When people hear that my cat Barkley, a male, black Persian mix, just turned 21-years-old, they can not believe it. Well, it's not just his age, but his love of adventure that is amazing. Barkley has always been an indoor/outdoor cat, so he still does have some street smarts. But for the last five years or more he has stayed mostly on the patio, in the yard, or in the house. In fact, he's the only cat I can trust to stay indoors all day and not wreck anything! He's a good cat.
He is almost blind because of cataracts and his hearing and his sense of smell isn't as good as it used to be. So, how does a cat with all those impediments manage to not only survive for over a month away in the summer last year? He was later found five blocks away and a little thinner. Recently he got out the gate again and wandered over a mile away. But, we found him five days later. On another occasion, he got out and when I was driving home, I saw him in the middle of a main street with cars approaching, obviously disorientated. I scooped him up and took him home -- again amazed he had again survived.
Let's just say Barkley has a penchant for life and a constitution that's truly hardier than most people. We hope he lives another five years and with his tenacity, he just might.
Cindy Schultheis
Lakewood
Lakewood
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