Our upstairs neighbors got a kitten, put him on their screened-in lanai and left him. The kitten cried and cried with loneliness. My roommate and I would talk to him, "Baby kitty, don't cry. We hear you. You're not alone."
One day, we heard his meows coming from outside. He was huddled up halfway down the stairs, wailing his little ginger heart out. We took him in, gave him a snack, and loved on him a bit. Around 11, his "family" came home and my roomie went upstairs to ask if he had fallen out of the lanai. (It wasn't unheard of for pets to push out the screens and tumble out.) He was told, "We put him out because he purred too loud". I later found a small pile of kibble and a catnip fish on the ground behind the building.
Although we already had two kitties allowed by our lease, we adopted him, got him neutered, chipped and vetted. We named him Baby Kitty, as we had been calling him that through the porch for several months. The evening after he was neutered, the friends who picked him up stayed over for a chat. B.K., still wobbly from his surgery, carefully made his way around the room to say goodnight. Then he wobbled his way over to my roommate, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor. He looked up at him as if to say, "Daddy, I don't feel so good". He carefully crawled into Thom's lap and fell asleep.
Almost nine years later and B.K. (aka The Orange Terror, the Orange Furrorist, and Beekers) is a sleek, nine-pound bundle of purrsonality. Interestingly, he didn't begin to purr audibly until about four years ago. He does, however, have an entire vocabulary of trills. Still, he shows his lack of proper socialization. He has to be gas-sedated for vet exams, as he goes completely berserk and will viciously attack anyone who tries to handle him, including his parents. At home, he can be the sweetest, most loving cat you could want - on his terms. He doesn't like to be picked up by anyone. Visitors to our home will be thoroughly sniffed. He will often rear up on his hind legs, giving the impression he wants to be picked up. Anyone who ignores our warnings about this risks being clawed and/or bitten.
He is a diligent watch cat, vetting anyone who comes into his home. He loves to ride around the house on my lap or the back of my wheelchair, and will keep himself between me and anyone he doesn't care for. If they get too close, they will be met with a puffy tail and warning hisses. He is an excellent nurse, staying with me through migraines, vertigo and bouts of depression/anxiety. At night, he can be found on my bed, close enough for the occasional pet.
Despite his rough start, he is all in all a Very Good Cat. He is the inspiration behind my custom-designed indoor cat collars, and sometimes serves as a backdrop when I photograph jewelry. He is silly and playful, but manages to retain his catly dignity. He hangs out on the lanai of our house now, but the window is always open and he is never ignored or neglected. Baby Kitty, forever home.
Margaret B.
PLANT CITY, FL
