Our son has set a bad example

By Ben Hillyer (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Friday, September 25, 2009

There has been a lot of crying in the Hillyer house these days.

Although I do have a 3-month-old son, the majority of the wailing in the house has not been coming from our baby’s tiny lungs.

No. The high-pitched shrieks have been coming from our cat Garry. The black and white cat we rescued from the street a few years ago has taken to chasing his tail and screeching.

This has been happening for weeks, at all hours of the day and night.

At first I thought our cat had gone completely bonkers or was exhibiting signs that he was jealous of all the attention we have been giving our son.

But now I am suspicious of something more sinister. I hate to say it, but I think our son Gibson is the one to blame.

Parents don’t want ever to think that their child has been a bad example to other impressionable young minds. But there comes a time when a dad has to face the reality that his infant has been teaching bad habits to others — even if it is our cats.

Before Gibson was born Garry and our other cat had their own ways of getting our attention. They would scratch at the door or rub against our legs when they wanted food. Occasionally Garry would fling himself at the door with a thud during a moment of panic.

Overall, though, the cats’ eccentric ways of getting attention were not annoying.

The days after we brought Gibson home from the hospital were a complete blur. Coping with this tiny person occupied our complete attention.

When the baby cried we went immediately down our mental checklist of possible responses.

If Gibson’s diaper didn’t need changing and he didn’t have a temperature, chances were that he was hungry. It seemed like he was hungry a lot, which in turn made it seem like he cried a lot.

Needless to say, with all of the attention focused on our newborn, we didn’t notice that others eyes were carefully observing the scene.

I can imagine Garry watching from a chair in our living room taking notes on Gibson’s ingenious system. In his head he was committing to memory that a little flailing of the arms and a lot of noise equaled food.

About a month after we finally settled into a routine, my wife and I were sitting at home when we heard a blood- curdling shriek from the front porch. Thinking one of the cats had started a fight, I rushed to the door to put an end to the melee.

As soon as I opened the door, Garry looked up with that “who me?” look and paraded straight to his food dish in the kitchen.

Since then it has been a never-ending series of cat screams and screeches at our house — so much so that I wonder if our neighbors think we are performing some sort of cat exorcism.

Looking for advice, I recently discussed the situation with my mother. She had no answer to our cat problem. As for our son, the answer was just as unsatisfying.

The crying never stops. It just becomes more sophisticated and whiny — even at the age of 41, she said, taking a jab at her oldest son.

Just like Gibson, my suspicions are that Garry has learned that a whole lot can be gained with a little bit of crying.

Ben Hillyer is the Web editor of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3540 or ben.hillyer@natchezdemocrat.com.