Mood:  not sure

Troubled Travels

 

Sandra was sitting on the back steps watching Amanda and Alex eat.

 

“Mommy said you guys were federal cats, what ever that means. She said it meant you need to stay outside but I could put food out for you. I guess that’s ok too.”

 

“Meow, meow”

 

As feral cats Amanda and Alex do need to live outside, but there are many humans that will at least provide food and some that make warm places for outside kitties to stay dry when it rains. Sandra was one such human.

 

It was time to go, so Amanda looked up at Sandra giving her a kitty smile and wagged her tail. Alex did the same. It was a sunny day but clouds were moving in. Alex suggested heading back to the alley where he first met Amanda. But Amanda said they were on an adventure and to make it a true adventure, they had to keep going away from the alley. Alex had to agree.

 

Amanda wanted to follow the streets, but Alex suggested taking the alley. Besides, maybe they might find some treats to make the trip more exciting. Alex explained that following the streets was more dangerous because there were too many humans that did not care if they hit some stray animal. A prophecy that all too soon would come true.  But for now, they were two happy-go-lucky kitties out to see the world, or as least the city.

 

It was starting to get dark. They decided to head down one more alley then look for shelter. It felt like it might rain also. About halfway down, another outdoor kitty jumped out at them.

 

“MEOWWWWW” (kitty for who are you and what are you doing in my place?)

 

Alex told him they were just looking for a bite to eat, a place to spend the night then they would be on their way. Amanda’s charming smile helped turn the tide and they were led to a place that was at least dry and wouldn’t be hurt by a rainstorm. To protect his sources, Max, the new kitty they met, brought them something to eat. As they ate, Max joined them to learn about their travels. All three jumped when the first lighting bolt and clap of thunder hit. Then the rain started. Max was stuck where he was.

 

It was a loud, yet light rain that night. In the morning Max brought a few tidbits for his new friends then bid them on their way. Avoiding puddles, Alex led the way to, someplace. Neither of them had much of an idea of where they were going but the trip there was fun.

 

“Mew, Mew”

 

Turning the corner, Amanda saw it first. A kitten was lying on the grass. Slowly she approached her and saw the blood. But before she could get any closer, a human came out of the house.

 

“Amanda, come here, quick. Skittles got hit by a car!!”

 

Amanda scampered back to Alex.

 

“That human has the same name as me. But what about the kitty? Its hurt.”

 

Both Alex and Amanda watched as the human Amanda rushed out to see the problem.

 

“How dd she get out? The Henderson’s always kept skittles inside.”

 

“We can find that out later. Right now we need to get her to the vet.”

 

George, the male human, brought a box out and laid Skittles on the towel he had placed inside. Neither Amanda nor Alex understood but it looked like they were trying to help. There wasn’t anything they could do so they headed back to the alley and away from the scene. It was best for outside kitties to stay in the shadows. Their day was about to get much worse.

 

This time the sounds were much worse, and much scarier.

 

“Meooooow”

 

“That is a kitty in trouble.”

 

They said it almost together. Running as fast as they could, they stopped short when they saw the source of the painful sounds. One of their brethren was tied up on a rope and some human kids were throwing rocks at it. It was a game to see who could hit it from the farthest distance. Wasting no time, Alex jumped on the closest boy with his claws fully extended. His action brought out more kitties. They could smell the fear on the humans so they started to attack also. It did not take long for the kids to run off. Amanda managed to bite the rope off of the trapped kitty. She was sore, but could move. 

 

“Let’s get out of here before those humans come back. They aren’t going to be happy.”

 

Everybody agreed and they ran as fast as they could. Miss Peach suggested heading for the woods nearby. At least it was a safe place to hide and regroup. Amanda and Alex went with the group but planned on leaving as soon as it was safe.

 

“Meow, Meow”

 

Somebody had found a hole big enough for all of them to hide in. As soon as everyone was safely tucked in and out of sight, Alex apologized for starting so much trouble. Someone said not to worry about it since his actions saved a fellow kitty.

 

Alex stepped out of the little cave for a few minutes only to be met by a skunk.

 

He told Alex he saw what happened. If the humans came looking and had a dog with them, their little hiding spot would be safe. He said he would stick around for a bit to make sure they were ok. Alex thanked him and went back to tell the others.

 

As it turned out, they were safe no matter what because the humans weren’t going to come looking. The boys did tell their parents what happened but got in trouble since they had been warned not to be cruel to the animals. The boy with the scratches was bandaged up and told that he was lucky that was all that happened to him.

 

The kitties didn’t know about all of that, but by morning their little skunk friend came by and said that no one had even tried to find them. They could go on their way like nothing had happened. Alex and Amanda wished everyone well and headed off for another part of their adventure.

