Dogs of the North The Pack Grendel

Grendel is a rescue kitty. He came to live with me at the age of five months, and his winning personality and friendly ways quickly made him an integral part of the household. Like most rescues, I don't know much about Grendel's origins, except that at one point he had been sealed in a box and thrown away in a dumpster when the temperature was in the high nineties (Farenheit). For a long time, he wouldn't go near a cardboard box, although in recent years he seems OK with them.

During his early months, Grendel apparently survived by thieving. The first day Grendel came home, I had company for dinner. I'd cooked pork chops which were on a serving plate on the dining room table. As my guest reached toward a porkchop a blaze of gray streaked across the table, nabbing the meat from her fork and landed in the corner, growling and frantically eating his prize. He would, during those first few months, stalk my plate when I was eating, waiting for the right moment to "hunt" my meal. Grendel continued these acts of thievery, or at least he made attempts, until he learned that there was always enough food to go around and he wasn't going to go hungry anymore.

Visitors to the house tend to take to Grendel immediately because he is so affectionate with them. He rubs against their ankles and jumps up on their laps to be petted. A certain relative of mine, whom I won't name for fear I'd embarrass her, claims not to care much for cats. Yet she likes Grendel. In fact, Grendel has decided that she is his favorite human, and loves to sit on her lap when she visits. A talkative boy, Grendel meets me at the door like a dog most days. He sleeps cuddled up against me, and likes to be in the middle of whatever I do.

He is an extraordinary mouser! We live in an old inner city house that was built in the 1890's. The house needed a lot of rehab, and up until this past winter, mice would find there way in through the various cracks and crevices in the place. Thanks to Grendel, mice never stayed long. In fact, the only mice who come near our home now are mice with a death wish. Grendel is simply one of the finest mousers I have ever seen. He takes his job very seriously, and if he suspects there are vermin in the house, he becomes a cat with a mission.

Grendel is incredibly sensitive to people's moods. If I am sick, or if I am awake at night and can't sleep, Grendel is always there to keep me company. He is a firm believer that no human should be up and about in the middle of the night without the companionship of a cat.

See you over at Sisko's page.