Baby is a very intelligent cat. Most of the time. She found me, didn't she?

I first met Baby up in Joshua Tree (California high desert). I had always wanted to live in Mayberry, so I moved (with my cats) up there while we were selling our Orange County house. (Well, it wasn't exactly Mayberry, but that's another story!)

Baby started appearing at my front door soon after I arrived. She is a beautiful muted Calico, very sweet and friendly, and I was sure she belonged to some neighbor. However, the desert is not cat-friendly, so I worried about her.

There are coyotes who roam around the sparsely populated "town" at night, but even more to be feared are the owls! A very large one "camped out" on my back fence one time. I thought that was lovely, since owls are considered to be good luck omens in many cultures. Then I realized that the darn thing was there because she smelled kitties in my house!

Baby was appearing at mealtimes every day, so I just didn't feel that I could take a chance with her. I had a very strong feeling on one particular day that if I did not bring her in, I wouldn't see her again. And so she became my cat.

Baby was, at least until Gizzi arrived, the most aggressive of my cats, She is The Cat In Charge. She keeps the others in line with very sharp cat language and an occasional swift paw!

For the last week, however, she has been hesitant to come into the living room. Oh, she does come in, sooner or later, because the idea of leaning against me during prime time TV hours is just too appealing for her to pass up. But she doesn't sleep as deeply as she once did, and she keeps one beautiful green eye on IT -- the Evil, Bad, Malicious, New Scratching Pad!

She was suspicious of it when it first arrived. She didn't like the way it sat there in front of the fireplace. Dangerous, that's what it was! She tried to tell the others to be careful, but they ran over to it like a bunch of kittens. Even Bon Bon, who has no front claws, tried it out!

Now I have an advanced degree in Worrying, so little things like this get me upset. What could I do to help her? What kind of phobia would this experience nurture? Would she be forever scarred? I tell you, it was devastating!

I didn't sleep well last night, so this morning I took advantage of a cool, peaceful atmosphere to doze a bit. I woke up hearing a low, menacing growl. There was Baby, slinking across the room, one paw at a time, toward IT!

It didn't hear her coming. Suddenly, she launched her little furry body at it! Oh, it was a terrible battle! BAP, BAP, BAP. It didn't last long, but that didn't matter. She did it! She killed the scary thing!

Right now she is sleeping peacefully, stretched out crosswise on it. She is the victor, and she isn't going to let anyone forget it! I think I'll go fix her a boned chicken breast! -- and` maybe a small glass of milk!

Copyright © Renee Darvin
August 20, 2000