Romeo Peach Festival Art Fair

As always with Labor weekend, there are so many activities to choose from.  I decided to take Kali-Ma with me to the local Romeo Peach Festival Art Fair Romeo Peach Festival. We met a wide variety of people who were all amazed to see Kali-Ma the cat at the art fair in a little pink polka dot stroller! It was a fun-filled afternoon where once again Kali-Ma was able to share her love with so many people.

Hot and Muggy

The humidity was high and so was the temperature. That meant it was important for me to keep Kali-Ma hydrated.  She will not drink water when she is out her element, but she will eat her liquid treat that has probiotics and vitamins.  So, I make sure I give that to here at least once when I am out in the heat with her.

While I was feeding it to her two very cute girls came along.  They couldn’t have a cat because their father was allergic. So, they wanted to pet Kali-Ma. I suggested that one of them finish feeding her the treat.  The smiles on their faces were amazing to see. Two little girls interacting with a kitty. It never gets old to me.

The Mean Man

While the girls were feeding Kali-Ma and older gray-haired with a woman walking behind him passed by. He yelled at me and said “How did you get your cat to be so calm like that? Did you beat it? Do you want another one? I have one at home you can have?” 

For a moment I was just frozen and speechless. I couldn’t imagine anyone beating a cat but I was sure this man had. At some point, I replied “No sir, I don’t beat her, I love her and I treat her like family. She is a Therapy Cat.”He replied, “Oh, well, I didn’t know what you did.” And then he walked away.

Kindred Spirit

Two lovely ladies then approached us that wanted to touch Kali-Ma. We began talking about calico cats. I told them about my recent blog: The Calico Cat Life and how much I had learned about calico cats. One of the ladies was gracious enough to share with me her story about her dilute calico.

As we talked she pulled her wallet out of her purse and a very wrinkled, precious photo emerged. She told me that her cat that had now passed over the rainbow had lived to be 20yrs old. I began to get a tear in my eye. As this was the fourth time in a month that someone told me of a cat living to be twenty, but the first time I had heard of it being a dilute calico.

I explained to her how much Kali-Ma meant to me as I was a single person alone in the world with no children and no family. For the first time in my life, I felt this stranger understood what Kali-Ma was to me. She gently placed her photo back in her purse and we exchanged a knowing smile as we said good-bye.

Michigan Fan

Just as we were about to leave Kali-Ma and I came across a fellow University of Michigan football fan. When she saw the “kitty” she was as happy to see us as we were to see the Maize and Blue she was wearing! I had wanted to wear my Michigan shirt, however, I always wear my Tails of Kali-Ma shirt when I am out with Kali-Ma.

I asked her to take a picture with Kali-ma and she eagerly obliged. Kali-Ma took a little coaxing at this point as it was so hot and she was getting a little tired. She was a trooper though as always. When we got home she promptly took a nice long nap.

Final Thoughts

We met a lot of people at the Fair. People that I didn’t get the opportunity to photo and people who I didn’t mention. Everyone said the same thing to us though “I wish my cat could do that”, or “ how do you get her to be so relaxed”.

I plan on doing a blog in the coming months on bonding with your cat, but until then I have a few words of wisdom as those comments from that man still ring in my ear. Kali-Ma and I have been together now for over (8) years. It took a good two years for me to understand just what she wanted.

Kali-Ma was what some would perceive as “wild” when she rescued me. You can read our in-depth story on how we met here: Surviving Pet Loss if you haven’t yet:  She used to “fly” across the room and get into everything. What she was trying to tell me was that she wanted outside with me. Once I started to walk her on a leash, take her places in the stroller, etc., then she began to calm down. She even used to nip at me sometimes. Everything was not peaches and cream until we bonded and it took time.

Now that we are bonded, it is a relationship that I have had with no other cat or human. She can look at me and I know when she has “had enough” of something when at an event. I know when she head bumps me what it means. She also knows the different “tones of my voice” and what they signify. That communication took time.

You may have a cat like mine and not even know it. Have patience. It has been my experience that the more love you give a cat, the more you receive.

Until next time….Happy Tails to you.