Cats and shoulders

I RODE MY bicycle to the store today. I really enjoy cruising down the Seventh Street hill toward downtown, and there is always something unusual to see or hear in Calftown.

The REAL owner
of Second String Music

I'm near the corner of Seventh and Ohio slowing down for the stop sign when I see a woman walking up the sidewalk with a cat on her shoulder. Yup. A CAT ON HER SHOULDER. I am not making it up. She was strutting without a care in the world, like this was a normal everyday thing. The cat appeared to be comfortable and taking it all in, as well.

There are a lot of cats in that area. There's a house near the abandoned old church on Seventh which is crawling with cats. Some have collars and some don't. It's hard to tell if they live in or around the house, or if it's just a meeting place. I swore I heard one say, "Hey, did you hear there is some serious catnip near Sixth and Washington?" That was followed by a lot of meowing and cat-laughing, and then a cat saw me go by and said, "There's the guy who thinks he owns Fast Eddie. HAHAHAHA."

When I saw the cat-on-the-shoulder, I wanted to stop and say, "Excuse me, ma'am. But did you know there's a cat on your shoulder?" I have a feeling she would have said, "Well, it's easier than trying to walk with him on my lap."

The woman appeared happy, the cat was probably purring, and I kept going, after stopping and looking both ways (twice) at the intersection.

Heaven forbid I run over a cat, or have one jump on my handlebars expecting a ride.