Bip, Brig and Gig...a Love Story...

Before there was a Gig, there was a Brig. And before there was a Brig, there was just a Bip.

Bip hunkered down in the cage with the other kitties and tried to go to sleep. Eight months old, he was the senior of the kittens and he did not want to play with the others as they whined and mewed for attention. People gathered around to see them. It was Adoption Day at the pet store. Bip didn’t know what that really meant but he did know that lots of people came to the store and wanted to hold and pet all the kitties. He was over it and pushed his nose deeper into the corner of the cage with his back to the door.

A woman with a deep scratchy voice and long pokey fingernails was looking at Bip. She poked him his belly with one of her nails and rasped, “He’s a cute one.” She opened the door and reached in to get him. Bip squirmed uncomfortably as she pulled him from his sleep and grasped him to her chest which smelled like cigarettes and old coffee. She gruffly petted his head as he wriggled to get away. Bip did not like this woman and tried to get back to his comfy cage.

“Oh, not very friendly!” the woman said. She pushed him back into the cage and moved on. Bip curled back into a ball in the corner and pretended to be asleep.

After a while, the crowd started getting smaller. Many of the younger kitties were gone having been adopted into forever homes. Bip stretched a bit and then lay back down. Soon he was aware of another woman standing there. She had a soft voice and it didn’t poke when she reached in to gently pet him. She spoke softly as she rubbed that sweet spot right under his chin. Bip raised his head to get a good look at her. She was smiling and it made him feel warm to see her. She reached into the cage and carefully lifted him out.

“That’s a sweet boy!” She said, as she held him close to her chest.

Bip smushed his face under her chin and started to purr. This felt right to Bip. This felt good to Bip. This felt like forever to Bip. And it felt the same way to the kind woman too.

Bip carefully crept out of the cat carrier and stepped into the living room of his new forever home. The floor was carpeted and it felt good to dig his claws into it. The woman was there to show him where to eat and drink and there was a special place for when he had to go. Best of all, there were toys! Lots and lots of toys and the woman loved to sit on the floor and play with them as much as Bip did. The forever home had lots of new rooms to explore and it was fun pretending to be Inspector Bip and checking them all out. There were also big windows where Bip could sit and enjoy a breeze while making sure the neighborhood birds stayed safely in the trees. In the evening, the woman would sometimes relax on the couch and watch television. That was a good time for Bip to climb into her lap and sleep while she gently rubbed his head. Bip loved these snugs. He would always let her know how much he loved her by licking her face for a time or giving her a love bite on her hand. At night, even though there were three cat beds to choose from, for Bip, the best place to sleep was right on the woman’s pillow where he could snuggle up and put his big, round head on her shoulder. Together they would sleep and dream and Bip was almost sure the woman was dreaming about those cat toys too.

Sometimes, during the day, the woman would go away. At first, Bip was afraid because he didn’t know what would happen if she never came back! Sometimes, when he thought about that, he would be so scared that all he could do was go lay on her pillow and hope she wouldn’t forget about him. Her pillow smelled of her sweet hair and it always made him feel better. And before he knew it, she would be back. She never forgot him. When she came home she would sit on the floor and they would play and snug and purr. Then, while she waited for her own food to cook, she would feed Bip and it was always his favorite food.

After a while, the days when she was away, were not so scary but awfully lonely. The woman now was sometimes busy in the evenings talking to a man on the phone. Bip would do his best to get her attention but she would shoo him down and tell him “No!” when tried to get in the way. He’d go and lie down and wait. One day, the man came to visit. At first, Bip wasn’t sure if he was going to like him. After all, this man was taking up a lot of playtime and that made Bip mad. Bip was cautious about getting too close to the man but then something really fun happened! The man got down on the floor and started to play! The man liked to play! And he even created a new game where he would chase Bip into the kitchen and then Bip would chase him back into the living room again…and again…and again! Bip really liked the man! In the evening, when the man and woman were watching TV, Bip decided to climb onto the man’s lap.

“Oh I see how it is now!” said the woman with a smile.

The man rubbed that special sweet spot under Bip’s chin, causing him to purr and fall asleep. That night, Bip slept in the big bed with his head between the man and woman’s pillow. He put his head on the woman’s shoulder and wrapped his tail about the man’s neck. This felt like forever.

