Originally named Callie, for her calico coloring, I renamed her Nagi, after a tiger that had appeared on an episode of Reading Rainbow. It just seemed to suit her regal personality better.
Nagi originally belonged (do cats really belong to people?) to my Uncle Win and Aunt Jane Polvadore. The vet's office that they took their dogs to had her in their care after nursing her back to health after an accident. Nagi had a habit of seeking shade underneath the fenders of parked trucks, jumping up on the tires to rest. Unfortunately, she was hard to see and so someone started their car and backed up with her still on the tire. Thankfully, she survived! Her jaw was fractured in the accident, which left her with an occasional whistling sound when she breathed or purred. (Though it was a very adorable side effect!) She also ate in an unusual way because of the way her jaw healed. She would bat pieces of food out of the bowl with her paw, break them apart into smaller bits that were easier to eat. Grandmother Katherine moved into their house after Grandpa Elton died in the fire, and Win and Jane moved into Ralls. We moved up from Sabinal shortly after to help Grandmother with the farm, and lived with her until our house next door was built. I became attached to Nagi and her cauliflower-eared companion Bill while we were staying there.
She and I weren't always the best of friends. Always the "diva", she ruled the roost, and wasn't very social toward us humans. Being the precocious five-year-old that I was, and an only child with nobody to play with, I decided one afternoon that I wanted to play dentist and take a peek inside kitty's mouth. When I attempted this, Nagi latched both sets of front claws on either side of my face and let out a very angry yelp. My mother heard this, and my ensuing cries of pain, and promply exited the back door of my grandmother's house and asked, "What did you do to that cat??" After that incident (and a lot of Neosporin to my cheeks), we were best friends. Nagi would follow me around the farm as I played made-up games and explored. She would sit with me on the bed and "help" me with my homework (usually by laying on my papers and gnawing the corners of my school books.) I was about the only one that she would let pick her up, and even that didn't last too long, because boy did she hate it. (You had to scoop her up like a baby, on her back, legs in the air, and waste no time getting to the door to put her out.) She was a very cool, composed, and regal kitty, letting us know who was boss. But she would show a softer side, curling up beside me at night, climbing into my lap and licking my hand when she knew I was sad about something. She once brought us a nice, fat cotton rat when we brought home our cow family, almost like "See, I'm still a good kitty. Don't forget me!"
When my parents separated the first time, and I moved with Mom into town, we tried to bring her to the new house, but she would have none of that. She had seemed like she didn't feel very well around that time, and the attempted transition really showed it. So back to the farm she went, where Dad took good care of her.
One weekend Dad had to break the news to me that Nagi was gone. He had come home from work that afternoon (when he was working night shift at the TV station) and found Nagi by the red storage barn. She had laid herself down in the shade, in the little hollow she had made in the dust over many a lounging, and took her last nap.
Every now and then, when I'm home alone or walking outside, I swear I can see her dart past me out of the corner of my eye. I know she's still being my protector. :)
Nobody really knew how old Nagi was, but my mother always said she was almost as old as I was (born 1986). I believe Win & Jane got her (as a juvenile kitty) before my cousin Trey was born (1988).
Nagi's furry friends are Bill, Marmaduke, and Socrates.
Nagi originally belonged (do cats really belong to people?) to my Uncle Win and Aunt Jane Polvadore. The vet's office that they took their dogs to had her in their care after nursing her back to health after an accident. Nagi had a habit of seeking shade underneath the fenders of parked trucks, jumping up on the tires to rest. Unfortunately, she was hard to see and so someone started their car and backed up with her still on the tire. Thankfully, she survived! Her jaw was fractured in the accident, which left her with an occasional whistling sound when she breathed or purred. (Though it was a very adorable side effect!) She also ate in an unusual way because of the way her jaw healed. She would bat pieces of food out of the bowl with her paw, break them apart into smaller bits that were easier to eat. Grandmother Katherine moved into their house after Grandpa Elton died in the fire, and Win and Jane moved into Ralls. We moved up from Sabinal shortly after to help Grandmother with the farm, and lived with her until our house next door was built. I became attached to Nagi and her cauliflower-eared companion Bill while we were staying there.
