Secret Lives of Cats

Betty, 1982

Betty was a barn kitten I managed to hook up with when she was just the right age; already independent but not feral. She was the best cat with whom I ever shared a domicile. We were living in an old inner-city neighbor at the time, on the edge of an industrial area. She lived both inside and outside, an affectionate and interactive housemate in, and the queen of the neighborhood cats when out.

We did take her with us when we stayed at a cabin near Mora, Minnesota. She was just as home there, and would tag along when I went for walks in the nearby woods. Outside of exercising her natural tendency to prowl, I never quite knew what she was thinking, but I never doubted her ability to “live in the moment”, a lesson I still remember to this day when ever I feel bored.

Her “secret” is safe with me.