Parkside Pet Corner : Frank
By: Judy Saunders
It's time, neighbors, to meet our local gad about town, Frank. Frank, the cat, the myth, the legend is the undisputed ruler of our fine borough. When you see him strutting down the street, you know you are in the presence of greatness. Frank whose previous alias was Jake, wandered into the O'Connor's home in Park Vallei during a particularly brutal arctic snap in the weather and never left. He is a domestic shorthair and is white with orange spots, some of them in unmentionable shapes which perfectly suits Frank's ride or die personality.
You can easily spot Frank going on walks with his family throughout the West side of the avenue. Frank doesn't take these tours of our neighborhood lightly. He walks the streets of his territory in order to instill a healthy dose of fear and respect in the birds, bunnies and other neighborhood cats who dare to enter his domain.
No open car or house with a doggie door is safe when Frank is about. He thinks the entire world is perpetually waiting to either house or chauffeur him. Assuming that he is always welcome, Frank is often found curled up in cars, sitting on rooftops and sometimes having sleepovers in unsuspecting neighbor's homes. He has been returned to his home by the Parkside Police on several occasions but since he is a juvenile, those records are sealed.
Frank is an equal opportunity killer for those species that dare to dip toe in his garden. This is sometimes chaotic as Frank likes to leave his serial killer trophies strewn about the yard and his canine roommates think they are toys. It's very much the circle life in this yard as Frank prowls the tangled vines of the vegetable garden looking for trespassers.
Frank does have a sensitive side and often visits the kids waiting at the bus stop for his share of pets and their share of purrs. Typical of a cat, his nature is taciturn and while he can play cuddly buddy to the neighborhood children, he can turn on a dime to his caretakers if he finds their services too slow or lacking. To quote his human family. "It's Frank's world and we're all at his mercy."
