Balthazar the Cat

My cat Balthazar is an interesting cat. He chose his name himself. How did he do such a thing? You see, Balthazar is quite the clever cat. He is also a very hungry cat. On the day that he chose his name, and destiny, we set up three dishes of cat food. The food was measured equally across each bowl and each bowl was identical. Above the bowls written on paper towels were the 3 names: Caspar, Balthazar, and Mr. Scruffles. As we brought the little kitten in the room he immediately knew there was food and struggled to leave my hands. Without hesitation, the cat ran straight for Balthazar and that is how he chose his own name.

Balthazar the cat is a simple cat. He spent his short youth walking on top of my keyboard as I took what would become some of my primary years foraying into the computer world. His head looked abnormally large on him due to the fact that he had long soft hair. He looked much like a ball of fur. At times he would rest his large fur ball head on my chest and, as I lay on my back, would enjoy going up and down, being rocked, until he fell asleep. At this point I could not do much on my back either and so I would fall asleep with him.

When Balthazar finally became an adult he would often go outside. Like most cats, he enjoyed looking at the outside and would often cry until he was let out. He grew to be an expert hunter and quite large. This would later come in useful as encroaching animals that would enter the garden would be quickly intimidated by Balthazar. I think that because of this Balthazar managed to avoid many fights just due to his sheer size. Most recently I heard word that Balthazar had become a vampire hunter. He has been known to graciously bring the remains of bats as an offering for my family.

Balthazar has not had the most idyllic life of course. Being that he is an outdoor and indoor cat both, he has faced many challenges that an indoor cat would not have to face. He enjoys coming and going as he pleases and this is a privilege that is hardly even debated anymore. Cats should remain indoors for various reasons. That being said it is not the life Balthazar has and the laissez-faire approach my family has chosen for Balthazar has made him a very calm, observant and affectionate cat; at least, affectionate to his family.

I wish I could say more about how Balthazar lives but eventually I came to live in Japan and had to leave him behind. He is in decent hands but I do worry about him. For example, during firework festivals in my city I worry that he will be scared even though I have never really seen him scared of fireworks. My family is kind enough to keep me up to date on Balthazar’s activities but in the end he seems to be living a peaceful life with his family true to his cat nature: being fed and taken care of, mercilessly hunting smaller animals, defending his territory and contemplating whatever it is that cats bother to contemplate in their short lives.

Ivan

Vocabulary

struggle (v) - to try very hard to do, achieve, or deal with something that is difficult or that causes problems
foray (v) - attempting to do something, especially for the first time
rock (v) - to move (someone or something) back and forth or from side to side
fur (n) - the hairy coat of an animal, especially when it is soft and thick
idyllic (adj.) - very peaceful, happy, and enjoyable
laissez-faire (adj.) - allowing something to continue without interference