Community Corner
Tosca Love: An Affable And Talented Cat
Lou Gallo's calico of distinction. Her owner will regal her with a dish of cod on Valentine's Day.
Eight weeks after Cleopatra the cat's 16-year reign ended, Tosca's started.
Swampscott historian Lou Gallo picked Tosca from kittens in a litter at the apartment below his cousin's place on Humphrey Street.
Find out what's happening in Swampscottwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Maybe it is more accurate to say Tosca picked Lou.
"When I picked her up she kind of cuddled in my arm and it was like she sighed," he said.
Find out what's happening in Swampscottwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Tosca is now in Year 12 of her dominion over the Gallo household.
To this day she does the same cuddle thing. She has developed intellectually, too.
She has a sixth sense about Lou's health, he said.
When he's not feeling well, Tosca sleeps next to his ear; when he feels better she sleeps between his ankles.
The affable Tosca can also predict storms.
Thirty seconds before a storm hits she becomes Velcro kitty pinning her claws to her owner's pant leg.
“She’s a better weatherman than the TV," he said.
Like the people on TV, Tosca likes attention and wants to be a part of everything.
The first year it was the Christmas tree.
Lou had the tree half decorated and saw it move.
"What the ...," he thought.
Tosca poked her white head from the tree’s green branches.
When Tosca was 2 she had her own Barbie.
One day Lou's friend and her daughter, Bailey, 5, were over the house. Bailey had brought her Barbie doll.
Tosca and Bailey sat in the far room playing with their Barbies, Lou said.
After a while he heard Bailey.
"Tosca," Bailey scolded, "don't eat Barbie's head."
Recent Tosca feats have been technical, said Lou, who is advancing his computer skills.
If Lou is on the computer she moves in.
One day he was typing an email and Tosca pranced on the keyboard.
He moved her and saw the entire screen was filled and noticed that the zoom extended well beyond 100 percent.
Later he ended up using the function.
“I learned something from the cat,” he said.
Today, Valentine's Day, Tosca will eat her favorite food.
It will be cod from a small can.
Tosca has yet to master can opening but she has someone around who can do that for her.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
