A bit on Malachi, our Goofy, Giant Buddha.

From the floor, Malachi can stand up on his hind legs and tap me on the shoulder with his paw as I sit at the computer. It's slightly disconcerting when he does that from behind while I am focused on my work. He can also stand on his hind legs and reach up on the kitchen counter to fish around for food or whatever he is after, which is most often unseen to the human eye.

From tip of his nose to tip of his tail he measures 3 feet that's not even stretching him out. His normal standing height depending on where you measure is 14 inches. He was so big when we got him that N. thought he had been neutered already. Turned out - they hadn't yet dropped. However, they quickly appeared after being exposed to our Alpha Cat Cecil for a few days.

Malachi is the most recent addition (2005) to the cast of cats in our family having appeared first at my parents house. After watching him traipse about looking pitiful and hungry for sometime, my parents had a conversation the details of which are still a little fuzzy to me that resulted in a call:

Dad: It's floofy, black and white and you are going to love it.
Mom: Your father and I talked and think he really is a better fit for your family than for ours.
Thea: Well, ummm ok bring him down and we will see.
Mom: He's already in the van and I am on my way.

Seems Mr. Taking Care of Business - Malachi had jumped into my Mom's van the night before and was just waiting to be carted away to my house.

Of late, we often find him sitting like this - just pondering. Or at least I call it pondering 'cause ... well I am not really ready to consider what it might be otherwise. So, Malachi ponders. He stays like that for a long time... apparently, he has a lot to consider.

His favorite treats are: freeze dried salmon chunks, sweet things, bread and paper (we don't feed him the paper, he dives into that all on his own). Though, he is always the last cat to show up for a treat. We are not sure if he is so occupied in otherworldly events that he just doesn't realize the mundane reality of treat time - or if something is actually wrong with his sniffer. We are not prepared to consider other options.

Oddly, for his size, he makes lots of small, squeaky, high pitched noises and at the strangest times. Like, the middle of the night when you are fast asleep. He appears on your chest with a squeak and then licks your nose, or eyelid, or finger. Once you are awake and paying attention, he disappears. His appearance anywhere is actually quite a production. It's as if he is suddenly there, presenting himself for you to adore him. He stands tall and swooshes his tail and then squeaks, accepts a pat or two and then disappears. Malachi wants to be cuddly - he just hasn't quite figured out how that works yet.

Malachi has a penchant for slimy, slithery things like snakes, slugs and earthworms. He likes them. They are his companions. He calls out to them and they come to him. Early on in Malachi's life with us, we let the cats outside during the day. When Malachi came in at night, N. and I would have to perform a full fluff body search to find and remove his companions. Malachi would collect and then pack around baby earthworms, slugs, and baby slugs in his copious fur. Then he would bring them inside with him for a sleep-over. If he was lucky enough to find a snake while the door was open, he would bring that inside too. We figured that all that would stop when we quit letting the cats out. But OH NO, Malachi loves his buddies and now that he can't get to them, he calls charms? them to him. Yep, not sure how he does it, but he still manages to bring me snakes and slugs all while not leaving the house.

He likes to lay upside down - with relish. When not upside down, he prefers to have his head propped up - on a pillow or against a piece of furniture. He loves to have his belly rubbed. And he likes to be hacksawed. N. recently discovered this little fact. Malachi used to like being brushed late at night while sitting on top of the washing machine. Apparently, one late night I was sleeping the brush was no where to be found, but the hacksaw was handy. Malachi will follow N. around the house when he has the hacksaw in his hand, floofing and swooshing eager to be hacksawed.

Turns out, my parents were right - Malachi is a good fit. And I am making good use of his fur.

Portions of this post were originally published on a private blog May 6, 2008 it is re-posted here with permission... 'cause I wrote it and can approve those kinds of things. Photos taken by Moi as well and used here with permission (see previous statement). All Rights Reserved. As if you would have any use for photos of a hacksawed cat.