The Goldstein's Cat

The Goldstein’s became our friends when we moved to Kansas City in 1974. I was there for a year working on a grant project for the Union of Independent Colleges of Art. We met and had fun with lots of people during that year, but the Goldstein’s were particularly close, and as luck would have it they moved to Ann Arbour, MI about a year before we moved to Detroit. This gave us years of continued connection.
The Goldstein’s had a cat in Ann Arbour who they named Arthur Greenblatt.

This morning I was explaining to my wife how I used to be very energetic, in my “youth”, but as I got elderly, this all seemed to go away. She reminded me of the Goldstein’s cat story.

I was visiting the Goldstein’s for the first time in Ann Arbour, and after we entered, I heard Anita (from a back room) calling, “Arthur Greenblatt, you fat lazy bastard, get out of there!”

I had no idea that was the name of their cat and was a bit concerned about my welcome.

The cat had general characteristics that they attributed to me. I guess I wasn’t as energetic (at 36) as I thought I was. My “cat like” reflexes must have been attributed to that cat.

He was a lovely, lazy fat cat and a wonder to behold!