We lost our very beloved cat Kibby about 17 years ago – one day he just disappeared and we never found him. His disappearance left a huge empty space in our lives and even writing this makes me think of him and that hole is still there. He was a splendid cat; beautiful, clever and charming….he was much loved.
And then round about the beginning of May 16 years ago, we woke up one Saturday morning and decided that today was the day to go off to the local SPCA and get us a kitten. The first cage held some really ropey looking kittens and whilst one tiny tabby caught our eye, the SPCA assistant insisted we look at all of them. We slowly walked up the passage, and saw heaps of very beautiful kitties; some with chocolate brown fur and blue eyes, others just too cute for words.
How do you decide?
Well, on our slow walk back to the first cage we saw this tiny little frantically waving paw at about our shoulder height sticking through the chicken wire. The skinny, scrappy little tabby had hauled itself up the chicken wire and as soon as we were close enough it latched onto Lisa’s hair. The little kitten was bellowing and we just knew she was saying something along the lines of “me, me you Twits…me I tell you”.
So we told the assistant we would take that one and as the guy was filling out the forms he said out loud, Tabby female…and we said “oh no…we wanted a male…” and this little kitten burrowed into Lisa’s neck and wasn’t going to let go for anything. What could we do….we took her.
When we got her home, we soon realised that she might have come from an alley way. Certainly didn’t know that doing her toilet inside was a no no and she threw herself at the oven, like a wild animal, when I roasted a chicken that night. But after a day or so she settled down…a little nose rub in the toilet mess and she went outside thereafter. She also, in the first week or so, discovered that she was a lost princess – and promptly became a bit of a picky eater and just knew that all soft, comfy things to sleep on were her divine right. She also managed to infect me with ring worm in the first couple of weeks. She was riddled with it and it took many months of almost daily special baths (for her) and medication to clear that up.
Here we are...2011….and she is just about to turn 16. Her 16th birthday (decided by us) is on the 1st April…and yes, sometimes she behaves like a complete fool and clowns around like mad. Throughout her 16 years she has charmed us, charmed our friends and family and gathered about her a loyal following. That is our Bracken, aka The Great Brackeroo….
And, if you are madly pulling on your shoes to rush out and buy Bracken a birthday present, she suggests that you might like to give a donation to the SPCA, Animals in Distress or other such organisation….she would just love that.
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