Grandma Went Fishing for Some Peace and Quiet. Licorice Invited Himself.
Fishing, according to Licorice, is mostly about sitting very close to the person holding the pole. Grandma Odessa leans on the edge of a weathered wooden dock in a blue plaid flannel, a simple bamboo rod angled out over the green water. Her glasses rest on top of her silver hair, and she's smiling down at the black cat who has planted himself right at her elbow. Licorice gazes up at her with patient golden eyes, tail curled around his paws, clearly expecting that any catch will be shared. Reeds poke up from the pond's edge, and the backyard garden sprawls behind them.
If your cat hangs around while you fish, a few precautions go a long way. Hooks, fishing line, and lures are genuinely dangerous to cats, who may bat at dangling line or try to eat a baited hook. Swallowed line or hooks can cause serious injury and need a vet right away, so never try to pull them out yourself. Keep tackle boxes closed and clean up every scrap of line. Raw fish isn't a great snack either, since it can carry parasites and, fed often, can interfere with a cat's nutrition. A small piece of plain cooked fish now and then is a much safer treat.
Whether the fish are biting or not hardly matters here. Odessa has the quiet water, Licorice has her undivided attention, and the dock has room for exactly two. That sounds like a successful afternoon.
