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Born approximately 06-12-00
Found and brought to their new home on 07-17-00
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For a long time, we proudly proclaimed the fact that we had 9 cats in our family.
In late 1999, however, within a two and a half month time span, we lost
3 of our furbabies - Black Cat and Critter due to accidents, and 20-year old Sweetheart due to cancer. Suffice it to
say, simply, that my grief was great.
By the summer of 2000, Rodger and I agreed
that we were ready to take in another homeless kitty - whether it be a kitten,
young adult or even a senior citizen. It just didn't
matter....although--a black one would be nice. A little girl. And
it would all have to happen on a weekend so that we could be there to
gradually introduce it to the other cats.
Do the best-laid plans ever
happen? Of course not,
and so it was in this case. No black cat here - not on a weekend (on a
Monday, no less!) - and not one new arrival, but three! Three little girls.
And this is how it
happened: on July 17, 2000, Rodger called me at work from the
nursery he manages--he had just happened to stop by for some
reason--and said a kitten had come running up to him, then ran
away. He told me he was going to look for it and bring it
home if he found it. I was excited. A few minutes
later he called again, saying - "Uh, guess what, there are THREE
kittens, and we're trying to get the third one out from where
it's hiding." Okay. Just bring them all home
then--no problem. I was already home from work by the time
he arrived, with a large box, punched with holes, on the front
seat of the truck. He carried the box
into the house, opened it up
and
there they were - three scared, hungry little kittens - approximately 5 weeks
old. The sight of them just warmed my heart. The mama cat had been seen days earlier at the nursery, but was never
seen again--she would have been brought home, too, if she could have been found.
It took us days to give
them names.
We wanted to make sure the names fit their little personalities, and I
think we succeeded. Trouble is the sandy-colored one with stripes
on her legs, tail and face--so named because of her adventurous, bold ways.
She was the one who immediately began exploring everything around her. Bandit reminds us of a raccoon, with a mask over her eyes. Then there's
our scaredy-cat -- Sweetie, because she looks so much like our old Sweetheart,
except that the only black she has is a butterfly-shaped splotch on the
top of her head and black mixed with white in her tail. She has been
the one that we have worked hard to win her trust. All three have
settled into their new homes--they may not realize it at this point, but
their outdoor days are long gone. They have now become part of what's
come to be known as the Bilbrey Home for Wayward Cats. |
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