 |
 |
| Ernie adopted
us when we were living in Massachusetts. He turned up as a stray
at Dave's sister's house. Ernie endeared himself to Dave when Dave
was visiting his sister in Connecticut. Ernie was a Hemmingway cat
~ this is how he came to have his name. Hemmingway cats are recognized
by having extra toes and personality plus. We lost Ernie to what
we presume were the effects of old age.
|
|
|
|
 |
We snapped this photo the day Dave brought Ernie home. He was already making himself comfortable. |
| Ernie loved to lay on Dave's chest and "knead". With all those extra claws it was a painful experience! |  |
 |
Here Ernie is catching a nap with his friends Barney and Conoco in front of the wood stove in Colorado. |
| Another one of Ernie's tricks was to lay ambush on the staircase and grab anybody's hair as they walked by. |  |
 |
Ernie had a noble expression and "baseball glove" paws. |
 |
Ernie having a bit of fun on Halloween. |
| Ernie had the awful misfortune to serve as "target practice" for a mean spirited neighbor boy who shot him with a 22 caliber bullet. The bullet broke Ernie's leg. Skilled Veterinary surgeons at Virginia Tech were able to save his leg by applying an external fixature to stabilize the bone while it mended. After 3 months of convalescing, Ernie was back to climbing trees. To us this was nothing short of a miracle. |  |
 |
Ernie (after his leg healed) teaching young Kaleb not to mess with the cat! |
