Sketchy by Katherine Peacock

Sketchy

Sketchy is true to her name. I have never met a more skittish cat. She could probably benefit from some form of Kitty Cat Prozac, but for now she will have to attempt to deal with life on her own.

Sketchy is the daughter of another cat my husband Peacock had owned named Angel. Like mother like daughter, Angel had a hard time dealing with life as well. When we renovated our kitchen, Angel high-tailed it out of here & we haven’t seen her since.

Angel had adopted my husband years before, and shortly after her arrival she had a litter. He found homes for all of the kittens, two of which ended up with a close friend.

Unfortunately, a few years later, the friend gave them back. By this time, I was in the picture & renamed them Bonnie & Clyde, but by no means did the female cat represent her namesake, the rough & tumble shoot ’em up gal of the 1930’s. When she arrived at our house, “Bonnie” immediately scurried under a bed & stayed there for months. Literally months. Any attempt at bravery – such as poking her head out from under the guest bed – rapidly disappeared if any dog or child happened to walk past the room.

“Man, that cat is sketchy as hell.” I’d say to myself. The name stuck.

At night, when the lights were turned out, she would inch her way around the house to investigate. Any sudden movement or noise, like the dishwasher starting, sent her jumping a foot off the ground and hauling ass back to the safety of the guest bed. Honest to goodness, it probably took a year for her to become “comfortable” with the comings & goings of the house.

When she did come out, she staked her claim underneath the dining room table, meowing in this high-pitched piercing sound, but that didn’t really bother me. I had had another cat that was just like her, needy as hell.

But there was one thing that just drove me batty. Because of her skittishness, my other felines Frodo Baggins & Clyde placed a huge target on her back.

She would cower under the table & inevitably Frodo Baggins or Clyde would start stalking her. Then came the growling. After a bit, one or both boy cats would charge her & she would let out this blood curdling screech, which would get the dogs barking and woke up the baby. The number one rule in my house is “Don’t Wake The Baby!” Peacock would go rescue Sketchy and all would be quiet.

Until it happened again.

Peacock & I had many long drawn out debates about this issue. His take on it was that I needed to make Frodo Baggins stop harassing her. My issue was that Frodo Baggins wasn’t going to listen to my reasoning, nor was he interested in my lecture about being kind to others & Sketchy was the one that needed to defend herself, if he was ever going to stop. This over the top damsel –in- distress nonsense bugged me to no end.

I wanted to yell at her: “Just turn around & slap him! Then he’ll leave you alone. The girls outnumber the boys in this house by 2! You are on the winning team.” The girls do rule this house. The dogs are girls, the kids are girls, & if I was to put money on it, I bet the fish are girls too. Poor Peacock is stuck with just boy cats. In the end, Peacock and I decided that we weren’t going to save her anymore.

Finally, after realizing no one was coming to rescue her, she started standing up for herself. And once she realized she could actually do it, she’s become a little she-devil. Now, she hides under the table & ambushes Frodo Baggins, charging him if he walks by. Amos is her favorite target, but mostly ‘cause he’s easy. She perches on the patio table and watches him, like an owl does before it’s about to strike it’s prey. Poor Amos. He tries so hard to avoid her, walking by her perch in slow motion, doing his best not to look at her.

Sketchy looks almost regal in her new found position, and she is a welcome addition to the Peacock Girl Power Club.