Jem
Jem: A Tuxedo With White Paws
There is a cat named Jem who has lived many years.
He wears a tuxedo of black with white paws.
He has been through so much there is nothing he fears;
If anything threatens, he just uses his claws.
Jem often thinks back on his young kitten days,
When cat naps and yarn were to perfect for words,
When he was all happy and life was all play,
And when his dear owners had tasty birds.
Jem often relates the accounts of his stalkings
To groups of young kittens, and he does say,
"When I was a kitten I would go a-walking
And watch all the birds in a very rapt way.
"They were kept all in cages and would flutter and tweet
(I suppose my owners got some pleasure from that),
And what I would do was be light on my feet,
Watch them, and stalk them, like a haughty young cat.
"One day I decided I just had to have one.
I slipped down the hallway and crawled low to the floor,
And my eyes and ears ready, I broke into a run,
My young legs flew, my young claws tore."
Here old Jem pauses, then hesitantly goes on,
"Feathers flew, and soon I felt quite shoddy.
I avoided my owners with all dignity gone
Because I had feather shaped welts all over my body!"
-Emily Barrett
Jem was born on August 3, 1998.
His favorite foods are tuna, Cheetos, lemon yogurt, cat treats, and grass, but he can put up with eating Meow Mix.
His favorite places are on top of a bird cage, in a window, on the deck,