AprilMay2006 Stories

Butter’s Story
By Cindy Zydzik

Sara sat at the kitchen table , drinking her morning coffee. It had been a hectic morning already. Dan, her husband, had woke up late and rushed around to get to work on time. The flurry of activity had woken the children and she finally had them dressed and playing outside. She looked around at the morning chaos of her kitchen and felt a huge sigh leave her lips. Another Saturday morning. Dan on overtime, the kids home from school, her day off and just a million things that had to be done. She pushed back from her chair and got up to clean the kitchen. It was a start. Going over her mental check list, she wiped down counters, started laundry and made the beds in a fog.

As she went about her chores, she realized she hadn’t heard the kids for a while. They hadn’t been in and out the door like usual. In fact, she thought in amazement, she had almost everything done because she hadn’t stop for the millionth time to remind the kids to close the door, no snacks yet, wipe your feet, and all the other small things that usually put her behind schedule. She looked out the window from the kitchen and saw Sally and Robbie sitting crossed legged in the back yard with something between them. Sally, 6 years old was giggling and Robbie, 8 years old was hunched over something.

Sara walked out into the yard to see what had her kids so quiet and occupied. As she stood over them, a small kitten darted out of Robbie’s hand and made a bee line for her pants leg. Sara jumped back in surprise and the kitten tumbled over and scrambled back to Robbie. Again, Sally got the giggles. “Mom, isn’t he just the cutest thing in the world? Can we keep him?”, Sally asked. “Oh’ honey, I’m sure he belongs to somebody” Sara replied. Robbie was now laying on his back in the grass and the kitten was sitting on his chest looking like the King of the Jungle and just so pleased with itself. It was just a little orange and white ball of fluff.

“We don’t know a thing about cats or how to care for them anyway”, Sarah told the kids gently. “We have to find out if he belongs to somebody”. She suddenly realized what a beautiful spring day it was. She had been so busy with life, she hadn’t even realized Spring had come! “Tell you what”, She told Robbie and Sally. “Let’s walk around the neighborhood and see if anyone has lost their kitten”. The kids were on their feet in an instant. As they got themselves ready with the kitten, they were discussing names for him. Sara reminded them to not get to attached because he surely belonged to someone and it would just make them sad to give him back.

Two hours later, a little sunburned from being out in the sun, and tired from walking the neighborhood, Sara, Sally and Robbie were again in the back yard. With the kitten. No one had seen or claimed it and Sara was at a loss of what to do. A lot of friends had given her advice, but she was still in doubt over what to do. One man had even said rather meanly to drop it off at the pound, and Sally had started to cry. Sara thought of the million things to be done yet today and came to a decision. “Come on guys. Let’s get the kitten in the bathroom, shut the door and get to the pet store for some food and stuff. Mary gave me a list of things to buy and if we are going to keep this little guy until it’s owner claims it, we have to get going. We have to call a Vet to see if we can take him in and have him checked over also”

Dan came home that evening to a sparkling, clean house with delicious smells coming from the kitchen. His wife was actually singing and the kids were in another room, laughing over something. He paused at the door and tried to remember the last time he had come home to such a happy house. He kissed Sara and leaned over the pot she was stirring to get a good whiff of the spaghetti sauce she was stirring. “Wow, you must be tired after all this”, he said, waving around the clean kitchen and house. “Not really”, Sara told him. “The kids pitched in and helped a lot. Speaking of kids, Robbie” she called. “Could you come and set the table? Dad is home and dinner is ready.” Dan was just a little amazed that Robbie was there in an instant and did just what he was told. And Sara was wearing a secret smile. And Sally came in to help her brother set the table. Something was definitely going on. He was soon to find out!

Dinner that evening was fun. The kids were talking about how much fun they had had that day walking around with Mom and the shopping trip, and the vet visit and the house being rearranged to make it safe and all the other things they had done. Dan smiled softly over at Sara and thought of how happy everyone was. Then he backtracked in his thoughts. Did Robbie say a vet visit? Both kids were talking at once and it took Dan a minute to get everyone’s attention. “Why in the world would you need to go to the vet?”, he asked.

The room got quiet as Sally and Robbie turned to Sara. “Well dear”, she began. “There was this kitten in the back yard”. That was as much as she got out before everyone started to talk at once. Dan looked around in confusion at Sally’s pleading eyes and Sara speaking of kitten food and litter boxes and Robbie telling him the vet gave an all clear, that the kitten was a she, not a he, and all the posters they had made to put up in the neighborhood about a found kitten. “You guys sure had a busy day today, huh? And just where is this so-called kitten?” Robbie had left the room and came back carrying what looked to Dan like a small orange ball of yarn. He held out his hands and Robbie placed the kitten in them. “She is about 8 weeks old” Robbie told him. “The vet said she was very healthy and gave her some shots. He said she was taken care of very well and someone probably is missing her. But we asked everyone. Can we keep her Dad?”

