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Cricket and Turkey

I've always loved cats, and I've had them as pets since I was little. Most of them died tragic deaths, unfortunately. My little heart broke for every one of them--Zig-Zag, Steinway, Fluffnut, and Wayne. Even our last kitty, Jitterbug, ran away from my mom's new house last year. I told myself I was done with cats, at least for a while.

But I've been out of work for seven months now, and I know for certain I would have perished of ennui long ago if my husband's mother hadn't rescued two kitties from the dump and given them to me. They were abandoned, bless their hearts, and I just couldn't say no.

When they first arrived at my house, they were terrified of me. They had lived in the wild, of course, so they weren't used to people, and they'd just had what I'm sure was a very traumatizing visit to the vet for shots. I put them in my hall bathroom with their food and litterbox, shut the door, and sat in there with them all day long so they could get used to me. They hid in the bathtub at first, and Turkey made advances first. For three hours, Cricket would only peep around the shower curtain at me. 

They sure have warmed up, though. As I try to type this, Cricket is rubbing back and forth under my chin, trying to get me to throw her pink ball, which she carries possessively around in her mouth like a mouse (old habits die hard, I guess). I gave Cricket her name because she makes chirping noises instead of true meows, and when she does meow it sounds more like a lamb bleating than anything else. And I let my husband name Turkey. Her true name is Turkey Scratch, after the town in Arkansas where Levon Helms, the lead singer of The Band, was born and raised. My husband is a fan.

They stick their paws indignantly under the door when they are shut out of a room, and they are rapturous when finally admitted. Cricket sits on the rim of the tub whenever I have a bath, and Turkey likes to watch me cook. They both enjoy pouncing on our toes when we are in the bed (which is why they get shut out in the first place!). 

They're excellent company. I may be turning into the cat lady, since they're the only creatures I talk to all day long, but I suppose that's better than being totally lonely :)

Here's a picture: Cricket is on the left with the white belly, and Turkey is on the right. They are sisters and like to snuggle when they sleep.




BookNerd BookNerd 22-25, F 7 Responses Mar 30, 2009

Your Response


Aww, they are so adorable! Thanks for sharing their story and their picture!

Cricket and Turkey are beautiful, and thank you for loving and caring for them! Sounds like they have a good, safe home with you. I hope they will live long, happy, loved lives as your family members. "RESCUED" is our favorite "breed", too. ;) cute! I got a lump in my throat from reading that heart felt story. Cheers to you!

Aaahhhhh. How adorable.

Aaahhhhh. How adorable.

Wow - you have amazing patience! I can't fathom sitting in my bathroom all day.<br />
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As much as I love dogs - I would love to have a kitty to sit sweetly on the rim of the tub when I bathe. The closest I could come to that was the dog who would spontaneously leap into the tub with me. Which is the opposite of the sweet kitty. <br />
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And for the record, the presence of the husband excludes you from "Cat Ladies Anonymous"

Well I wanted them to love me, so I was ready to do anything. My husband thought I was crazy, especially when I brought in my camp chair and a stack of detective novels. I was going to stay in there for a week if I had to. Thank goodness it didn't take that long, cause I might not have had a husband when I came out :)