Posted on 04/18/2003 11:39:06 PM PDT by paulklenk
Okay, so I got myself these two kitties, see? And they're adorable, see? So set a spell and listen, 'cause I'm telling their tale...
Two sisters -- identical brown tigers -- shared a cage at the Center for Animal Care and Control on 110th Street in Manhattan. They were three months old. I would like to say I saved them from certain euthanizing, but they were so adorable, and the other cats available for adoption were mostly mangie things, I can't believe this pair would have stayed a day or two longer had I not decided to keep them. I'm just glad I snitched them up for myself before anyone else did.
I had already decided to get two cats, so they could keep each other company. What a stroke of luck to find two sweet and docile baby sisters!
How identical are they? Well, one has a bit more stripes and other a bit more spots. One has gold eyes and one has green eyes. But other than that, I really can't tell them apart.
I brought them home on the subway in a cardboard cat carrier, courtesy of the shelter. The girls had been thoroughly checked, licensed, and microchipped, and were ready for a new home. I had only been in my new apartment about a week, but I had to have cats even before I had furniture. That was 2 and a half years ago.
You're loving this story already, I can tell. Well, there's more.
Boy, am I glad I found this pair. They are well-behaved, frisky, affectionate and healthy. They've always had each other, so -- unlike many pets -- they've never forgotten their instinctual cat behavior. In other words, they don't think they're dogs or people. They have retained all their natural cat-likeness, but with none of the negative behaviors associated with many cats.
Names, you ask? Okay: Lily and Mrs. Lightbody and Sometimes I just call them "Special."
Once I did get furniture, my first item was a loft bed from IKEA. It hadn't been set up twenty minutes and the two tiny babies were scrambling up the ladder. They run up and down that ladder many times a day, and join me for bedtime. Boy, do they love being cuddled! And neither gets jealous if the other is getting attention.
And let's not forget about "playing kissy." How do they play kissy, you ask? Well, this is how: It's all about getting kissed on their tiny kitty cheeks. While I lay on my back, a cat will sit on my chest and place her head down in front of my face, turning it to one side, offering me her cheek until I kiss it. Then, the other cheek is offered, and on it goes, alternating from left to right, until they have all the kisses they want. Cute, huh?
I have chosen Mother's Day as their birthday. When I got them, their Mylar intake collars had the date August 13 written on them -- the date they were taken into the shelter. And their age had been estimated at three months old. Nine months later, on May thirteen, I was rummaging in a cupboard and accidently came upon the collars. I noticed the dates -- it was Sunday, Mother's Day -- and realized it was their birthday. So, every year, their birthdays are on Mother's Day. We celebrate with extra playtime.
It will soon be Mother's Day... And a happy birthday for two l'il kitties!
My vet scans them on each visit and the microchips are still working.
[How about that -- a pre-war application of the word "embedded"?]
I'm saving it on my hard drive...! Thanks!
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