TOMACINA, the watch cat
This is a ceramic statue reproduction of Tomacina, she had come into my heart when I was a young girl and I can honestly say, I have loved no other as much as her. I have not been able to find any photos of her, I fear they have been misplaced and at worst possibly lost. So, with the help of friends George and Jeri Martin and their endless ceramic molds they own, I decided to create her as I remembered her. Even my mother made the comment that it looked just like her. She was beautiful, long deep brown marmalade color fur with deep green eyes, I believe she was part Persian with all that long hair. It's ironic how she came to be a part of our family. Do you remember the Walt Disney film, Tomacina? My parents, along with me, (around the age of 5) and my sister and two brothers had just finished seeing the movie at the theater. It was late at night, and we were at home snug in our house with snow falling softly outside. My mother heard this soft mewing and scratching at the front door. On opening the solid wood door there was this small ball of fur climbing precariously up the outside screen door. My mother gently opened it and allowed the kitten to crawl onto her arm. Cold and shivering we warmed her by towel drying her fur and feeding her warm milk. Later watching her bounce around the room, we tried to figure out a name for this fluffy ball of fur, I was the one to come up with the name from the movie, Tomacina, and in later years I would shorten it to Tommy. From that day on she was my cat, my watch cat. She slept with me, followed me and played with me. She didn't have much use for the other members of the household.
My brothers, older than me, were at times perverted and cruel to her. My oldest brother would take her head, stick it in his mouth and act like he was going to swallow her whole. My other brother would sneak into my room while I was sleeping, Tomacina would usually be curled in a ball at the bottom of my bed, he would slam a baseball bat on the bed within inches of her just to see how high she would jump. I was constantly fending for her rights within our household. I loved her with all my heart. And I felt that she knew this, over the years she became possessive of me and guarded me with a vengeance against my brothers physical and verbal attacks. There were many instances, but this story needs to be limited, so I will tell you of the two that stand out most within my memories.
The years of tormenting 'Tommy' came back to haunt my brothers and they would forever carry her savagely inflicted scars. My oldest brother came home from his weeks of boot camp in the Navy. He got home in the early hours of the morning. I was still asleep, but he wanted to wake me up, my mother warned him to not bother me, he should have listened. This account was told to me by my mother; ignoring her warning, he opened my bedroom door and walked to the foot of my bed. Tommy lifted her head and hissed at him, again my mother warned him to leave me alone. He supposedly told Tommy to shut up and gently shook my bed with his knees. Tommy coiled and sprang and flew into his face, all four paws with claws extended swiped again and again at his face. This is were I woke up, the scene before me was hysterical. My brother was yelling for help and trying to get a hold of a fluff of fur that was stuck to his head. Tommy was spitting, hissing, growling and at times I could hear a high pitch scream, she was dancing all over his head, extended claws dripping with blood. He finally got a hold of her and threw her to the bed and ran out of the room. I gently lifted her into my arms and stroking her long fur I softly and lovingly told her good girl!
My other brother, the one that was the cruelest over the years to her, didn't even have to provoke her. She was a smart cat, she waited for years to get her revenge, enduring all of his taunts and torments she calculated her move. Like a carefully laid plan she waited patiently for the right time and place to attack. It came in the peaceful dead of the night, my brothers always slept in the basement and the basement door was always kept shut. But, for some unknown reason, this night, it wasn't shut when everyone had retired to bed. In the middle of the night, when everyone would be staggered with sleep filled eyes, and slowed down by sleep leaden limbs, she struck! A scream pierced throughout the house, then another and another, until the house was vibrating with the terror filled echoes. Everyone, me, my mother, my father and my sister came stumbling, down the dark basement stairs. The small curtainless windows allowed for soft beams of light to filter into the dark recesses of the room and allowed for me to see my brothers bed, the shadows of young man and flying fur looked like something out of a horror movie. He was tangled within his bed sheets, thrashing his legs and flaying his arms to fend off the hot tempered ball of fur. Tommy was spitting, growling and screaming, she bounced from spot to spot all over the bed, striking out with extended claws at any one of his extended limbs that just happened to make contact with empty air. I think we all were mesmerized by the scene, it took a moment for someone to turn the light on and when it flooded the room, Tommy took off, scrambling between our legs and skittering up the stairs. I found her later in my room, under the bed with wide fearful eyes. I coaxed her out and petting her lovingly I took her to bed with me. That night, for the first time that I could remember, she slept under the covers in the crook of my arm.
Both of my brothers suffered deep scratches and bled extensively. Most of the scratches healed without mishap, but both will forever carry a few that scared. When instances similar to these, but not so out of control, happened throughout the years, they would cry and holler for her head. Again, it was up to me to protect her from their accused punishments they demanded. My mother, never one to be overly fond of animals, never gave into their despair of grief. She would calmly tell me to put Tommy in my room and close the door on her, this mainly to keep her out of their site and for her own protection. Then she would tell each in turn they had no one but themselves to blame for their heartache and suffering. Then she would question them, "Did you really think you could go on forever and torment that cat and get away with it?" and would add, "You are the ones that made her mean, now live with it!"
Tomacina lived to a ripe old age, failing eyesight, hearing and missing teeth, she became unmanageable around my infant daughter. Loud, sharp noises threw her into fits of attack. And she would attack whoever and whatever made the noise. Thus, her last attempt to protect me and herself against the unknown was on my infant daughter. I had laid Imagene on a blanket in the middle of the livingroom floor. When Tommy heard her cry for attention, she attacked her tender head. Thank the good Lord I was right on top of the situation and stopped her before she could hurt her badly. I personally took Tomacina to the vet and lovingly had her put to sleep. She will always hold a special place in my heart and I don't ever think I will ever find another cat so protective of me and so loving!