Meeting Happy Camper Camping Cat and Responding to "Where's Andi?"
I've been getting that question a lot lately. My slow, ancient, decade-old laptop has hindered my posts quite a bit, but this story ends in Minnesota.
Travel plans were challenged a bit after leaving Oklahoma. The Mustang started showing signs of Car COVID just outside of Montrose, Missouri. As the car began to wheeze and catch when shifting into first gear, I handed one more thing over to God and thanked Him for another struggle.
Around 7 am, I found a campground at the Montrose Missouri Conservation Area and noticed the only other campers seemed like they might enjoy a little meth here and there. That might not be entirely accurate. I don’t know. I’m just judging by the missing teeth and previous experience during my law enforcement days.
I picked a spot on the opposite side of the campground, near Montrose Lake and set up my tent near where some beautiful pelicans and cranes were showing off in the water.
The other campers left later that day and they had not been gone long before I noticed a large, black cat near where they had camped.
Kittah saw me and quickly scurried away. I walked around looking for him and soon found him hiding on the ground under the low hanging branches of an evergreen tree.
I sat on the ground nearby, but not too close. I didn’t want to scare him away and thought he might come visit me if I did not seem to be a threat. I quickly achieved my goal.
As soon as Kittah realized I was not going to try and hunt him down, he walked over to me and demanded love…a lot of love…like he was starving for it. As I was petting him, I noticed a small, plastic, Tupperware-type bowl filled with water was nearby.
Had the other campers abandoned Kittah???
I assumed this and my heart just broke for this little guy. I cried a little as I held him and apologized for humans who think souls can be discarded like trash. I told him humans do this to each other, too, and not just to animals. I was hoping that would help him feel better, but it’s hard not to take abandonment personally, even if it is human nature.
Take it “personally?” That’s probably not the right word if you’re a cat. “Felinally” maybe?
I think I might have been trying to make me feel better, too. Being abandoned and discarded is so damaging whether your soul is furry or whether it’s made in the image of God.
I decided to head back to my campsite and figured Kittah would hang with me if he wanted. I figured correctly and he attached himself to my side.
I quickly found this cat was more like a dog than a cat. He walked right next to me just like Gonzo did, always checking in with me to see which way we were going and to make sure we were on the same page. The difference was this cat wanted to have a conversation the whole way.
He had so many stories to tell and my assumption was he was telling me how horrible it was to have been abandoned by people he loved and trusted and admired, and adored, and valued. He never saw it coming!
My assumption was he was bemoaning how they could pretend to care for him deeply, then suddenly betray him and throw him away. At least the white heart he wore on his chest couldn’t be broken like the one inside his chest could.
I commiserated. “People can be pretty cruel, Kittah.” I said as I picked him up and hugged him, my tears of understanding dripping onto his black fur. This strange cat seemed to like hugs…like Gonzo did. It didn’t take long for me to bond with this abandoned baby and I decided to name him Happy Camper Camping Cat.
Yes, I have a habit of naming cats obnoxiously ridiculous names. Just ask Twofer J. Fuzzycat, or Pat. Who names a cat “Pat?”
Happy became my new best friend and was by my side, or on my lap, or in my arms at all times. The little weirdo LOVED being loved.
I found some peanut butter for Happy but he said he preferred hummus and I obliged. After dinner, I decided to check on the Mustang. Happy was very concerned about my car and offered to try to help fix it, while I was looking to see if I could get some kind of idea of what might be going on with it.
He told me he thought the Cat’ll-lick-it Converter was damaged.
“I think it’s pronounced ‘Catalytic,’ Happy.” I informed.
(Click the link below to see a short video of this cuteness.)
Kampground Kittah plays mechanic #travelbyfaith #cats #andipigottmartin #campinglife - YouTube
This all happened on Friday, August 18th and I had promised Heidi I would be in Minnesota to join her for a C-Suite for Christ meeting on August 23rd. My plan had been to leave Missouri on the 20th, camp somewhere in Iowa that night and the next, then arrive in Minnesota on the 22nd.
It began to look like I would need to hang out in Missouri until Monday the 21st to find a mechanic. Even if I found one on Monday, it would probably be impossible to still make it to Minnesota in time for the C-Suite for Christ meeting, since I was in the middle of nowhere and 2007 Mustang parts usually have to be ordered.
I figured God was in control, so Happy and I would just hang out and go with the flow… I was grateful to have my new furry friend around to keep me company.
Happy kept me company all night and it was the first time I’d had critter cuddles since Gonzo passed. It was so nice, even though he mostly just wrapped himself around my head.
The next morning, I began calling nearby mechanics to leave a message for Monday, when, what do you know? One answered the phone!
What? It was Saturday! Why was anyone working?
It turned out, I had called Rick’s Auto Parts, which was part mechanic, part auto parts shop, part grocery store, and part liquor store. I’m not kidding!
The gentleman I spoke with was so kind when I told him my dilemma. The mechanics were not working that day, but he said I could bring the car by and he’d take a look at it to see if he could help at all.
WOO HOO! That was a miracle in itself.
However, I would have to leave my new friend at the campground. Would Happy think I abandoned him if I went to the mechanic’s?
What was I going to do with Happy anyway?
I had planned on staying at Heidi’s for a few weeks and didn’t want to invade her space and her own cats’ space with a stray cat…but I couldn’t stand the thought of being one more person to treat this little fur soul like he was disposable.
