Remembering Something Cringeworthy

A House Guest, Nicky the Newfie

Did you ever see something that still makes you cringe even many years later if you happen to remember it? If you answered “Yes”, then I sympathize, because it happens to me, too.

When my three daughters were small, we lived in Indiana for a few years. As an addition to our family, we had a beautiful pure white cat with a pink nose. Our girls named her Pinky Snowflake. Pinky’s counterpart and best friend was our daughter, Bethany’s, pure black cat that she named Jody Jet Black.

My brother, Tim, and his wife, MaryAnn, came for a visit from Ohio with their four children. How everyone fit in their station wagon was beyond my comprehension, because they also brought along their dog, Nicky, an enormous black Newfoundland.

Nicky was as sweet and easy going as he was large. He and the two cats became fast friends and we often found the three of them all curled up together napping

We kept the cats’ litter box in the laundry room, a decent distance from the main living area of the house for obvious reasons.

On the second day they were there, I caught Nicky eating cat poop out of the litter box. It was so gross, it immediately triggered my gag reflex and I had to force myself not to throw up on the spot.

I grabbed Nicky’s collar and tried to pull him away but he wouldn’t budge. He was so incredibly huge, I couldn’t move him until he saw his ‘duty’ finished –-the litter box was completely cleaned out.

OR …

I suppose it’s possible that Nicky thought,

“WAY too cool! Instead of a bowl, here they serve dinner in a tray!”

I still cringe and gag whenever I happen to remember it.

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