Sunday, June 06, 2010

Happy Birthday Old Man!

Yes, my beloved Old Man Atticus will be 12 years old on Thursday, June 10th.

Hard to believe...

"Wheeeee! I'm a little hellion!"

...that this little squirt, would turn into this big boy.


"That is not me. I was never that small."


He came to live with me when he was a few days shy of 6 weeks old. A tiny little guy that weighed in at around 2 lbs, if that.

He's always been my shadow, always making sure he knew where I was and taking care of me in his own way. He knows when I'm sick, when I'm feeling a bit down, and will always make sure I'm OK. He's woken me out of bad dreams, and looks after his younger siblings. He stepped in to show Mae the ropes when she came to live with us, even though at the time, I thought he was being a bit rough with her! Well, that wasn't really the case as it wasn't long before she was sending him packing.


People always marvel at how well my guys get along, and how quickly they adjust when they come into their new home. I think a lot of it has to do with Atticus' even-temperament, and "it's-all-good" attitude. Although he is the Cat of the House, and takes his role very seriously, when it came to other cats coming into the home (Mae, Gandalf and Malcolm), he had no issues with any of them. He's pretty confident in his position in the household. As for people! Well, as soon as he checks them out to make sure he passes The Atticus test, he'll keep an eye on them, whacking them with his paw to make sure they keep in line. Heh... Lorraine knows allll about that. :D


Despite the gruff exterior, he's a sweetheart. I will never forget how, during Malcolm's first night here, he pawed my face to wake me up because Malcolm was hungry and mewling. Awww... Malcolm may love playing with Gandalf, but when it comes to snuggling and comfort, he'll always go to Atticus.

He's a special one!

"Happy Birthday Atticus! I hope you appreciate that I woke up just to wish you that."

"Thanks Mae!"

"Happy Birthday Bro! I hope you appreciate it too that I woke up just for you. I love you, man!"

"Thanks Gandalf...love you too, I guess..."

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ATTICUS!! YOU'RE THE BESTEST BIG BROTHER EVER!!"

"Wow, thanks Malcolm. I'll protect you when Gandalf beats you up for saying that."

"Thanks Atticus!"

Yes, Happy Birthday Darling Atticus. You're my best friend, and I love you too. Here's to many more years!

14 comments:

Chris said...

Aw, Brigitte, what a sweet birthday post for Atticus!!

Happy birthday, Atticus! I'm pretty sure you're looking forward to birthday treats. :)

Michelle Martino said...

What a wonderful family! Happy Birthday Atticus!Enjoy this last year of adolescence mom!!! The teen years can be brutal! xoxo

Lynn said...

Atticus, you are in the prime of life!!! Here's to many more!

Nikki said...

awww!! Happy Birthday Atticus!!

Lorraine said...

Brigitte- Happy Birthday, you big, handsome guy.

I would give you a kiss, but I don't want to get smacked.

miyamojo said...

Happy Birthday Big Daddy! I want to bury my face in your tummy, but don't want to get smacked either. Actually, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't let me in the door. :)

Bridget said...

Atticus, I hope this will be one of your best birthdays ever! I also hope that someday I can meet you and pet you in person.

BTW, Tess sends her good wishes. She said something to the effect that you'll "understand what that means" ... ?

life ldc said...

Time flies by doesn't it? Happy Birthday big guy!

Nicole said...

A big happy birthday to the Cat of the House! Suzy sends headbutts, and there's scritches from me.

Carrie K said...

Happy Birthday, Atticus! Such a beautiful baby, such a gorgeous hunk of mancat.

Rebekah said...

He's just a spring chicken! My dad's shop cat lived to 21, I hope he does the same.

Sonya said...

Happy birthday, Atticus! You are clearly well-loved. And Yay for air conditioning. Makes summer so much more bearable.

knitseashore said...

Happy Belated Birthday Atticus!

-- Tim, Rosie, and Rainy.

P.S. Tim can relate -- he was Cat of the House for two weeks before the girls moved in and took over. He still looks after this girl very well!

mrspao said...

Aww how lovely and wishing him a very belated birthday. He was tiny!