01 November 2007: "The Cat Whisperer"

I am "The Cat Whisperer." It may sound like hype but it's true. I am blessed with an ability to gain the loving trust of cats everywhere. How do I do this? First, I am a cat lover. My family has always owned cats. Second, I learned from the master. My dad, as burly as a Marine can be, is an unlikely person to be someone cats flock to. However, they do. Third, I speak in the soothing siren voice to the cats. It rarely takes me more than a few minutes before a cat is purring and crawling all around me. I've won over cats in many countries. Iraq is no exception. I am "The Cat Whisperer." I struck again today.

I noticed a couple of days ago that a cat was scurrying underneath the hooches. I spied him from a distance as I made my way back from the DFAC. Today I saw him as I came back from breakfast. I called to him and chatted him up for about a minute. He eyed me from a distance. I continued on to my hooch. Several hours later I stepped out of my hooch to find him waiting for me underneath the steps. I chatted him up some more and left to continue my day. The cat was waiting on me when I came back. We had a talk. After a few minutes of chatting him up he spoke in a soft meow. One meow became several - just the soft hello-type that cats are known for. It was obvious that this fellow wanted to adopt me (it's happened before). He's a stray (of course). I harkened back to the kittens at UNION III. His fur pattern reminded me of one of them. Throughout the remainder of the day he stayed. As I left and returned he looked at me with that trusting gaze. He seems to have taken up residence under my hooch.

General order #1 isn't just about alcohol. One of its provisions is that a soldier cannot have pets. It doesn't mention anything about the animal adopting someone. In that regard, I didn't do anything wrong. I just spoke to him. I now call him Kitty Liberty.

A bowl of tuna and a bowl of water magically appeared under my hooch after supper. I wonder how that happened?