That Orange Cat

This fall we had to put Gallagher, our cool cat down. Wendell and I adopted Gallagher back when we lived in the apartment famously known as The Bunker. He originally belonged to Granville and his girlfriend at the time. Gallagher was too rambunctious for their older cat Smokey so he was offered to us. We took him in and for seven years he was part of our household.

Cool things about Gallagher.

1) For years he and Wendell played a game. Whenever Wendell would come home from work Gallager would be waiting by the front door of the apartment. Wendell would arrive, open the door and Gallagher would rush the door in an attempt to get out. Near as I could tell, Gallagher won around 90% of these daily contests.

2) He was kind of a dick. When Wendell moved in sometime in 2001 he brought with him a cat called Jojo. Jojo's is one of those weird cats that some people think talk to the devil. When she looks at you it's obvious that if you ever died at home she would be the first cat to start feeding on your body. She hated Gallagher more than she hates everyone else. After several months they met face to face on the back of the couch. They sniffed each and touched noses. For a couple of seconds it was a very cute "awww" moment and then Gallagher smacked Jojo on the side of the head. She hissed and ran into Wendell's room. Gallagher's favorite hobby until he got sick was cornering Jojo and sitting in front of her until she got pissed and attacked him.

3) He accepted some boundaries. People say you can't train a cat and from my experience I would agree. Gallagher was always always attempting to get outside. His nickname was Papillon. Once we moved into the house we are currently in I would take him outside when we were sitting on the back porch listening to music. I would plop down in my chair and hold him in my lap. As long as I kept one hand on him he would lay there and take in the sights and aromas of the backyard. He wouldn't struggle to get away and would hang for a good while. Eventually it would be too much and he would start to try and get off my lap but he never fought me when I would pick him up and take him back inside.

4) He was pliable. He liked to handled. I could pick him up over my head and put his face near the ceiling. All he would do is smell the ceiling. He didn't mind being held upside down. You could even rub his big belly. Any contact was good, all he wanted was attention and he didn't care how he got it.

Gallagher The Invincible Cat