Our cat Smoky doesn’t realize he’s not a dog. It’s not his fault, really. After all, he spent his formative years following our golden retriever around like a lost puppy. You may even say it was inevitable he would learn to greet us at the door when we come home and enjoy a belly rub. But playing fetch with his mouse toys and catching various objects thrown to him? Well, no self-respecting cat would be caught dead doing these things, right?
Now that he’s grown and had the chance to meet other cats, when I mention that he’s really a dog at heart he gives me that look of disdain that only a cat can pull off. You know the one.
I wouldn’t have guessed we’d end up with a Siamese. I have to admit I was unfairly influenced by the portrayal of Siamese cats in the movie Lady and the Tramp. I expected them to be aloof and entitled like the movie cats. Luckily, I had the chance to see how wrong I was, and Smoky ended up joining our family.
As it turns out, Siamese are incredibly social, even liking other cats when it isn’t really “done” in the cat world. Smoky is now best friends with another Siamese. They spend time apart when my daughter is at college and he mourns the parting every time, even crawling into the carrying case for his friend as if to say, “Take me, too!”
Another surprise: Siamese rarely meow, instead communicating with each other in chirps and brrrrs. They can be pretty chatty.
Smoky has an unexpected love of our ice machine. He comes running from another room with the mere opening of a water bottle, knowing the opening of the ice machine is imminent. He prefers his ice tossed in the air so he can catch it.
To say Smoky has stolen our hearts would be an understatement. Even my dog-lover husband has warmed up to this sweet cat.
You can see more of Smoky’s antics in my novels. He has a cameo in my first Kaitlyn Kruse novel but takes on the more prominent role of Stalker the cat in the second book of the series. Watch for him and his dog-like ways.
Karoline Anderson is a pediatrician with a love of books. Born in Vancouver, Canada, she currently lives with her husband, golden retriever Jax, and cat Smoky on a lake in Nebraska. She runs whenever she can and has completed several triathlons and one marathon. Her two amazing daughters are off making their own way in the world and are always making her proud. Killer Insight is her debut novel.
