cal

here are some stories about my cat, calvin-


I got him when I was in seminary, and I thought it would be fun to name him after a theologian. he was almost luther or barth, but calvin seemed to fit better.

he was originally named shadow, because he’s all black. I got him from my first admin, teddy. it took me a long time to tell her that I changed his name to calvin. (although most of the time I just call him cal.)

cal has this thing for running water. when he was a kitten, he used to hop into the shower and play with the water drops on the wall. when we moved into the apartments, we used to run the water in the bathroom to muffle any sounds that might come out of the bathroom. at first, cal would go in and play with the running water in the sink- now he expects to get a drink out of the faucet every time someone goes into the bathroom. its pretty much the only way he drinks water now. when I wake up in the morning he zooms into the bathroom because he’s too snobby to drink out of his cat-dish.

when we lived in modesto, we had hardwood floors. cal would race from room to room chasing super-balls. if I bounced one over the sofa, he could clear it with one jump.

whenever I sleep in my bed- whether I’m taking a nap, or sleeping at night, calvin sleeps in between my legs, lounging on my right ankle. sometimes if its late at night, he stares me down, trying to encourage me to go to bed.

he sits on top of my tv, so he can keep an eye on everything. I’m ok with that as long as his tail doesn’t block the score of the game that I’m watching.

I bought this brush/ glove to pull some of his excess fur off. it has a velro strap on it. for a long time, if he heard Velcro being opened he came running. he purred so hard when I brushed him that he drooled like crazy- gross!

speaking of gross, calvin pukes a lot. I think it comes from drinking out of the sink if there is still soap reside in it.


when we moved into our apartment he didn’t have much to look at. so we got a bird feeder for the window and he was entertained all day. when we lived in modesto he spent most nights looking out the window at his cat-friend who looked in at him. they would just sit there, staring at each other. he enjoyed squirrels until I stopped feeding them. these things are barbaric.

when jane was born, calvin didn’t want anything to do with her, and she didn’t want anything to do with him. now they have a funny little friendship. jane often calls him, and she thinks its pretty cool that he responds. she says, “come over here calvin!” and he follows her around the house. she often asks for a nose-kiss from calvin, but he’s not that into her. he likes to chase the light of a flashlight, and she likes to play that game with him.

deanna isn’t into cal very much- maybe it’s the puke or the maintenance. or the cat-fur everywhere. or the fact that he tries to trip her by walking in front of her.

cal has a thing for lunchmeat. especially turkey. he goes nuts whenever I make a sandwich and meows obnoxiously until I drop a piece in his bowl.

he’s never been outside ever. I don’t think he’s interested anymore. he wouldn’t last one night.

he thinks he’s pretty bad though. sometimes I walk down the hall and he goes for a tackle by wrapping up my leg. he used to fight stuffed animals and puppets- but not so much anymore.

my friend marc used to say that I’m like a cat- because I spend a lot of time by myself, I’m pretty clean, fairly snobby about what I eat, and if I want attention, I’ll make an appearance. maybe that’s why cal and I get along so well. that, and we like sleeping.



“a righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.”
-proverbs 12:10