My New Family - Meeting Dash, the BIG dog!

My new home is a pretty big place, but not big enough that I wouldn't sooner or later have to meet the BIG dog.  Everything about him was BIG.

Anyway, I was ok as long as we kept our distance from each other.  The BIG dog never bothered me or chased me or even tried to sniff me.  He is really a very sweet, gentle dog.  But his sheer size just plain scares me.  I think I could fit in his mouth.  I am getting better and not hissing or arching when he walks past me.  I think I heard my Mom say that she wishes the new kitten would curl up and snuggle with the BIG dog.  She thinks it would make a great photo, and boy does she take a lot of photos.  I hate to disappoint my new Mom, but I am just not sure if snuggling with the BIG dog is gonna happen.  If it does, I hope Mom has her camera ready  :-)

My New Family - Meeting Giget the Dog

The next family member I met was Giget.  She was more my size, but not a cat.  She is a dog.  I have only known my cat family from back on the Front Porch.  I have never been so close to a dog before and I must be careful.  Giget was very curious of me at first and a little pushy.  My new Mom kept having to hold her and call her as she wanted to get too close to me.  But living in my little apartment helped us both get used to each other.  One time my Mom let me out of the apartment and let Giget get in it.  That was funny.  Giget liked going in my apartment as she got to sniff and check out all my cool things.  Giget doesn't like to play much, she just seems to want to guard my Mom.  Giget is always very close to Mom, especially when she is holding me.  But all in all, she seems to be a good little dog and Mom sure loves her.  I think we will get along well.

My New Family - Meeting Bubbles the Cat

When I felt confident to meet my new family, my new Mom set up this cool cat apartment in the family room just for me.  I think it was an old dog crate, but I didn't mind.  I felt pretty safe in there.  I met Bubbles the cat first.  I was so happy to see a member of the cat family will be part of my new family.  He didn't hiss or spit or anything at me.  He just looked at me and tried to play with me.  We batted at each other for several days before I was allowed out of my apartment. 

Bubbles stayed by my apartment all the time just watching me and me watching him.  Wow, he is a BIG cat.

Once I was allowed out of my apartment, the cat play began.  Since Bubbles is such a big cat, I always take the submissive position and bat back at him.  We have been playing hard.  Sometimes our Mom has to break it up because we get a little rough.  Mom was pretty worried about me because I am so little.  But one morning I heard Mom say she is worried about Bubbles.  His one eye was swollen.  Oops, I am sure my sharp little hind claw got him.

Bubbles and his sore eye.

Leaving the Front Porch

My life changed drastically early one morning.  I had already said good-bye to four of my litter mates.  Blackie went to the neighbor's of Grandma and Grandma.  Then a lady came after seeing a sign in the vet's office for free kittens.  She took my twin brother and my two calico sisters to live on a farm.  It was very sad to see them go.  Everyone hopes they are going to be taken good care of.  My last sibling, Tigger, still lives on the porch with my mama.  Grandpa wanted to keep one kitten to stay with my mama so she wouldn't get so sad.  He is the one that looks just like her.  I think it was hard on Grandpa to see us all go.  But he has been having fun watching Tigger and Mama.

Early that morning, the two girls put me in this retro blue laundry basket that was salvaged from the basement.  They taped cardboard to cover my head and put me in this vehicle and off we went.  Where we were going I had no idea.  But I didn't stay long in the basket.  I meowed my loudest meow just like the evening I was in the bathroom.  It worked again, and the younger girl put me on her lap.  I remained there for what seems like a whole day.  I did have breaks where the girl put me on a pillow and I got to watch out the window.  The world was moving very fast.  I couldn't keep up with everything and soon I spun backwards and fell into the younger girl's hands.  My little pink nose turned pale and my stomach hurt.  I then got a little sick.  That wore me out and I slept in the blue basket for a long time. 

When I woke up I heard excitement as the two girls were getting out of the vehicle.  I was wisked into a new home, up some stairs and into a sweet girl's room.  Wow, is it nice in this room.  There were balls to bat, pom poms to chase and best of all a dust ruffle to hide under.  But at this point all I was interested in was the pillows on the bed.  I slept and huddled in the pillows for a few days.  I heard all sorts of strange sounds coming from outside the bedroom door.  I was curious, but didn't want to know anything yet.  My two girls came in all the time and loved me, played with me and slept with me.  I think I am in my new home.  Far, far away from my life on the Front Porch.

In the House.

Soon I couldn't believe my eyes, but I was being carried inside the beautiful big house.  Both the girls kept holding me and carrying me from room to room.  Then they set up the bathroom to be my first indoor space.  They got it all ready and even gave me a bath.  Wow, did I whiten up and said goodbye to my little flea friends.  The girls said something about how dusty I was and that I had these adorable little spots dusted on my back.  Well, when they all went to bed, I did not like it in this room.  So I meowed my loudest.  Low and behold the two girls came and brought me into their room between their pillows.  This was the life.  I was so excited I rewarded the younger girl with good night kisses on her face and slept right on her shoulder.

Visitors

When we were 8 weeks old we had some visitors arrive to our front porch.  They watched us as we played, ran up and down the porch and ate.  The younger girl found me in my favorite spot under the porch and petted me while I was sleeping.  Boy did that feel good.  She then picked me up and I thought I was in heaven as she petted me so sweetly.  I purred and purred for her.  Soon the older girl took me in her arms and placed me in her lap.  I just melted in her lap.  They also held and petted my brothers and sisters, but kept coming back to me.  What I didn't know was that they had already fallen in love with me from photographs that Grandma and Grandpa had sent of all of us. 

Life on the Front Porch

Life on the Porch at 116 South 4th Street was beautiful.  When we were old enough Grandma and Grandpa put kitty food on the porch and even set up a litter box.  We had all the beautiful peony bushes and the porch vine and shrubs to run and play and explore in.   I especially loved hanging out below the porch on the beautiful framework.  Little did I know that my new humans would soon bond with me while I was sleeping in my favorite place.