Charlie

I think we could have made Guinness Book of World Records last week for the amount of time we owned a pet.  We figured it'd only be a matter of time before we owned some form of a pet.  Kate has been pleading with us for years.  Really.  Years.  So the other morning, I came up from the basement to get some water after  exercising, and I saw a mother cat carrying her little kitten in her mouth into the back corner of our yard.  Hmm.  Interesting.  I didn't say anything about it until the next day.  I told Kate what I saw, and she went bolting out to the spot where I had pointed.  No cats.  "Well," she reported, "sometimes I see that cat go into the bushes by our pool."  

Before I could blink, I hear, "MOM!!!  THERE IT IS!  THE KITTY!"

I couldn't believe it.  It's like animals gravitate to her.  There it was, curled up and alone.  I told her to let it be, because the mama cat was probably coming back for it.  

Then it started crying and crying and crying...Kate stood there and meowed back of course... but still, I told her to leave it alone.  Well, it cried all afternoon, and around 6pm, when we saw it's little shaky legs trying to crawl through the foliage to Kate, 

we decided we should take it to the vet to see if it was ok.  

"Are we really going to keep it?!!!  I can't believe this is happening.  I MUST be dreaming!"  

She squealed.  

I've never wanted a cat.  But a kitten is a different story :)

If it had been abandoned, then we couldn't just let it cry in our backyard!  I was worried about bugs and ringworm so I wouldn't let the kids touch it.  Off we went to the vet.  I told the kids that we would have it checked out and if it didn't have any diseases, we could keep it.  But if there were little stray buggies inside of it, we'd have to find someplace else for it.

The vet began the exam and then went over to the computer to enter our information in.  "Un Nombre?"  He asked.  "A name?!"  Who knows!  I just want to know if the thing is clean...

"CHARLIE!" A voice rang out loud and clear from my right.  "I want to call him Charlie."  

  

So, after purchasing food and vitamins, kitty litter, and a thorough exam, we brought Charlie home.  The kids were elated.  I admit, for not loving cats, kittens are really cute, and this might be fun.  We cuddled it and played with it for about an hour, and then I made everyone wash hands for dinner.  As we were eating, I heard something that made me a little uneasy.  Another meow.  I told Kate to run outside and see if she could see the mama cat.  She came tearing around the corner white as a sheet.  "It's out there!  It was staring at me!  Those eyes!!!!"  And she burst into tears. So I went to take a peek.  There was the mama.  And those eyes!!!  She looked possessed.  No wonder Kate was freaked out!  I explained what was happening to the kids and that we needed to give Charlie back to the mama--a flood of tears.  I picked him up and his little claws clung to my shirt, so I couldn't put him down on the back porch.  

National Geographic unfolded before our eyes in our own Chilean backyard.  The mama cat hissed and showed it's fangs as I was trying to free Charlie's little claws from me.  I finally put him down and she hissed again, darted for her baby, grabbed him, and they disappeared again behind the bushes.  

    Kate doesn't want another kitty.  She said their eyes are too scary when they grown up to be cats.  

                                 We had a pet for about an hour and half.  Charlie was his name.  

(anyone need any kitten food or cat litter??)