Flicka | Keira's Place

This Blog by Cher’ley Grogg

When I think of cat and mouse I always think of Tom and Jerry. When I was young they kept me entertained for hours and they kept my children entertained as well. I still enjoy Tom and Jerry Cartoons

Other animals that helped to shape my childhood were Flicka, Black Beauty, Rin Tin Tin, Tweety Bird & Sylvester, Foghorn Leghorn, Trigger and Bullet.

We always had our own animals when I grew up too. Of course we had the Royal family—Duke, Queenie, and Prince, and then there was the chickens, rabbits, hogs, birds (mostly parakeets), a cow and a pony, an occasional frog, and skunks, but my favorite was my cat Tom.

I loved Tom with all my heart. He was the first thing I looked for in the morning and the last thing I looked for at night. Maybe that’s why in “Stamp Out Murder” James, the main character and his love interest, Carolyn save some abandoned kittens and their mother. In Chapter 17, Pedro, a favorite character of many readers, yelled in a fearful voice, “Diablo el gato. Es malvado.” Carolyn responded to him. “Pedro, they are not devil cats, and they are not wicked.” She and James encouraged him to hold one of the kittens. James finally got him to hold one and he settled down, but he still didn’t completely trust the new mama and babies.

Many people may feel the same way, after all the feline family came from the home of a murdered man.

Pets rank high in our lives. We never get over the thrill of the first time we saw them, the first time we held them, or the first time we touch them. We never get over the loss of our fur and feathered babies, when they pass on. They are part of our family and our lives.

Even the animals in nature are important to us. Who hasn’t been entertained by birds, squirrels or deer? Or frightened by one when we are going for a relaxing walk, we hear a noise, our heart rate quickens, our hands sweat, a scream rises in our throat, and then a deer runs through the bushes. There are a few other animals we encounter that we must use a little caution in approaching.