Feb 26, 2004

Pet of the Week: Lucas

Once upon a time, a stray, gray Himalayan cat wandered onto Alison and Frank van Diggelen’s deck in Colorado. Although they weren’t really cat people, they fed her anyway, and she decided to stay. They named her Cabos and it came to pass that she bore five kittens. The first, biggest, and strongest of the litter was Lucas. When the van Diggelens relocated to California, they drove, but sent the two cats ahead by airplane. Soon after they arrived, Cabos disappeared.

“Hopefully some little old lady adopted her,” said Alison, “and we were left with Lucas, our first baby.”
Lucas is a marmalade Himalayan with soft, thick fur and deep emerald eyes. “He’s going to be 10 in March, and is still a little kitten at heart,” reports Alison.

The van Diggelen’s two other children, Lewis and Tanera, are understandably enchanted by Lucas. “He follows me around, and comes when I call him,” says Lewis. “He can jump three-and-a-half feet high and run 17-20 mph!” According to Lewis, Lucas is also a fierce hunter of birds and rodents, and once even stalked a deer.
“He’s cute,” says Tanera, “and his fur is soft like cotton. Sometimes when I sleep, he curls up by my feet and keeps me warm.” Lucas can also do tricks. “He can stand on two feet!” exclaims Tanera.

Lewis believes that Lucas truly has nine lives, as he was once stranded down a culvert for days and survived. “He disappeared for three days,” says Alison, “and we were invited to a party, and heard this ‘meow, meow.’ I think he crawled up from the creek, and became stuck when the rain came. Frank pulled up the grate, and Lucas jumped out!”

“When I’m sad, he makes me happy,” says Lewis. “He’s the best cat, and I’ll always love him.”
And so, like in all great tales, they all lived happily ever after.

—By Lorraine Gabbert

Send us an email ( Julie@timesmediainc.com ) or a letter describing your pet (name, age, breed–where applicable) and where you obtained your pet (animal shelter, breeder, friend, etc.) and any funny stories or interesting information about your pet. Include your name, phone number, and the names of anyone else in the household. If there are children in the household give their ages too. Then send us a jpeg digital picture of your pet or a ‘real' print through the mail.