When Jack came to live with us

By Mark Lane
Submitted to Corner Post

Our family was “going through a situation” — a series of situations, really — when Jack came to live with us. We had just moved from a small house in town to a larger old farmhouse outside of town, and Jack had just arrived from Nebraska with no place to stay. A family friend asked if we might let him stay with us. Inviting a stranger in is risky, but we needed help, so we agreed.

With one bedroom for us and one for our three sons, a tiny kitchen, and a single, small bathroom, my wife and I decided a move was in order. We searched in vain for a place that could fit our family and our budget. Friends, co-workers, acquaintances and real estate agents were on the lookout, as well. One morning, I got a call from a friend who saw a man hammering a FOR SALE BY OWNER sign in front of an old farmhouse. In short order, I was knocking at the backdoor of that farmhouse. The owner showed me around the house and property. Later that day I returned with my wife to see the place.

To say it was a “fixer-upper” would be putting lipstick on a pig, but that’s what we did. Not long afterward, the pig was ours. Throughout the house, cracked plaster walls and sagging ceilings needed to be torn out and replaced, insulation had to be installed, some wiring and plumbing upgrades were needed. Outside was an another big reclamation project. To make the deal work, we’d have to sell and move out of our house in town, which meant we’d be living in the farmhouse during the renovation. And we needed to do most of the work ourselves, relying occasionally on friends for assistance.

When my wife and I told our sons (age 10, 9 and 5) about the new opportunity, the older two were open to the prospects of adventure. The youngest stated that he had lived his whole life in the little house in town and he had no intention of leaving it! We then took the boys to the property, I pointed out how much room there was to explore, and where we could build a treehouse. The older two were ready, but the youngest pointed out (in case we hadn’t noticed) that this place was junky. And he made it clear again that he would not move.

It was at this point that a friend who knew of our situation called to say that a truck had just arrived at his workplace, and a stowaway kitten was found in the trailer. Our youngest son had long wanted a kitten, and here was a bargaining chip that my wife and I were willing to play. We told him that if we moved to the new house, that kitten could be his. He was willing to pack up his things then and there. “When are we moving?” That is how Jack came to live with us. He did not help with any of the remodeling work, but he made the move possible.

That kitten was the most amazing hunter I’ve seen outside of TV specials on lions, tigers and cheetahs. He could stalk prey like none I’ve seen before or since. He could outrun squirrels and rabbits. There’s no telling how many critters he dispatched, but he laid more than a few fresh carcasses (including at least one mole and a snake) at our back door. Sometimes he even practiced “catch and release” hunting. One night we awoke to a thumping sound in a room we had just remodeled. Turning on a light, we saw a bird flying in circles, with feathers scattered about. Jack would crouch, pounce, bat the bird down, and then wait for it to fly again to repeat the game.

He was affectionate enough to all of us, but to no one more than our youngest son, who found Jack to be a good listener and a trusted confidant. Jack made the transition more manageable, and he entertained us all, yet he was first and foremost a working cat. He made it clear that when duty called, we took a back seat. Sitting contentedly in a lap one moment, Jack was apt to spring up to attend to a perceived intruder the rest of us could neither see nor hear.

Just as he came to us unexpectedly, he left without saying goodbye. We gave him the respectful burial he deserved. On the homemade marker there was an inscription by his best buddy that read simply, HERE LIES JACK. HE WAS A GOOD CAT.