The big one took me from my mommy
when I was four weeks old. She was nervous, she brought a basket with a blanket
inside it, to put me in, but the basket was too big, so she held me very gently
as if worried I’d slip out of her hand like water.
We drove home. She kept looking at
me worried and saying that It will be okay, that she and the little one will
take good care of me, “you miss your mommy” she asked me, her eyes welling up.
At home, she hid me behind her back
and called the little one. The little one was so surprised, her eye went round,
she took me in her arms, smiling, and breathless “where did he come from mommy?”,
when the big one told her that I was gift me for her, she began to tremble and
cry, and held me firm, but careful not to squeeze me.
The little one put me in bed with
her at night, I pooped on her covers. I slept in the little one’s bed for a
week, but I kept jumping off the bed, and they were afraid I’d hurt myself, so
I slept on a warm blanket on the floor.
The big tried to feed me cat’s
milk, but I didn’t like it. So she started feeding me meaty kitten food, which
I loved.
They both gushed over me, they
pulled a string of yarn around the house, and I tried to catch it, they got me
a little stuffed toy mouse, and a bouncy ball, they gave me lots of cuddles and
kisses. I was a naughty kitten, then I grew up and began to be calm and lazy. I
slept most of the day and demanded food and treats. The big one rubs my belly
when I order her to, she coos sweet things to me “you’re the most beautiful cat
in the world” which I know of course, she gets on my nerves, so I scratch and
bite her.
The big one and the little one, have
been my family for almost five years. Everywhere they traveled they took me
with them, we’ve been on the plane several times, I don’t like it on the plane,
it’s cold, and I don’t like being put in a crate.
I like it when the big one paints,
when she comes to her easel and her oil colors, I lie at her feet and purr, she
is calm and content when she’s painting. She always plays an audio book on her
computer, and I like audio books, I like being told a story, so I lie at her
feet, and listen, I like the smell the oil paints and linseed oil. I used to
jump on the table where she’s working, to get a closer look at all the colors,
but she always tells me to get down, she’s afraid I’ll ruin the painting. I
don’t know much about art, but sometimes when a human comes to fix something,
they say they like the big one’s art, and she’s happy, for an hour or two.
When the big one has tuna salad,
she’s forever trying to lose weight, I sit and stare hard at her while she eats,
until she does the right thing and gives me the tuna. I lick it, then leave it.
When the big one and the little one
leave the house I miss them a little, when they come back they tell me they
miss me, but I just give them a dirty look and go back to napping.
I know where to go to the toilet,
but every once in a while I go on the carpet in the living room, just cause!
The big one is a very emotional
human, she yells a lot, and cries a lot, she’s frustrated with the little one,
she’s frustrated with herself, she’s frustrated with me. I hide under the sofa when
she yells, I don’t like loud noises, when there’s thunder, I hide in the
kitchen cupboard. The little one is sad, the big one is crying, I go to the
little one, when the yelling is over, she ignores me, I go to the big one, she
cries, and holds me, I struggle, to get out of her grip, but she holds me
tighter, it’s painful and uncomfortable, she cries, and rubs her wet cheeks on
my back, and my fur gets wet, and she whispers “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m
sorry”
I squirm and wriggle to get away
from her, she lets me go. I walk away with swagger, I take my time, I show her how
indifferent I am to her suffering, how I disdain her for grabbing me so tight
and messing my beautiful fur, I take a final pitying look at her as I walk
away, unmoved and aloof.
She cries and then she sleeps.
Here's an audio of this vignette: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL59IzyC5VM&t=6s