 

Posted by here-it-is at 10:04 AM EST

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Mood:  don't ask

Clawtus’s Kitty Meeting

Two pots for every chicken!! 44.40 or rust! Tipsy canoes or no news!

“Ma, this dude has got to get out of the catnip when he writes his slogans! What does he mean by 44.40? The rest of them make sense, but not that one.”

“Well Sissie, why not go with me to the weekly house kitty meeting tonight over at hilltop grove?”

“Ok, but only if you promise not to call me Sissie! I’m a big kitty now.”

Now you have to remember, cats tend to have names that are a bit unusual. Sissie is mom’s shorthand for Sistra. She wanted to name her Cindy but just when she was telling her mother the names of the kids (she had four in that litter), someone stepped on mom’s tail. She did manage to get the rest of the kids named painlessly. Meanwhile, back to our story.

Brasso McGear (his adopted human family thought he looked like a brass instrument) was in charge of the neighborhood committee. He was very good at organizing things, such as food for the outdoor kitties, or finding them warm places to sleep, but he was horrid at slogans. He was trying to let everyone know that winter was coming and there were many more friends in the alleys than in years past.

“Mr. Brasso, how can we help our outdoor friends?”

“I’ve arranged with Alex and his new girlfriend, Amanda, to look for places that can be made safe for all the new arrivals. At last count there were 44 families with at least 4 kids. That is up from the 35 of last year. Amanda took Alex over to the park and found a new place that the humans built that has boats. These can be used for shelter in the winter.”

“Ok, that explains part of your slogan, but what is the reference to two pots?”

“Ah, good question there missy.”

“It’s not missy, it’s Sistra!”

“Ok, sorry, but you’re new here to the meetings. Anyway, I was out the other night and I found these old pans that the humans had thrown away. Spike, our friendly guard dog, carried them over to the edge of the woods. We can use those to store extra food for the outdoors friends.”

“But won’t the humans find them and throw them away someplace where we can’t get them?”

“Not likely. There is an area near the edge of the woods that is covered with brush and not a likely place for humans to go digging around.”

Thus, by the end of the meeting, all the poor kritters that had no one to care for them, were under the guidance of the household kitty committee. So, the next time your furkids start asking to go outside, you can bet they are planning on helping their outdoor brethren. As for the ones that aren’t allowed outside, you’ll see them in the windows offering whatever advice they can.

Watch your furkids (I refuse to call them pets), and if they start meowing right after they leave the window, you will know they are asking you to throw some food outside or something to keep their outside friends more comfortable.

Posted by here-it-is at 12:42 AM EST

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Mood:  caffeinated

Arrowmatic Affairs

"Mama! I wroted a poem for Debra."

Love is like a Gorsh bush
One touch and you're on your tush
Be mine, come the big V day
From you I'll never stray

"What ya think?"

"That stinks!"

"Goody, I writed it right."

Max had fallen for the girl down the road. Ok, he tripped over her to be more precise. Debra was sitting comfortably and Max was just looking all over, except where he was going! He was a typical teenager, carefree and enjoying life. But he knew it wouldn't be long before he would be on his own. Skunk families are pretty close, but even they need to start their own families and Max was no exception.

He had never been real interested in girls, but Debra just smelled right. Cupid's arrow had struck just the right scent. There was only one minor problem; Debra didn't know him from Adam (Adam was the boy she was pining for). Normally her family lived in the elm tree near the edge of the woods, but they had recently moved to be closer to the food. This just happened to be about six trees away from pinecone central.

Every time mama brought home breakfast, Debra would ask if she saw Adam. She usually did. He would be strutting around like his tail didn't stink. Mama asked him one day about that very thing and told him, that if you're tail doesn't stink, how are you going to protect yourself and your family? He didn't have a good answer.

"Debra, forget Adam. He's more lilac than stinkweed. He would not have a clue as to how to protect himself or his family."

"But mama, he's captain of the bugby team!"

Bugby is the forest animals answer to the human games. The only difference is that instead of balls, they use beetles. For night games the fireflies provide light. Adam got on the team only by signing a contract that said no cheating, or use of anything aromatic. Some of the games stink bad enough without a skunk making it worse.

Debra had been hoping Adam would notice her, but he only had eyes for himself. Then came the day that mama saw Adam with another girl. She told Debra and that is why she was sitting by herself right where Max tripped over her.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. Did I hurt you?"

"No. But you look silly with those pink flower petals stuck on your fur."

"Thanks. I wear these to impress the ladies."

"Are you serious?"

"No, but it's a good excuse to explain the petals."

