I Know One Creature Who Loves Idaho’s Hot Summers

He’s a senior citizen.  I adopted Huck several years ago from the rescue in Twin Falls.  He had been found wandering along a road in Kimberly, probably abandoned.  He’s tame and incredibly friendly.  He likes to greet neighbors and strangers.  Because of his advanced age, I finally started letting him outside a couple of summers ago.  He doesn’t stray beyond the deck more than a few feet.  He doesn’t like it outside when it’s below 60 degrees.  Despite the fur coat, he loves the outdoors when it’s hot.

One of Us Sacrifices for the Other

This creates a dilemma for me.  I leave the sliding door open about six to eight inches in case he wants to come inside, which he does when he needs to use the litter box or sip water.  In all these years, I’ve only witnessed him peeing once in the wild.  A neighbor’s cat hosed the shrubs, and he went out and sprayed the same spot.  When it gets really hot, I would prefer to close the doors and windows and click on the air conditioning, but I make a sacrifice for the old guy.

I Should Have Named Him Obstinate

There are some days when he doesn’t want to come in, and if I go out and try picking him up, he’ll try and crawl under some bushes.  I’ve learned he’s easily bribed or fooled with treats.  A shake of the jar gets his attention.  He’s a pain in the neck when I’m getting ready for bed, but I would miss him if he wasn’t greeting me when I get home from work.