The Cat Ate my Homework

 

Why is it that no woebegone child told any teacher that the homework wasn't turned in on time because the cat ate it? Yet, here I am sitting at my work table after having cleaned up the mess left by our geriatric cat who, against all house rules, spent the night camped up on the table—on top of my notes for an upcoming seminar, mind you—leaving her mark wherever she sat.

Sigh. It's not that I can blame her. She's having a rough time lately. Actually, we all are having a tough time in this house lately, both cat and human population. After having lost my senior editor Luke earlier this summer, the oldest cat in our household finally came face to face with her outsized tumor and tried to do something about it herself. It was not a beautiful sight.

This is the kitten who, as the offspring of a feral farm cat, somehow beguiled her way indoors at the request of our daughter, who wanted a pet.

"You already have pets," my husband reminded her. "They're all outside."

Guess who won that round.

We named her Button, as in "cute as a...." Now, well into her teens, she isn't quite so cute. Cat years can put a lot of wear on a body. And I'm afraid her number's almost up.

On that pile of papers on the table was my roadmap of the Twelve Most Wanted ancestors from the past three years and projections onward through the end of this year. Somehow, that form escaped the camp-out catastrophe unscathed. I looked over the page to make sure I hadn't missed any spots requiring copying and disposal—and that's when my eyes fell on one particular detail I had missed.

You guessed it: I got something wrong with my homework for this month. But unlike the homework eaten by the dog, the cat's vice was getting the homework turned in early. Yep, my month's work on Theresa Blaising and her family was supposed to be my research project for September, not August.

Thankfully, we still have one more month to focus on goals for my father-in-law's ancestors, so we'll just switch positions and pick up with the August goal in September. Taking a look on the bright side, perhaps the month's delay will mean more resources appearing online for us now. Though we're heading back to Ireland for the coming month's research—a tough go for anyone seeking records before the famine years—perhaps that brief break from Irish research will bring us the fresh eyes needed to spot significant leads. After all, if cats can have nine lives, maybe the homework they mess with can gain the same benefit.