Whiskers Behind the Words: Author Julie Seedorf's Boris & Natasha

SNEAKY AND CUNNING, THAT’S WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE CALLED THEM

Boris and Natasha are characters from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. In my life, Boris and Natasha are characters in my home in the form of my two cats.

When people ask how we acquired Boris I respond that I think it was a God thing. My daughter, who is a Pastor, had a congregation member that had acquired Boris, not his name at the time, when the kitten had ridden home in the wheel well of their car when they had been at a doctor’s appointment. Because this woman had an illness she couldn’t keep the kitten and she had fallen in love with him. She didn’t want to see him go to a shelter because she could not be sure of his fate. My daughter thought we needed a little life in our home and thought we should at least take him until we could find him another home.

The husband in my household didn’t want a cat but because it was his baby daughter, he grudgingly agreed.  When I went to meet the kitten before taking her home I learned my friend had the same type of cancer as this woman, and my friend had survived with it for many years. On the day I picked up the kitten, my friend came along so she could have an encouraging conversation with this woman that shared the same cancer. They shared stories. That is why I call acquiring Boris a God moment. He brought encouragement into someone’s life.

My husband took one look at this kitten and named him Boris. I wasn’t thrilled with the name but I coped. Boris adapted to our household well. He was mellow when he was mellow, but he was also attack cat on my arms when I would least expect it. I had to put a folding door on my office as he was always trying to spy on me and help me  with my writing by sitting on my lap and distracting my mouse, putting his own words into my story by the flick of his paw on my keyboard.

One day as I was in a pet store buying food to feed this growing kitten I noticed a pet adoption going on at the store by a humane society. They called me over and tried to talk me into a kitten. I told them I had one kitten and that was enough, but this cute part Siamese, part alley cat, big eared  kitten caught my eye. She came up to me, purring and snuggling. I went home without her but couldn’t forget about her. Boris needed a mate and so Natasha joined our family.

Boris and Natasha fell in love. They were sidekicks. They snuggled and where you found one, you found the other, but Natasha was aptly named. She was sneaky. She was cunning and she was a thief. She had hidden this secretive personality under the cuteness and the cuddliness of my first visit. Natasha and Boris lived up to their names.

Natasha wasn’t in our household longer than two hours when she had my office accordion door open.   She would knock the latch open and she and Boris would come on in to help me with my writing. We had to put a hook on the door so she couldn’t get it open. That didn’t stop Natasha. She showed Boris how to hop on the sink and go through the open window into my office. We had to put lattice work over the opening between my office and my kitchen.

I was missing the flash drives from my desk one day. I found Natasha and Boris stash under my bed of all my flash drives. I walked into the kitchen one day to find my garbage bags, which had been stored under my sink, all over the floor. They had found the kitty treats too. Natasha can open cupboard doors.  I put a wooden spoon through the handles. One day I heard someone knocking. I checked the doors. The knocking seemed to be coming from the kitchen. Boris had removed the wooden handle and Natasha was in the cupboard trying to open the door to get back out. We now have child proof locks on the door.

I no longer need an alarm clock. Boris thinks I need to get up at 6:00 a.m. to feed him. Natasha takes care of Boris. She jumps up and with both paws tries to move the door knob on my room. Boris watches her. She keeps this up until I wake up and get up, at which time she goes back to sleep and Boris goes to his dish and waits for me to feed him.

They have me trained and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I met a friend recently that I haven’t seen for a couple of years. They have acquired a cat in the last few years too. Our cell phones are full of our cat pictures. I have grandchildren whom I love dearly but I find myself always snapping pictures of my cats. Our husbands, who didn’t like cats, now treat them like their children and their conversations are about the antics of their cats.

Our lives are richer because of the blessing of our pets. They teach us compassion, patience, how to rest (cat nap anyone)and how to love.  They love us when we are happy, sad, crabby and discouraged. They teach us how to play.

And …… Boris and Natasha give me lots of material for my books. They are aptly named. Did I mention they like Yogurt and Soy Milk? Natasha is currently working on learning how to open the refrigerator door. Boris is supporting her decision.

Granny Hooks A Crook (Fuchsia, Minnesota)
Book Details
File Size: 294 KB
Print Length: 200 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1939816122
Publisher: Cozy Cat Press (July 10, 2013)
ASIN: B00DVL2CVU
Cozy Mystery

Synopsis

Granny leads a secret life in the small, unique community of Fuschia, Minnesota. It’s not just her all junk food diet, multiplying pets, or her shocking bedtime attire that makes Granny one in a million. No, Granny is an undercover cop, charged by “the Big Guy” (the town’s police chief) of preventing theft in local stores. Granny takes her job seriously and daily foils many shoplifters using her trusty spiked umbrella and amazing acting skills. When some startlingly brazen burglaries begin to occur that Granny can’t solve, along with mysteriously appearing bad guys, disappearing clerks, and misplaced Corvettes, Granny begins to wonder if she isn’t ready for the wrinkle farm. Maybe, it’s fortuitous when she accidentally-on-purpose falls in the lap of an attractive older gentleman who is soon roped into her wild adventures, as they try to figure out what’s happening in their little town.

About The Author

Julie Seedorf owns her own computer repair business, but her secret undercover job is writing. Her column “Something About Nothing” for a Minnesota newspaper is about nothing, which is what we talk about most of the time, always with something underneath the conversation. Julie has been a wife, mother, grandmother, housewife, barmaid, salesperson, activity director, full time volunteer and more. Her motto is, “If you dream it, you can do it.” Her Fuchsia Minnesota, published by Cozy Cat Press is her first journey in her undercover career. Having lived in small communities in Minnesota all her life, she knows the richness and uniqueness that only a small town can bring and with a little humor and imagination, she transforms those experiences into her imaginary Fuchsia community.

Webpage: http://www.julieseedorf.com,
Goodreads: Julie Seedorf,
Twitter: @julieseedorf,
Blog: http://www.sprinklednotes.com,
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sprinklednotes,
Column: http://www.albertleatribune.com.