She and I weren't always the best of friends. Always the "diva", she ruled the roost, and wasn't very social toward us humans. Being the precocious five-year-old that I was, and an only child with nobody to play with, I decided one afternoon that I wanted to play dentist and take a peek inside kitty's mouth. When I attempted this, Nagi latched both sets of front claws on either side of my face and let out a very angry yelp. My mother heard this, and my ensuing cries of pain, and promply exited the back door of my grandmother's house and asked, "What did you do to that cat??" After that incident (and a lot of Neosporin to my cheeks), we were best friends. Nagi would follow me around the farm as I played made-up games and explored. She would sit with me on the bed and "help" me with my homework (usually by laying on my papers and gnawing the corners of my school books.) I was about the only one that she would let pick her up, and even that didn't last too long, because boy did she hate it. (You had to scoop her up like a baby, on her back, legs in the air, and waste no time getting to the door to put her out.) She was a very cool, composed, and regal kitty, letting us know who was boss. But she would show a softer side, curling up beside me at night, climbing into my lap and licking my hand when she knew I was sad about something. She once brought us a nice, fat cotton rat when we brought home our cow family, almost like "See, I'm still a good kitty. Don't forget me!"
When my parents separated the first time, and I moved with Mom into town, we tried to bring her to the new house, but she would have none of that. She had seemed like she didn't feel very well around that time, and the attempted transition really showed it. So back to the farm she went, where Dad took good care of her.
One weekend Dad had to break the news to me that Nagi was gone. He had come home from work that afternoon (when he was working night shift at the TV station) and found Nagi by the red storage barn. She had laid herself down in the shade, in the little hollow she had made in the dust over many a lounging, and took her last nap.
Every now and then, when I'm home alone or walking outside, I swear I can see her dart past me out of the corner of my eye. I know she's still being my protector. :)
Nobody really knew how old Nagi was, but my mother always said she was almost as old as I was (born 1986). I believe Win & Jane got her (as a juvenile kitty) before my cousin Trey was born (1988).
Nagi's furry friends are Bill, Marmaduke, and Socrates.
Originally named Callie, for her calico coloring, I renamed her Nagi, after a tiger that had appeared on an episode of Reading Rainbow. It just seemed to suit her regal personality better.
Nagi originally belonged (do cats really belong to people?) to my Uncle Win and Aunt Jane Polvadore. The vet's office that they took their dogs to had her in their care after nursing her back to health after an accident. Nagi had a habit of seeking shade underneath the fenders of parked trucks, jumping up on the tires to rest. Unfortunately, she was hard to see and so someone started their car and backed up with her still on the tire. Thankfully, she survived! Her jaw was fractured in the accident, which left her with an occasional whistling sound when she breathed or purred. (Though it was a very adorable side effect!) She also ate in an unusual way because of the way her jaw healed. She would bat pieces of food out of the bowl with her paw, break them apart into smaller bits that were easier to eat. Grandmother Katherine moved into their house after Grandpa Elton died in the fire, and Win and Jane moved into Ralls. We moved up from Sabinal shortly after to help Grandmother with the farm, and lived with her until our house next door was built. I became attached to Nagi and her cauliflower-eared companion Bill while we were staying there.
She and I weren't always the best of friends. Always the "diva", she ruled the roost, and wasn't very social toward us humans. Being the precocious five-year-old that I was, and an only child with nobody to play with, I decided one afternoon that I wanted to play dentist and take a peek inside kitty's mouth. When I attempted this, Nagi latched both sets of front claws on either side of my face and let out a very angry yelp. My mother heard this, and my ensuing cries of pain, and promply exited the back door of my grandmother's house and asked, "What did you do to that cat??" After that incident (and a lot of Neosporin to my cheeks), we were best friends. Nagi would follow me around the farm as I played made-up games and explored. She would sit with me on the bed and "help" me with my homework (usually by laying on my papers and gnawing the corners of my school books.) I was about the only one that she would let pick her up, and even that didn't last too long, because boy did she hate it. (You had to scoop her up like a baby, on her back, legs in the air, and waste no time getting to the door to put her out.) She was a very cool, composed, and regal kitty, letting us know who was boss. But she would show a softer side, curling up beside me at night, climbing into my lap and licking my hand when she knew I was sad about something. She once brought us a nice, fat cotton rat when we brought home our cow family, almost like "See, I'm still a good kitty. Don't forget me!"
