Caturday with Peanut

Peanut, TiGrr and Maus were brought over to their Grammaw's house last evening, at the end of a very busy day, because we have to keep their dog, Clyde, company while Grammaw and Grampaw are away on another trip. Peanut is exceptionally happy she traveled before all that white stuff started to fall. Those little stumps that are her ears used to be folded flaps, until frostbite got to them, in the winter before she moved into my family.

Peanut's "formal" name is Proserpina, and she is Scottish Fold, on her dad's side (her mom was what the local vet refers to as "mostly feral domestic short-hair"). And for the life of me, I can't imagine somebody leaving a valuable kitten like this one out in the cold, cruel Midwestern winter, but somebody did, and for that I'm grateful, if appalled.

She got the name Proserpina the day, seven years ago (to the day), that she came up from living under my low and battered back porch, and allowed me to take her to the vet's for shots and repairs. The previous year had been hard on her. The people who owned my house before me were absentee landlords, the property was left empty for more than a year. Several cats had made the porches and garage their home, but none seemed inclined to accept this little one into their pride.

The people in the neighborhood all put out various forms of food for her -- she was inclined toward friendliness, so they felt obliged to at least feed and cuddle her. But since, ultimately, she made her house my home, she became my responsibility.

That winter was pretty hard -- we had a series of blizzards, and several weeks of sub-zero days. This little one lived through it all, without succumbing to most of the worst. Still, between her ear mites and the deep freeze, she damaged her ears, and the little folded flaps were gone by the spring thaw.

She came up from under the porch a week before spring officially arrived, and the crocuses began to crop up. I'd had time enough to persuade my parents to help me with the financial burden of veterinary bills for bringing a new cat into the house, and so we had her treated for all her troubles, fixed her so she wouldn't go dropping kittens at a moment's notice, and then brought her into my house to meet my other two wee beasties.

And, thus, we have the tail -- er, tale -- of the arrival of a small goddess.

And we also have the reason one little cat truly dislikes the Great Outdoors.

She's happy here in my rockin' chair.


Seeking more beasties? Don't forget to stop by Modulator's Friday Ark # 182, and, Sunday, rock on over to the CotC, this week (in time for St. Paddy's Day) to be hosted at This That & The Other Thing.