The petals were from a dogwood tree and had landed on the ground in an area covered with sap. Looks like Max is stuck with pink petals for a bit. After learning Debra's name, he headed home to see if momma could help get the sticky stuff out of his fur. It was a bit embarrassing for a skunk to be wearing pink!

Max walked in and before momma could see him, his sisters did. The ensuing ruckus brought her on a run. She was ready to start yelling, until she saw Max and the petals. It took her ten minutes to recover her composure. She wanted to know how it happened but wasn't quite brave enough to ask. Poor Max!

"Looks like that tree is really stuck on you."

"Thanks momma. Can you just help me get these things off? It's embarrassing."

It took several baths and a lot of patience, but finally Max was again just black and white. There isn't much worse than to be dogged by a tree! He headed back out to where Debra was.

"Better?"

"Much"

They became fast friends. The ultimate test came the day they were walking near the pinecone field and ran into Adam. But before they could say anything, an arrow landed in the tree, just above their heads! This wasn't cupid, it was a human with a new toy. Before Debra could say anything, Adam was gone! Max on the other hand made a beeline for the kid and offered him a free paint job. It only took a fleeting moment before the kid was gone.

Debra found her man! Max would protect her, Adam wouldn't. This budding romance was coming up roses, er, stinkweed. Debra's eyes glistened and Max was now feeling the effects of a different arrow. One look at Debra and Max was turning red. Not a becoming sight for a mighty skunk. He walked her home and then headed home himself. That night is when he wrote his first (and probably only), poem.

Max took the poem and handed it to Dee, as he affectionately called her. It had the desired effect. Max had just gotten de-skunked.

Posted by here-it-is at 3:14 PM EST

Updated: Monday, 14 January 2008 6:47 AM EST

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Mood:  hug me

Amanda Makes a Friend

Amanda and Alex left momma by the alley where she could stock up on food. As they left, momma told Alex to keep a close eye on Amanda, she could be a bit impetuous. With his promise to do so, they set out on the next leg of their great adventure. Both of them promised to stop back and visit from time to time.

Amanda suggested leaving the business area so they could check out some of the quieter neighborhoods. As they wandered along, Amanda heard someone (a human), crying.

“Let’s check this out. She may be hurt.”

Alex wasn’t too sure about this, but Amanda insisted. Rounding a corner, both saw at once a little girl sitting on the back steps, crying her eyes out. She didn’t look hurt, but she sure didn’t look happy either. Amanda bravely walked over to her and looked up.

“Mew” (Kitty for ‘Are you ok?)

“Hi”

At least that’s what it sounded like between sobs.  It’s against a cat’s nature to let humans just pick them up, but this poor girl needed some comfort and the petting made Amanda feel a bit better.

“Meow” (Kitty for what’s the matter?)

“Daddy tried to get a job but they won’t let him”

I guess it’s true. Only little children truly understand kitties and puppies. Kitties understand human but only respond when they feel like it. Almost always it takes a child to get a kitty to really open up.  Amanda was purring. This is how kitties show that they understand. But then,

“Sandra?”

“Wha, What, mommy?”

“Oh, there you are.  You’ve been crying. Don’t worry, daddy will find something. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

I know, but daddy is hurting.”

“Right now he just needs us to stand by him.”

Amanda had jumped down and hid as soon as she heard the little girls mommy call her. Alex told her they should just leave but Amanda wanted to wait around for a bit. She thought she might be able to help the little girl feel better.

“Kitty? Here kitty, I brought you some milk”

Against her better judgment, Amanda came out of hiding. She heard most humans use food to trap kitties. But she was hungry and the look on the little girl’s face was cause to trust her just a little bit.

“There you are. I know, you think I’m going to try and catch you and take you inside. But mommy always told me that some kitties only belong outside. We can be friends though.”

“Sandra, who are you talking to?”

“Mommy, there’s this cute kitty out here.”

“No, you can’t keep it.”

“I know, but we can be outdoors friends, can’t we?”

“Yes, you can be outdoors friends.”

Wow! This was unusual but welcome. It looked like this little girl needed a friend and Amanda could be that. Then Alex came out of hiding. He had heard the whole conversation.

“Oh, hi. I see you already have a friend. I don’t want to bother you.”

To let her know they could be outdoor friends, both Alex and Amanda walked over and rubbed their noses on her legs.

“Daddy tried to get a job today, but they wouldn’t let him. He is so sad. I don’t know how to make him feel better. It makes me sad too.”

“Mew, Mew” (kitty for hugs help a lot)

With that, Sandra picked up Amanda and gave her a gentle hug. Then she reached down and petted Alex.

“Thanks guys. That helped a lot.”

With that, she went inside and gave her dad a big hug and told him her outdoor friends told her it would make things better. He smiled and gave her a big hug and said it helped immensely.