Dan softly stroked the kittens soft fur and was surprised by the purr coming from it. It opened sleepy eyes and gazed up at him and in spite of himself, Dan fell in love with it right then and there. “Did we give this kitten a name?” he asked. Again, everyone was talking at once. “Fluffy. No, Buttercup. How about Tangerine? What about Sunny?” The kitten was awake by now and ready to play. She crawled up Dan’s arm and sat on his shoulder. He reached up to take it down and the kitten swatted at his hand. The room erupted in laughter as Dan and the kitten batted at each other and even Dan found himself smiling.

Several weeks went by with no phone call about the kitten. The posters had all been soaked in the spring rain and blown away or taken down. Dan and Sara were amazed over the way one small kitten had changed their lives. They didn’t sit in front of the TV anymore with blank stares. There was just too much fun to be had with Butter, as the kitten came to be called. Sally and Robbie would be sitting on the floor playing and Dan would be reading the newspaper and Sara would be knitting. Well, kind of knitting. It was hard to concentrate when Butter kept running off with the yarn and the kids were chasing her, laughing. Dan had a hard time reading the paper when Butter would launch herself at it every time it crinkled or moved. He tried laying on the floor to read the paper, but that just became a tunnel for Butter to crawl under.

The new piece of furniture in the house was a tall cat tree that sat in front of the window. Butter would race up one side and down the other. She was rarely still for any length of time and laughing over the antics of this kitten became normal. Dinner discussions were more alive than ever as Sally and Robbie reported of some new thing they had learned on the computer about cats. Sara’s heart would melt when she looked in on the kids at night and found Butter curled up with one or the other on their beds. She never told them that after they were asleep at night, Butter would come to their room and curl up on Dan’s shoulder to sleep. They learned about spaying and why it was necessary. They now had a vet’s phone number on the call list. Taking care of Butter had become a family affair. Sally fed her in the morning, Robbie fed her at night, they all learned to take care of the litter box when it was needed.

There was never a time when they had decided to keep Butter. She had chosen them and here she was going to stay.

My New Brother

By Missy the dog, typed by Mark Webster the human

Dear Aunt Wisa,

I has been a long time since I could get on the ‘puter and play with the clickie board thing and write to you. Daddy is spending too much time on it reading cat things. He is taking a nap now and forgot to turn if off, so I can write to you.

Do you know I have a new little brother? His name is Pippin and he is a kitten! Daddy got another little kitten. I really wanted a little puppy brother because it would be nice not to be the only puppy, but Pippin is OK, cause he is pretty good. He is cute and he plays with me!

Well, let me tell you the story. I remember the ringie thingie making noise and daddy was talking to it. Daddy said something about "bring the little one here" and put down the ringie thing and came over to me for a Talk.

"Missy", he told me. "Somebody buried a little kitty in a snow bank by the busy road. One of the people that your Aunt Jane takes care of has the kitten right now, but he can’t keep him. I told your Aunt to bring him right over and we’ll look after him for a little while until we can find a home for him".

I heard that story from Daddy lots of times! Another kitten on the way! But, I know it was serious, cause kitties can’t live in the snow. Daddy takes me out in the snow, and it is really cold. Besides, when the snow is there, the big deer things with the sharp pokey sticks on its head comes out. I can bark at it and it will run away. But, it might not run away from a little kitty’s meow.

So, Aunt Jane brings over the kitten. He was a little tiny boy. He was sad, because no one had found him a name. He also told me that the man who was taking care of him did not feed him all that good. He was given skeddy O’s to eat. Now, I like skeddy O’s, but Daddy does not let me have any cause Daddy says that skeddy O’s are not good for puppies. I was sad for the kitten, cause if skeddy O’s are not good for me, I know skeddy O’s are not good for kitties.

Daddy said the little boy kitty got ring worm, so I can’t play with him. Daddy put the little boy in the room and shut the door. I wonder if eating skeddy O’s gave him ringworm. Skeddy O’s are round, just like the ringworm. I don’t know cause I never did saw a round worm on the kitty. Oh, yea, and skeddy O’s gives you stinky poop, too!

Anyway, me and the kitty talk under the door while Daddy is counting beans. Lots of days he goes someplace and counts beans. I think he should bring the beans here and count them, but he does not. Me and the kitty, we talk about lots of things. I tell him about the other kitties here – Little Bit, Evan, Ranger and Dusty. Everybody calls Little Bit Bit and Ranger is called Fluffy. He told me about loosing his mommy and the cold snow and the skeddy O’s. He is scared cause he don’t like to eat skeddy O’s and the snow is really cold. I tell him "Don’t worry, Daddy will take good care of you". Then he asked me, "What’s a Daddy?"

I was sad, cause he did not know what a Daddy was. So, I told him about my Daddy and all the things he does for me and the other kitties. He asked me if my Daddy could be his Daddy too.

