way back. I have had him since he was a kitten, when he came to me via a typist at the Public Defender Association. She had named him Zippy (she was from Olympia) which was, of course, totally inappropriate. So I decided on Sputnik.

Sputnik is getting old. He spends most of his time on the couch in the lodge. Sometimes he comes upstairs and sits on the green chair in the living room. It all depends on his mood, and whether he feels like climbing the stairs.

Like many old people, he gets up early, which means that he has bonded with The Colonel (who has to be at work at insane O'Clock). The Colonel is not generally a cat person, but Sputnik has won him over. He even allows him to sleep on his head from time to time - something Sputnik knows better than to attempt with me.

We have to put his food and water bowls on the floor now, since he can no longer jump very high. We also have to re-introduce him to the litter box, both of which cause some traffic issues around here (I'll spare you the disgusting details, but those of you with dogs and cats already know about the appeal of a litter box to a dog)

One of the things I like about Sputnik is that he's not a talker: Like Mr. Ed, Sputnik will never speak unless he has something to say. He reminds me of a woman that I worked with at Today's World back in the old days. Dumb as mud, yet quite pretty. She knew how to keep her mouth shut, so everyone thought she was intelligent. In all fairness, I should note that Sputnik is much brighter than her.

Anyway, That's Sputnik. Isn't he pretty?