Magellan the Cat

My cat, Magellan, is a fur-covered, super-cool point of sacred egress. He’s beautiful – gray body with white on his belly, paws, and the tip of his tail. He looks kind of like a classier, long-haired version of Tom (of Tom and Jerry), and he’s the archetypal good cat – in my opinion. He shows up and cuddles for a while, then sleeps all day, as you can see below. (BTW, prepare for an overload of Magellan pics)

As an indoor/outdoor cat, Magellan tends to go on long walkabouts in the spring. He’s neutered, but the ancient instinct still lives in his genes. Sometimes I catch him sniffing around to see what’s up when that season hits. It’s a little sad to watch. It’s like he knows there’s a dance but forgotten the steps. What he hasn’t forgotten is the vet who did this to him. After each checkup, he disappears for a few days. We don’t love this, though it’s hard to fault him. I can’t imagine he understands what is happening when they take his temperature, and he lacks the words to express his displeasure.

In addition to this resistance to healthcare, Magellan has a few other foibles. But even these imperfections seem cool. He’s a bit assertive around meal and snack time, and he can’t resist some night carbs. Any time we leave bread on the counter, bet that it will be torn open and scattered on the floor by morning. The boy likes to eat. Also, he drools because he has an overbite. It’s not always noticeable unless he’s sleeping on his back with his mouth slightly open. 

If Magellan was a person, I imagine that he would be like Keanu Reeves, who, by all accounts, is a super down-to-earth person who also knows how to take care of business (yes I know that I’m conflating the person and the roles but imagine this version of the Matrix). 

The strange thing about Magellan is, for how chill and cuddly he is at home, he’s a killing machine in the fields. It’s almost embarrassing the number of squirrels and rabbits he kills. Well, I assume it’s him; I never see the crime, just him carrying a carcass around. I may be reading the situation all wrong. Maybe he’s like an undertaker or something, but that doesn’t really suit his cool vibe.

I guess I say all this to express something of how, despite his weirdness, Magellan just works as a cat. He’s an example of something “as it should be.” And for that my family is thankful for the years we’ve had with this little piece of sacred egress.