Kitty Cat

We were not allowed to have pets in the children's home. One thing I really missed about living with Grandmother and Mother was that I had a cat of my own, a cat that I really loved. I fed the poor thing the cheapest cat food available but it didn't seem to mind. At night, she would curl up with me and lull me to sleep with her gentle purring. She would gently knead the covers with her sharp little claws,leaving little bits of thread standing when she was through. She was always there when I got home, and I looked so forward to her greeting me each day. We lived on the second floor of the apartment building back then, and there was a screened-in porch attached to the back of the apartment. My cat had worked a small hole in the screen near a bottom corner, and would shimmy down a drain pipe when she wanted to get out. This was perfect as I didn't have to worry about a cat pan when she wanted to relieve herself. She was a perfect pet and companion. I really missed her after I had gone into the home. One fall day after the home had moved to it's new location, I had walked to the tiny little town of Palmetto Georgia, (really just a spot on the map, not having many stores or anything). I had gone to a small convienence store and purchased a soda and some chips. I was putting off going back to the home because it was a really nice fall day and I wanted some time to myself. As I stood there just observing the street, the people and things in general, I felt something rubbing on my ankle. Looking down, I saw that it was a tiny little furry gray kitten. It wasn't a newborn kitten, but probably several weeks old. I looked around to see where it had come from, but no one was there who looked like they were missing a kitten. Kneeling, I picked the little thing up and it emitted a soft purring noise. I have never been able to neglect an animal, and this was no different. I could not have walked away and left that little thing for any reason. I rubbed it's little ears and it closed it's eyes in pleasure. It began to knead my sleeve with it's little claws and I was totally in love. Now I had a problem. I could not take it home, as I mentioned, we could not have any pets at the home. I could not leave it there, I was afraid it would get killed in the road or starve to death. As I tried to decide what to do, I went into the convienence store and got a can of tuna. I got the store owner to open it and took it outside for the little kitten. It just scarfed the tuna, making grunting noises as it ate. I knew it was hungry and that made my mind up for me. I decided to sneak the little kitten back to the home and hide it in the woods behind the cottage. I would take care of it somehow-I could not turn my back on it. I tucked that little thing under my arm and walked the long walk back to the home. When I got home, I found a box and stuffed a towel in it to make the kitten a little bed. I brought home the empty tuna can for a food dish and sneaked a small bowl from the kitchen for water. I spent the rest of the day cuddling my little kitten, but I was worried about leaving it outside for the night. Praying for it's safety, I tucked the kitten in the box, left some chicken from supper in the tuna can and filled the bowl with some water. I left a small area in the top of the box in case it needed to get out and then I went to bed. In the middle of the night, I went back outside and checked on the kitten. It was cuddled in the towel, sound asleep. The next morning, I checked on it early and found that it was comfy and covered and the chicken was gone. For the next week, I secretly took care of the little kitten. I named it Kitty, and had no idea if it was a boy or girl. I spent every moment that I could with Kitty, still having to be secretive about it's presence. Kitty was growing very fast, and I was amazed at how quickly it was gaining weight. Kitty was always so sweet and loving, and I congratulated myself on a job well done by rescuing him or her. The food I left was always eaten completly and I wondered if I was feeding Kitty enough. About a month after I had brought Kitty home, I was really surprised at how much weight he or she had put on. To tell the truth, he or she was actually getting kind of fat. Each night I put him or her in the box and made sure there was food and water, kissed Kitty and tucked the towel tight. By then, Kitty had begun to wander from the box during the night but always came running when I came out. I then realized that Kitty must have learned to hunt and perhaps that was why he or she was gaining so much weight. I thought that he or she must have been the smartest cat in the world! One day, I solved the mystery of the weight gaining kitten. Early one morning, I sneaked out the back day to go and check on Kitty. The box was empty, and so I began to look around to see where Kitty may be. I heard a quiet voice going, "Here kitty kitty" and realized someone was calling my cat. I was frightened that I had been found out and would have to get rid of Kitty. I followed the voice and to my surprise, I saw the matron very quietly calling Kitty. Kitty was going to her with no fear, and I knew the jig was up. I would lose my precious Kitty. I didn't know what to do, I didn't want to let the matron know that I had been harboring Kitty for so long. I decided to watch and see what she would do when Kitty went to her. To my surprise, Kitty went right up to the matron and jumped up in her arms, allowing the matron to rub his or her ears and scratch under his or her neck. Then to my utter surprise, the matron set Kitty down, went into the kitchen and returned with a saucer of milk and some canned cat food. As Kitty feasted, the matron stood over him or her with hands on her hips and a tender look on her face. She liked Kitty! Maybe she would let me keep Kitty! Quietly, I approached the matron, but she did not see me because she was enjoying watching Kitty eat breakfast. Then she looked up and got a startled look on her face. Glancing at Kitty and then at me, she looked rather nervous. I went up to her and grinned, hoping to soften her heart when I told her that I had brought Kitty home with me more than a month earlier. Before I could say anything however, the matron smiled at me. She quietly walked over to me and asked me if I could keep a secret. I said sure, and she quietly told me that one morning, about a month before, she had come out the back door to find this darling little kitty roaming around the back steps. She knew we could not have pets, but she had been secretly feeding it ever since. She told me it lived in the woods, and no one needed to know about it. She also said that she hoped that I would not mention it to anyone as she really wanted to keep the kitty around. Talk about an answer to my prayers! For once I knew to keep my mouth shut and not admit that it was me that had brought the kitty back to the home. I just assured the matron that her secret was safe with me, not to worry. She told me I could pet the kitten anytime, and not to worry, it was friendly. (I already knew that!) I left the matron there with her new charge, but not until after I asked two questions. The first was: What had she named the kitten? She said, "Oh, I just call him Kitty". That prompted the second question: How did she know Kitty was a boy? She laughed and showed my how to tell the difference between a boy kitten and a girl. So, I resuced Kitty, not knowing if it would work out or not, and it did. Kitty would prove to be a valuable asset to our cottage in the future, but I will tell you more about that later.