When Cats Get Famous

Right off the bat, let me say that our two cats do not have social media accounts. They are not influencers. And they will never be in commercials.

However.....when you teach Zoom classes in front of hundreds of people, and you have a cat who likes to walk across your desk, holding his tail high right in front of the web camera, he does create a name for himself.

And that name is Bubble.

Bubble came to us in mid-October 2020. It was a dark and stormy night (I’m not kidding), and Bob and I heard a scratching at the window while we sat and watched TV. We looked up and saw a small face peering in. We thought we heard a meow, but it was such a tiny sound, we weren’t sure.

When we opened the front door to let the little guy in, he shied away over and over and over again. But finally, gradually, he came close, stuck his nose in, backed away, and then leaped over the threshold and landed at Bob’s feet.

Mama Cat was not amused. She came to us years ago, roaming on and off our acreage for days until we set out some food and, well, you can guess the rest. We don’t know how old she is, where she came from, or even how long we’ve had her. We just know that she’s partial to Bob, has some beautiful red coloring in that long black fur of hers, and is a mousing guru.

One night last fall, Mama Cat pawed at the window after dark to be let in. Thankfully I didn’t just open the door without looking. Instead I turned on the porch light and saw her sitting in her most prideful pose—with the long tail of a mouse hanging out of her mouth.

Sorry.

Mama Cat is everything cats are reputed to be—aloof, disdainful, and regal. Bubble, on the other hand, is everything else you think cats would be—goofy, affectionate, and oh so smart.

So while Mama Cat hangs out in the background, Bubble is often front and center when I teach classes on Zoom. There he is chasing a fake mouse across my office. Or curling up in a basket I keep on my desk. Or, as he did this past week, climbing into my lap and rubbing up against my face, then turning to the camera to show everyone his best side.

I’ve seen Bubble do an eight-foot long jump from a crouching position (trying to bedevil Mama Cat—his favorite pastime), attempt to jump off the roof (Mama cat taught him to get up there via the tall maple at the corner of our living room) and do a 50-yard dash in about three seconds flat.

He paws at our furniture even though we have a scratching post six inches away, hides under the Schefflera when he knows it’s time for bed, and is perfectly content sitting under an inverted laundry basket in the family room while we watch TV.

As I write all this, I want you to know I'm actually a dog person. I also know that talking about pets is a lot like talking about kids. Of course yours are the cutest and smartest and cleverest. But, hey, it’s my column.

So here’s the thing: Bubble has built a bit of a following on Zoom, but so far it doesn’t seem to have gone to his head. He did turn up his nose at canned cat food last week while Mama Cat slurped up his share and hers both. And he claims his territory on my desk while I work, rolling around until he’s knocked every last piece of paper onto the floor, as though he’s staking his claim to a beach umbrella and a chaise lounge.

He’ll probably never become a big-time celebrity—unless they start a feline Olympics, which he would surely qualify for—and that’s okay. He’s sitting in my lap with his nose buried in the crook of my elbow right now, waiting for the lights, camera and action of his next Zoom appearance. That’s famous enough for me.

---

I’m honored to be a member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. Please consider subscribing to other columns, and if you can afford it, be a paid subscriber.

Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Columnists 

Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights

Doug Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll

Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines

Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake

Suzanna de Baca Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley

Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County

Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji

Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames

Jody Gifford: Benign Inspiration, West Des Moines

Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilla

Dana James: New Black Iowa, Des Moines

Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo

Fern Kupfer: Fern and Joe, Ames

Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey

Tar Macias: Hola Iowa, Iowa

Kurt Meyer, Showing Up, St. Ansgar

Kyle Munson, Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines

Jane Nguyen, The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines

John Naughton: My Life, in Color, Des Moines

Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines

Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politic Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.

Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona

Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Emerging Voices, Kalona

Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County

Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport

Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines

To receive a weekly roundup of all Iowa Writers’ Collaborative columnists, sign up here (free): ROUNDUP COLUMN

We are proud to have an alliance with Iowa Capital Dispatch which republishes some of our work.