When my parents separated the first time, and I moved with Mom into town, we tried to bring her to the new house, but she would have none of that. She had seemed like she didn't feel very well around that time, and the attempted transition really showed it. So back to the farm she went, where Dad took good care of her.
One weekend Dad had to break the news to me that Nagi was gone. He had come home from work that afternoon (when he was working night shift at the TV station) and found Nagi by the red storage barn. She had laid herself down in the shade, in the little hollow she had made in the dust over many a lounging, and took her last nap.
Every now and then, when I'm home alone or walking outside, I swear I can see her dart past me out of the corner of my eye. I know she's still being my protector. :)
Nobody really knew how old Nagi was, but my mother always said she was almost as old as I was (born 1986). I believe Win & Jane got her (as a juvenile kitty) before my cousin Trey was born (1988).
Nagi's furry friends are Bill, Marmaduke, and Socrates.
Nagi originally belonged (do cats really belong to people?) to my Uncle Win and Aunt Jane Polvadore. The vet's office that they took their dogs to had her in their care after nursing her back to health after an accident. Nagi had a habit of seeking shade underneath the fenders of parked trucks, jumping up on the tires to rest. Unfortunately, she was hard to see and so someone started their car and backed up with her still on the tire. Thankfully, she survived! Her jaw was fractured in the accident, which left her with an occasional whistling sound when she breathed or purred. (Though it was a very adorable side effect!) She also ate in an unusual way because of the way her jaw healed. She would bat pieces of food out of the bowl with her paw, break them apart into smaller bits that were easier to eat. Grandmother Katherine moved into their house after Grandpa Elton died in the fire, and Win and Jane moved into Ralls. We moved up from Sabinal shortly after to help Grandmother with the farm, and lived with her until our house next door was built. I became attached to Nagi and her cauliflower-eared companion Bill while we were staying there.
She and I weren't always the best of friends. Always the "diva", she ruled the roost, and wasn't very social toward us humans. Being the precocious five-year-old that I was, and an only child with nobody to play with, I decided one afternoon that I wanted to play dentist and take a peek inside kitty's mouth. When I attempted this, Nagi latched both sets of front claws on either side of my face and let out a very angry yelp. My mother heard this, and my ensuing cries of pain, and promply exited the back door of my grandmother's house and asked, "What did you do to that cat??" After that incident (and a lot of Neosporin to my cheeks), we were best friends. Nagi would follow me around the farm as I played made-up games and explored. She would sit with me on the bed and "help" me with my homework (usually by laying on my papers and gnawing the corners of my school books.) I was about the only one that she would let pick her up, and even that didn't last too long, because boy did she hate it. (You had to scoop her up like a baby, on her back, legs in the air, and waste no time getting to the door to put her out.) She was a very cool, composed, and regal kitty, letting us know who was boss. But she would show a softer side, curling up beside me at night, climbing into my lap and licking my hand when she knew I was sad about something. She once brought us a nice, fat cotton rat when we brought home our cow family, almost like "See, I'm still a good kitty. Don't forget me!"
When my parents separated the first time, and I moved with Mom into town, we tried to bring her to the new house, but she would have none of that. She had seemed like she didn't feel very well around that time, and the attempted transition really showed it. So back to the farm she went, where Dad took good care of her.
One weekend Dad had to break the news to me that Nagi was gone. He had come home from work that afternoon (when he was working night shift at the TV station) and found Nagi by the red storage barn. She had laid herself down in the shade, in the little hollow she had made in the dust over many a lounging, and took her last nap.
Every now and then, when I'm home alone or walking outside, I swear I can see her dart past me out of the corner of my eye. I know she's still being my protector. :)
Nobody really knew how old Nagi was, but my mother always said she was almost as old as I was (born 1986). I believe Win & Jane got her (as a juvenile kitty) before my cousin Trey was born (1988).
Nagi's furry friends are Bill, Marmaduke, and Socrates.
