Cats on Tuesday!

A Bend in the Road

A Bend in the Road features Cats on Tuesday. So, today, I will follow suit and tell of one little feline waif who found a home in our house and our hearts.

I don't have a down-loadable picture of our little Ninette, but she came to live with us in May. A vet's office found her abandoned in the bushes outside their door.

DH and I always have always had cats from the early years of our marriage and all through the years when our children were growing up. Just a couple of years ago, we had two living in our home. One of my doctors, who is also a cat person, said, "Your allergies are returning. You'd be better off to find new homes for your cats -- or at least one of them. Sometimes, having two in the home takes you over the limit."

So, we decided to find a new home for the younger one, whom we had adopted when his original owner's child became allergic to cats. We kept the older one, who had been with us for our children's preteen and teen years. Sadly, the older one left home shortly after that and did not return.

So, dear hubby and I decided that while we mourned the loss of our pets, we quite liked our truly empty nest. Some months later, we started saying things such as, "Isn't that a cute puppy? Isn't that a cute cat? Wouldn't it be great to have a cat?"

So, dear hubby decided to surprise me by bringing a cat home. One Saturday, off he went on some mysterious errand that had to be completed by 1:30. I did not know that he was going to a vet's and that it closed at that time on Saturday. The vet's office had a number of dogs and cats who need a home, and dear hubby looked at several cats.

Then, the assistants showed him one tiny little ball of calico (actually soft tortie) fur, and dear hubby knew she was the one. He brought her home for me to name, and I chose Ninette. The vet estimated she was about six weeks old at the time, but I think she might have even bit a bit younger because of her small size.

Ninette took to our home at once. My father was staying with us while recovering from emergency surgery, and she especially liked to crawl up in his lap. The only trouble was that she easily lost her balance and sometimes clawed my dad in the process of trying not to fall. It's a good thing that my dad is an animal lover and was patient with her.

Ninette is a rambunctious, but dainty little cat who hops about in the yard more like a rabbit than a feline. At Christmas time, she became fast friends with our son's cat, and I think she missed his cat when he returned to his home. The loneliness was not eased when my parents-in-law brought their Yorkshire Terrier to see us this past weekend. Somehow, she did not find the poor old dog to be as companionable as a fellow cat.

With a little help from a spray bottle and a little maturity, Ninette is slowly growing up to be a well-mannered lady feline -- albeit one with high spirits.

So, that's my contribution to Cats on Tuesday.

Enjoy!
elizabeth