“You have some smart outdoor friends.”

Daddy never came out to see Amanda and Alex, but he had watched his daughter sitting on the steps. Sandra was petting a cat and he wasn’t showing any aggression so he just watched without saying anything. He noticed that she came back in the house in a happier mood. Her outdoor kitty friends had performed a minor miracle. What he did not realize was that Sandra had also done her share of miracle making.

“Here kitties. Mommy says I can put out food sometimes.”

“Meow”

With that thank you meow both Amanda and Alex said they would come back off and on. At least they made a friend that day.

Posted by here-it-is at 7:20 PM EST

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Mood:  caffeinated

The Alley Visits

Amanda told Alex about how hard it was for Momma Kitty to find enough food for everyone. Alex asked where she lived. This was a very hard question since Amanda left home early and didn’t keep track of where she was going. Instead of just answering, she started to cry.

“Don’t cry, we’ll find it.”

“You, you’re taking me home?”

She was whimpering because her great adventure was being cut short.

“No, I’m not sending you home. I thought we could go back to get Momma kitty and show her some good places to find food. Then you and I could resume your adventure, if you would permit me to tag along.”

“Oh (sob), ok”

What Amanda didn’t know was that Alex had wanted to strike out on his own but was afraid of going alone. He readily admitted that Amanda was braver than he. But, together they could look out for each other. He went a step further by saying that they would have to look out for each other. He wasn’t going to play the big brother protector because it was obvious that Amanda could look out for herself.

Amanda knew the direction she came from, but that was about it. She and Alex headed that way hoping certain things would look familiar. Alex knew when they were headed correctly because Amanda would smile and point to something she had seen.

I wish momma had come looking for me. It would be so much easier.

Unknown to Amanda, her little sister begged momma to see if she could try to find older sister. She was too young to be on her own. At least that was her youngest one’s opinion. Momma agreed. It shouldn’t be too hard to pick up Amanda’s trail. Each kitty had a scent of their own and momma knew Amanda’s well. They spent a lot of time together foraging. Momma was teaching her kids the art of finding food, starting with the oldest.

“I’ve got a few scraps of food here. This should hold you guys until I return. Big sister couldn’t have gotten too far.”

I hope she didn’t go too far!

“We’re going the right way. I remember that house!”

“How? They all look alike to me.”

“Momma taught me how to recognize things by their smell and that house smells familiar.”

I picked the right partner! No one taught me about smells other than food.

Amanda headed down an alley. It didn’t look familiar, but it smelled right. As she walked over to a garbage can laying on it’s side, a human came out and picked it up. She was trapped!!

Alex had been checking out another garbage can and when he turned around, Amanda was gone! He was about to start yelling when he saw the human. For protection he darted behind some plastic bags. He had heard what humans do with kitties and he wanted nothing to do with them. He hadn’t actually seen any of the horror stories but why take chances?

“Meow! Meow!! (most humans don’t understand kitty language).

“How did you get in there? Here, I’ll let you go. If the boss saw me bring you in I’d be in big trouble. But, before I let you out, let me go get you something to eat. If I let you out first you’ll just run away.”

With that, he put the can down and left. Amanda was scared. What was this human planning on doing? She heard him say something but kitties don’t understand human language either.

As Amanda started to cry, the human reached in and picked her up. When he put her down, there was a big pile of cat food!! The human took the can and walked away. She was safe and now had food!! But where was Alex?

“Alex, where are you?”

“I’m here. I thought you were a goner! Wow!! Where did you get all this food?”

“The human gave it to me.”

Both kitties ate as much as they could then carried as much as they could to help them with the rest of their journey. As it turned out, it was a short trip. When Amanda and Alex rounded the corner and headed towards another alley that Amanda said smelled familiar, Alex caught a glimpse of another kitty coming down from the other end.

“Quick Amanda, over here. There’s another kitty coming.”

Amanda’s nose picked up a very familiar scent.

“Momma!!!! You came looking for me!!”

“Momma, I’d like you to meet Alex. He helped me find a lot of food.”

“Pleased to meet you. I can show you where there is a lot of food.”

“Ok, but let’s get Amanda back to her brothers and sisters.”

“Momma, I don’t want to go home. It’s time for me to be out on my own.”

She pleaded with momma and was told that she was right, but first she should go home and explain that she is ok. She let Alex come along. When they got home, all Amanda’s family started asking questions. She assured them that she was ok and introduced Alex to everyone.

After resting for a bit, Momma asked Alex about the food and he said he could take her to the place. From there, Amanda and him would take off on their great adventures.

Next week, Amanda’s adventures start.

Posted by here-it-is at 9:43 PM EST

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