I just watched the movie Marley and Me with my fat cat, Jack. Yes, Jack watches TV; he’s a very observant guy. But if you haven’t seen the movie, I’m about to ruin it for you so you should probably skip the next paragraph.

Marley and Me is a comedy about a dog but also a tearjerker because Marley dies, as dogs will do. I’d already seen the movie but I still cried like a baby. I’m talking crocodile tears that spilled from my eyes, missed my cheeks entirely, then landed on Jack, who lounged on my lap. Pathetic? Yeah, I’d say so.

Now that you virgins of Marley and Me are back with us, let’s continue.

Today was relatively relaxing, I’m relieved to say. It’s been hectic lately so any chance I get to work in the garden, or bake, is a good day. Then, in the evening I sat down to watch the movie and that’s when Jack decided to join me.

I’d say Jack’s a unique lad with the personality of a dog who quite often resembles Marley because Jack also can be an unruly troublemaker; in essence, quite a character. I knew the moment I trapped him as a young feral that he was special.

As you may have read here before, Jack has a bit of the devil in him. He sometimes gets into a scuffle with one of my other cats by grooming them about the head and neck until he becomes a tad overstimulated. That’s when his vampire side comes out and he tries to bite the neck of the poor unsuspecting cat he’s grooming.

To be fair, my other cats are kinda dumb. They should know by now what Jack’s up to but I suspect they enjoy the tongue massage enough to put up with the end result — Jack walking away with a tuft of fur protruding from his mouth.

Another devilish trait of his is attacking my feet when I’m in bed. One toe twitch and Jack clamps his razor-like nails into my foot and holds on. I literally have to pry his claws out of my skin. It’s not one of his most endearing traits.

I could go on and on about Jack’s devilish side but I’m trying to keep this to 600 words. Now don’t get me wrong; that ain’t gonna happen. (But I’ll get pretty close.) Anyway, Jack does have good traits; he comes when called, especially at meal time.

He licks my face like a dog and he takes afternoon naps in the top perch of the cat tree so he has a bird’s eye view, between snoozes, of the goings-on outside the window.

Jack also loves butt rubs, being groomed, and especially watching TV. Normally he sleeps on the back of my chair; his body makes a nice headrest.

But last night Jack climbed into my lap, his back against my stomach, and leaned into me in an almost erect position so he could watch the screen. He loved the movie, especially when Marley died. Yes, Jack can be morbid.

Oops! Guess I spoiled the ending. But the point is, Jack was actually watching the movie while the rest of my crew wasn’t even aware the TV was on. Or that there IS a TV. He’s a smart one, that Jack…a laid-back guy. Until he’s not. Then he’s a wild man. He makes me laugh, even while I’m crying watching Marley and Me.

At one point, he gazed up from my lap, licked my face then flipped onto his back and watched the end of the movie upside down. What can I say?

That’s just Jack.

Originally posted in July, 2018