Stimpikins
By Pam Reynolds on July 1, 2013
A stray cat that changed our family and taught us many lessons about life and the meaning of family and caring
One cool autumn day a young girl watched a drama unfold before her eyes. Because of her intervention a lifelong friendship and love developed. This love went beyond life and death. Lives were changed and barriers crossed. A respect for and communal with all living creatures were lessons learned outside of school.
Stimpy was a cat who will never be forgotten by his owner Emily. After reading about his life and escapades, readers will not easily forget this heroic, lovable, mischievous, independent, friendly and loyal cat. Based on real accounts of his life it will open the readers’ eyes to the real truth about cats. You will never look at an animal in the same way again.
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In a small town where lots of flowers grow freely, and trees and bushes bloom wildly across the backyards, lived a small gray lovable cat named Stimpy. He was not just a cat. He was a very special, much loved cat. Just how this eight-pound silky gray tiger cat came to be my best friend was miraculous.
Chapter 1 The Meeting
My name is Emily, and Stimpy came to be my cat twenty years ago. One cool Saturday in October, I was sitting on my front porch. I was very tired and had nothing to do. I supported my head in my hands. I was eight years old when I first set eyes on Stimpy.
Stimpy had large round golden eyes. When I first saw Stimpy, he was dragging one swollen leg. His right eye was oozing with a yellow crust. I wondered if Stimpy could see out of his injured eye.
Flash! A large orange cat raced after a much smaller gray tiger cat. The larger orange cat chased the gray cat across the front yard and perched to pounce on him.
In one leap, I was off the steps and on the ground. I shouted at the orange cat, “You big bully, leave him alone!” My heart was pounding so fast it felt like it was up in my throat.
Startled, the huge orange cat darted into some brush so quickly that I almost thought he disappeared.
The gray cat stopped for a second and stared at me. I looked back at him and said, “You poor kitten. Where is your home?” The gray cat’s large bright eyes focused on me a few seconds more before he took off across the street and into the woods. I was disappointed as the days passed. There was no sign of the kitten.
The school bus screeched, and then jerked to a stop. I flung my backpack over my shoulder. I pushed the front door of my house open and ran for the bus. The door banged behind me before sliding into a secure lock.
It was a routine now. I scanned the yard and woods as the bus pulled away from the curb. It was the same as the day before; no gray object could be seen. Thoughts of the cat entered my mind daily. I frowned when my eyes detected nothing.
After a week, I had about given up hope of seeing the little gray cat that appeared to be a kitten.
Crash! Leaves were hitting the front window. I glanced outside to watch them zipping past.
“Whoa!” I said and then laughed with surprise and delight as I watched the small gray creature scrambling out of our large orange pumpkin.
The gray kitten had orange mush all over his face. His eyes flitted as he looked all around and then stuck his head back into the pumpkin.
Without hesitation, I dashed into the family room and shouted to my mother, “MOM! There is this gray hungry cat without a home. Can I feed him?”
My mom frowned as she snapped the last shirt in the air, folded it and placed it neatly in the laundry basket. Using my whining voice I begged, “Please mom, please.” The cat ducked behind a tree when I sprinted outside. Gently I set the can down on the ground. Oil from the can spilled over my hand and slowly dribbled onto the cement walkway. “Yuck,”
I said, “I hate the smell of tuna fish.” I hurried back inside the house and watched from the window.
“Stimpy will like it,” I said as I watched the cat favor his swollen leg. My brother Matt said, “You know his name?” “No,” I said. “I decided to call him Stimpy.” “You are weird,” said Matt.
Cautiously Stimpy stepped from behind a tree and glanced around. Then slowly he approached the can and gobbled every bit of the tuna. While he ate, his head turned in every direction and his matted fur stuck out all around him like a porcupine. I saw his ribs sticking out from his tattered scraggly fur. His swollen right paw looked bigger and his oozing right eye was forming craters.
About the Author
Pam Reynolds is a teacher, a state certified Emergency Medical Technician and past member of the Board of Directors on the Fire Department. Pam is married and has four grown and married children, and many grandchildren. Pam earned a B.S. degree in Child Development and an M.S. degree in Early Childhood Education. She is certified in special education and regular classroom instruction for grades K to three. She served as a volunteer on the ambulance for over thirteen years. Pam brings experience to her writing focusing on relationships and the power of the human spirit.
She is author of several books. “Mother-in-law, Daughter-in-law Dilemma,” which discusses how to strengthen this relationship and “Stimpikins,” the story of a lovable stray cat. Her new book “Tumbleweed Kids” has over forty heart wrenching stories about children caught in situations beyond their control. The stories tug at the heart while providing clear examples of the huge effect parents have on their children.
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