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A Gift?

A gift left by my car from the black cat who sits on my deck

Puddies & Puppies

Every night this week when I have gotten home one or both of my cats have had the rips. I find it so entertaining because I live in a one bedroom apt. and even though it's pretty small - they still manage to get going pretty fast. They both have a wonderful meow-growl that they do during the rips and it makes me smile.

This got me thinking about all of the animals I have had in my life. My first dog was a Sheltie named Bitsy. My memory of her has faded but mostly I remember her soft fur and that she was so gentle. My first cat was named Christmas. I got her when I was born or shortly after. She was a Seal-Point Siamese and she had a wonderful meow. It was very deep. I don't remember much else about her other than she was darker than most Seal-Points.

Christmas had a companion named Edelweiss. Edelweiss was also a Seal-Point. These two were quite a pair. They weren't like the Siamese in Disney's "Lady and the Tramp", but they kept us entertained. Both had deep purrs that were nice to fall asleep to. They definitely kept our boxer Brutus entertained. He loved to chase them. Secretly I know they all slept together when we weren't home, but they did a wonderful round the house chase when we were about.

Christmas got sick and we had to put her to sleep and Edelweiss was alone. Then one day a cute little white boxer puppy named Moby came along. Moby and Edelweiss were adorable together. Even though she was much older than he was, she kept up with and they truly enjoyed each other. She hung around until a short time after Moby got sick and then she left us as well.

I remember vividly my father saying that he didn't want another cat and he seemed so serious about it.

I guess we all change our minds sometimes. A few years later he announced that he wanted a cat. Of course he announced it right before his birthday and that it had to be a Seal-Point Siamese kitten and it had to be female.

When I say right before his birthday - I mean only a couple of weeks. I remember my Mother telling me to find one. I checked the newspapers and found a pet store in West Valley City, UT that had a littler. They had 3 boys and 1 girl left. I tore out the door and drove like a bat out of hell to West Valley. When I got to the pet store there were quite a few people there and one family was already looking at the kittens. They were holding the female and I was quite distraught. The next thing I know they put her down and asked to see one of the others. I quickly snatched her up and went to pay.

I don't really remember giving her to my dad. I only remember he decided to name her Sam. Sam Nunn. I never really understood why. She was quite the little devil from the very beginning. She got into everything.

My parents gave us a puppy for Christmas that year. A wonderful yellow Lab that we named Jake. He was so cute and had an adorable head. He and Sam were buddies from the very beginning. As soon as Sam was old enough to have kittens my dad decided that she should have one litter before she was fixed. We found a stud and off she went to get impregnated.

I don't remember much of her pregnancy or the birth of the kittens. Which seems strange given my scientific tendencies, but I guess I just wasn't into then. She had several kittens, I can't remember how many. We had decided to keep one kitten and to sell the rest. I have several photos of the kittens all sleeping on the top of a kitty condo. They looked like a kitten Celtic knot.

When the time came off they went one by one till we were down to two. Two boys. One chubby and the other with a wart on his chin. We decided to keep them both and we named the Porky and Wart based on their physical characteristics.

The first picture is Porky and Jake. The second is Porky and Sam and the last is Wart.

After I moved to Washington I was missing having a cat. So I started looking for a Siamese. Mainly because I have always had them and secondly because I like their personalities. I found an ad in the paper and called to ask about the kittens. I was told that there were 2 left, one male and one female. I asked if they would hold the female for me, but they said they couldn't because they had someone coming over. Whoever got there first would have first dibs. I forgot to mention, they were located in Puyallup, WA. At the time I lived in Kenmore, WA. That's about 50 miles one way....

So off I went on my trek to Puyallup. They were located near the fairgrounds and they had given me some pretty good directions which I (of course) double-checked online. It took forever to get there, mainly because like a dumbass - I decided to go after work and found myself right in the middle of evening rush hour traffic. When I finally got there I found a decent sized house, but when I went inside it was quite cluttered and dirty.

The woman told me that the other person had already taken the female, but the male was still available if I was interested. She passed me the most adorable little kitten with a stubby tail. She said he was born that way and while I had really wanted a female, my heart had been stolen by this adorable furball. Besides I couldn't leave him there... it was a scummy, dirty place. I called Sonya once I was back in the car and told her we now had a male kitten. She was working swing shift then and told me to stop by the lab so she could see him.

I trekked back with the kitten loose in the car since it hadn't occurred to me to get a carrier. After some frantic meowing, he curled up on my chest and went to sleep. I got to the lab and picked Sonya up and off we went to Petsmart to pick up supplies for our new kitty where we practically bought the whole store. We named him Fezzik.

A couple of years later Sonya decided she wanted a kitten and this time we ended up picking her up in the parking lot of a strip mall somewhere in or near Fife. She was adorable with extra toes. We named her Shadow and she tormented Fezzik from the first day. They soon grew to love each other though.

A few years later Sonya and I stopped living together and I felt that Fezzik needed a companion. I went looking for another Siamese and found a wonderful breeder. We sent email back and forth and she promised me a female from one of her litters. She sent pictures. I was so excited. This time we drove all the way to Brush Prairie, WA. That's 178 miles away.

When we got there we were greeted by Carole, one of the owners/operators of thecattery. We ventured into her home and were ushered downstairs to a room with many cats. Several adults and quite a few kittens.

She started looking for a female and told me that she had picked one out for me. She grabbed kitten after kitten only to find they were male. She finally grabbed one that was female and then determined that she wasn't the "one". She passed her to me anyway and kept looking. The other female had managed to get under one of the large cages and was centered perfectly so that Carol couldn't reach her. By this time the female I was holding had curled up and was purring. Carole turned and said "Maybe I was wrong - she appears to be yours". We thanked her and left. The trek home was very loud. My new kitten had quite a lot to say.

When we got back to my apartment and introduced her to Fezzik, he stared at me with a look that said, "AGAIN? I already went through this once." I wanted to find a name for her that was unique so I searched online and finally found Buto.

She is one of the most talkative Siamese I have ever heard. She greets me every day. She torments Fezzik by acting like she is going to love him and then biting him. He could take her if he tried, but generally he lets her win.

I can't imagine life without them. They make me smile and laugh at least once a day. They love me no matter what I do and listen no matter what I say. All they ask is food, water, a clean cat pan and some fun every now and then.