Get that mouse!
Seven years ago today, I fell in love. I'd made a few visits to the local Humane Society animal shelter, with the intent of adopting a kitten. The shelter is a fine one, with a cage room for solitary adult cats, and spacious sunrooms for pairs of adults and for litters of kittens. On this particular day, I was wandering among the rooms, admiring and talking with the dozens of felines up for adoption.
And that's when it happened. I paused at the picture window into one sunroom and there, backlit in a way that made her look radiant from within, was a calico female perched in the sunlight, innocent and proud and beautiful. I was enchanted. There were four kittens in the room in various states of play or rest ~ all siblings ~ two calico females and two white males with striking black markings. All were born on February 27, not quite five months earlier.
I wanted to take all four home, but realized that my apartment would accommodate two at most. So I went home to sleep on it, and in the morning had decided on adopting the two sisters. When I arrived at the shelter, I was told that one brother and one sister had just been adopted by someone else. I pounced, and laid claim to the remaining brother and sister.
And that's when Chiaro, Mao and I began to share life together. They make me laugh, they keep me sane, and they keep each other company when I'm gone. Chiaro (the white male) has grown to 13 lb., and his face reflects his half-Siamese parentage. He's vocal, especially when feeling hungry or lonely. Mao (the calico female) is quieter and smaller at 11 lb. At feeding time their duet is comical ~ his voice is deeper and somewhat nasal, while hers is higher and almost birdlike. Both like to sleep snuggled on or against me at night, which I love.
Because they're indoor cats, they're in excellent health. I look forward to seven more years with them, and if I'm lucky, another seven after that. Here's to true companionship. (Note: all the photos were taken using a 35mm film camera, before I got my digital camera. Clarity and detail are lower, but you get the idea.)
Nom-nom-nom
Sentry duty
Nap time
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