So, me and Daddy have another Talk. This time, I tell Daddy that we should keep the little boy kitty, but that Daddy needs to find his name for him. Me and Daddy talk all the time when we go to bed. Sometimes when Daddy is sleepy, I tell him that I want a new bone and he goes and hunts one for me and brings it home. I think, I talk to Daddy about the kitten like I talk to Daddy about the bone and the kitty can stay.

So, next day, Daddy tells me that the kitty has to stay cause of the ringworm. I know Daddy is fibbing, cause I did not see any round ringworms. I know it was cause I told Daddy to keep the kitty when Daddy was sleepy. I can get Daddy to do whatever I want him to do!

So, Daddy starts hunting a name for the kitty. He gets on the ‘puter and hunts and hunts and hunts. He tells me names, and I tell him, when he is sleepy, that the little boy’s name is Pippin.

So, when Daddy is sleeping, I get out of bed with Daddy and go and talk to him. I tell him that my Daddy is now his Daddy and that Daddy found him a name. His name is Pippin. Pippin is so happy, and we played footsie under the door.

Well, after a little while, the vet lady said the ringwork was gone and Pippin can come out and play with us. Daddy let him out and he ran right to me. I ran away cause I though he was going to hit me with his claw, but he just wanted to give me a big kiss!

Pippin is pretty good, except when he eats my food or comes too close to my chewy. I mean, why does he want to eat my food when Daddy gives him the soft food that smells like fishies. I like the fishies food, but Daddy does not give me any, I think it is not fair that the kitties get fishie food and I don’t get any! Man, that makes me mad!

I kinda like Pippin. He is so good, and he is so happy to have a Daddy, that I let him sleep with me and Daddy. I don’t let the other kitties sleep with me and Daddy, but I let Pippin, cause he is so small and he may get scared at night and I have to take care of him. But, I tell Pippin that I sleep next to Daddy’s back. He can sleep on the bed, but not next to Daddy’s back cause that is my place.

Anyway, Aunt Wisa, I gotta go. Daddy will get up soon. The kitties will wake Daddy up to feed them in a few minutes.

Love,

Missy

My Big Day Outside

By Ranger, typed by Mark Webster, the human

Dear Aunt Wisa,

I had a big day today. I got to go outside.

I’ve been trying to tell daddy that, now that I am a big cat and not a little kitten any more, that I want to go outside. Daddy has not let me go outside since I came to live with him. I stand at the screen door when daddy opens the other door to let the air in and meow, meow and meow, but Daddy does not seem to understand. He keeps on telling me that I am too little to go out.

Daddy takes Missy out every day. She is my big doggy sister. I don’t know why she can go out and I can’t. Well, I finally had enough of that – and I found a way to go outside.

This morning, when daddy was getting ready to go to church (he does not take me there either!), I jumped up on the window behind daddy’s bed. I pushed real hard on the screen, and it came out. It was a big jump down – almost 5 feet, but I landed in the soft grass.

Well, then daddy came out of the bathroom and saw the window. Aunt Wisa, I heard daddy say a bad word when he was by the window. He called all my brothers – they were sleeping in the living room. He ran upstairs and looked where I sleep when I want to get away from my brothers and sister. He can back down stairs and, I heard him say another bad word by the window.

I decided that I should go and hide from daddy. I thought it would be a fun game – like when I place chase with my brothers. So, I went to the shed where daddy keeps the firewood. I like firewood, because daddy puts it into the stove and it keeps me warm when it is cold.

Well, daddy is pretty smart; he came out to the woodshed, too. I was climbing on the wood when I saw him and I ran right out the door. I ran outside and climbed up on the deck. Daddy came out of the woodshed and was shaking my treat box. Daddy did not look too happy, so I thought it best to keep away from him for a little while more. I ran all the way around to the front of the house and climbed to the little landing by the front door.

There is a little window by the front door that daddy keeps open all the time. Sometimes, I can hear bugs by the screen so I try to catch them – but daddy put a puppy proof screen there. Well, it’s puppy proof, but it is not kitty proof!

Missy was at the window. She told me that daddy would be really angry with me if I did not get in right now. I know to listen to Missy, because she always tells me the truth. So, here comes daddy around the corner of the house, shaking the treat box. Missy tells me to get in right away – what is a cat to do?

Well, I pushed and pushed really hard on the screen and I popped it all the way inside the house. I jumped in and ran under the bed!

Daddy came in and fixed the screen. He then came into see me in the bedroom.

I though he was going to be mad at me, but he gave me one of my treats – the one with catnip in it. I like the catnip treat best of all!

Daddy walked away saying something about calling his card-ie-olo-gist and got ready for church. He also closed the window in his bedroom.

Well, that was my big day outside. It did not last long, but it was fun. I like to tease daddy!

Ranger
Kitten, first class

PS: Ranger wrote this letter to his Aunt about a year ago

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