I would just have to let this play out. Fortunately, Heidi just let it play out as well. IF I could drive the car to Minnesota, I was going to leave that day so I’d be able to get my car into a repair shop in Minnesota on Monday…and so I could get out of the 100+ degree weather that was blasting through Missouri on Saturday the 19th and beyond.
I left the tent open so Happy would be able to wander in and out as he pleased and gave him a can of tuna before I left for the mechanic’s. I hoped leaving everything as is would let him know I would be returning soon. I was not abandoning him!
The gentleman at Rick’s Auto/Grocery/Liquor ran diagnostics on the car and found the transmission wasn’t thrilled about having a 5th gear. So, it was determined that the car would be drivable to Minnesota as long as I stayed under a certain speed limit, which would ultimately make me that super annoying driver on the road. Who drives a Mustang slowly?
I was glad I’d be able to leave, but was I supposed to take Happy? I really wanted to!! He was so smart and loyal, it was like having a Gonzo, but cat-sized. He’d be able to fit in my super stuffed car…
I returned to the campground to find two men had pulled up near the site and were unloading a canoe. There was no Happy.
I looked in the tent. No Happy.
The dish of tuna I’d given him had been knocked off the little camping table on which it had been placed. No Happy.
I looked all around and could not find Happy Camper Camping Cat.
I asked the gentlemen with the canoe if they had seen a black cat. One told me he had seen him about 2 minutes before I pulled up and thought he ran into the tent. Nope. No Happy.
I looked some more and prayed, “Okay, God, if I’m supposed to adopt Happy, then let him show up before I leave, please.”
I had some work to do, so I spent about an hour on the computer and left the tent up so Happy could see I was still around, if he was spying on me from the nearby bushes and foliage.
I finished and still no Happy. I began walking around calling for him some more. I soon realized there was a better way. I used my phone to record myself beckoning for Happy, then played the recording on a loop. I placed the phone at the edge of the brush while I began to tear down my campsite.
“Here kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty! Here kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty! Here kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty! Happy Cat! Please come here, Happy Cat! Happy Cat!” played over and over and over. 16 seconds of pure, unadulterated annoyingness!
I would let this play for a while and then move the phone to another part of the campground, figuring that if Happy was in the brush, he might not be able to see where he was going if he was trying to get back to the tent. If he could hear me, he’d be able to follow my voice, right?
Yeah, I know, he’s a cat and can probably find his way around anything. Whatever.
After what seemed like twenty thousand plays, that recording began to annoy me so much that I figured Happy would probably want to run from it as much as I wanted to. So, I changed the tune:
“Kitty Mao! Where are you? Please come out, Kitty! Kitty! Kitty! Where’s Kitty? Where’s Kitty? Kitty Mao! Where’s Kitty? Come here kitty! Happy Cat, come out, come out! Where’s Kitty? I’m leaving soon and I want you to go with me! Come on kitty, kitty, kitty!”
Yep, it’s as ridiculous as it sounds.
The campsite was almost all packed up and loaded back into the car and there was still no Happy.
I decided to do one last walk of the campground calling his name. Near the middle of the campground, I heard a faint “mew” come from a nearby tree.
“Happy?”
“Mew.”
We’d found each other!!! I was elated and asked if he wanted to follow me back to the car. He was soon right by my side as we made our way back to where I’d been camping.
Soon, the two gentlemen returned from their canoe trip and began boisterously loading the canoe back their truck. Happy and I would have to walk past them to get where we needed to go.
Happy stopped when he saw them and didn’t want to go any further. I told him they were fine and said I’d carry him back if he didn’t want to walk past them.
I picked Happy up and continued walking. He was great with the help until we got closer to the men then he began to do that crazy-cat-freak-out-spazzy thing. Happy began to scramble, seemingly saying, “Nope! Not going near them! Don’t like them! You can’t make me do it!”
Happy quickly scampered back into the woods, so I figured I’d let him calm down a bit. After the men left, and after I had completely loaded up the Mustang, I drove back to where I had last seen Happy.
I began calling for him and quickly heard his sweet, little, “mew!” The voice was coming from inside the brush and I soon found him sitting contentedly on a log. It would have been extremely difficult for me to get to him so we chatted for a bit.
I told him I was leaving and wanted him to come with me. That I didn’t want to leave him there.
“Mew” he said, calmly, as he continued relaxing on the log.
I asked him to join me and told him I didn’t want to abandon him like everyone else had.
“Mew” or maybe it was “meh” that he said. Happy seemed content to stay on the log and hang out at the campground.
About that time, a toothless gentleman drove through the campground and pulled up next to me.
“What’s a purdy girl like you looking for out here?” he asked.
I told him about Happy and that I didn’t want to abandon him but needed to leave.
“The black cat that wanders around out here? He’s a local. We all know him. He’s super friendly, but he lives out here. We all bring him food, so he’s well cared for, plus there are plenty of mice for him to catch.”
He sure did calm my fear that I would be just one more person who would abandon Happy.
Happy didn’t need me. It was me who had needed him.
In a season of so much loss, he was a little treasure placed on my path to give me a bit of comfort and encouragement…a brief reminder of life with Gonzo, but in cat form.
I left the campground with closure. Happy was happy where he was; I did not have to carry any guilt for abandoning him; and Heidi didn’t have to put up with me bringing a cat with me to visit.
I continued on my journey, stopping in Iowa for coffee with a friend, then on to Minnesota in time for a fabulous C-Suite for Christ Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter Meeting and some much-needed girl time with the best friend anyone could ever ask for…