After a week, the man was gone again! The woman was sad so Bip made sure to give her extra snugs. He wasn’t sure when the man would be back again and pretty soon Bip and the woman were back into their old routines. And it was lonely all over again with the woman going away during the days. One day, when the woman came home she could see that Bip was a little bit sad. He wanted a friend. Someone he could play with when the woman was gone. He heard the woman telling the man about this when she talked to him on the phone. He wasn't able to understand everything about what she said but she got very happy when they talked and Bip understood that the man was coming back very soon! Bip flicked his tail and chased his feather toy around and around in celebration. That night he dreamed of running through the house with the man.

A week or so later, the woman was extra excited. She started cleaning and dusting and sweeping the whole place. Bip tried to help by supervising so she wouldn't miss a spot but the woman didn't want his help and kept shooing him out of the way. Then, one day, the man was back! He walked into the house and Bp did a little flip of excitement. He made sure to walk under the man's feet and rub, rub, rub against his legs to show him how happy he was to see him. The man was going to stay for a while so there was lots of play time ahead!

One day, while the man was still there, they took the cat carrier and left the house. Bip was relieved when they just took the carrier. Usually, when the woman brought out the cat carrier it meant Bip had to go to the doctor and he hated the doctor. Bip was used to the woman coming and going now so he wasn't scared when they were gone. He found a bit of sun on the carpet and stretched his body out as far as he could to feel the warmth. He wasn't sure how much time passed but suddenly the man and woman were back and there was something in the cat carrier. They put the carrier down in the kitchen and opened the door. Bip slowly walked to the carrier and sniffed around. Yes, there was definitely something in there and it smelled just like a kitty! Bip heard a soft "mew" and a tiny white and grey face emerged from the carrier. Her eyes were huge and she looked around, afraid, and not sure where she was. Bip walked up to her and gently licked her nose. It was his way of welcoming her to her new home. This was Brig and this was a friend! Bip showed Brig all of the toys and where to eat and the special place for when she had to go. He showed her the open window where she could watch the birds outside. Brig quickly took a place in the window and Bip didn't even mind that she took his favorite spot. Brig liked to play and it was great fun when the man or woman got on the floor and played. She was still a little shy so she didn't really try the running back and forth game. One game Brig showed Bip was hide and seek. Brig would hide somewhere in the house when Bip wasn't looking and then he would spend time hunting and searching for her. If he got close to her hiding spot, like when she would hide under the couch, she would sometimes suddenly reach out and swat him on the nose! That would start a chase around the room until they were both tired out. Bip would usually fall asleep first and Brig would go hide again. They loved this game and played it for hours! When the man and woman watched TV, Brig would stay close but not too close. She just wasn't sure about the people yet. But she was sure about Bip. They became best friends and Bip didn't even complain when Brig would boss him around sometimes. Because she was shy, she wouldn't sleep in the big bed with the people so, to make her feel more at home, Bip sometimes would curl up with her on the couch. Together they would make one big swirly circle of fur and that's how they would sleep, purring into each other's ears.

Eventually, the man had to leave again. Now the woman had a new way to talk to him while he was gone. There was a camera on her computer so she could actually see him while they talked. This was fun because he could see them too. Every time they talked Bip made sure he would climb up and be seen so the man would never forget him. Brig would stay back a little but she came close enough to be seen and, over time, she would inch closer and closer. Slowly she began trusting that this was her new family and this home was forever. Everything went like this for a long time. The woman would leave during the day and Brig and Bip would play or nap or watch birds together. There was no more lonely in the house.

But one day, Brig didn't want to play. She slept all day and wouldn't eat very much. The woman was worried and watched her closely. Brig started to find hiding places to sleep and the woman would have to look for her. And something else was wrong too. Brig wasn't using her back legs right. Something was wrong. The woman got the cat carrier and off they went. Bip knew she was going to see the doctor. He was worried too. He couldn't nap or watch birds now. All he could do was sit on the couch and wait for the woman to come back. When she finally came home, Brig wasn't with her. The woman told Bip that Brig was sick and the doctor wanted to keep her there for a night or two to find out why. He was giving her medicine to make her better. That night Bip and woman slept together in the big bed but neither one really slept much. They were too worried about Brig.

The next day the woman went to get Brig. The doctor told her that Brig had something called a stroke and it was serious but sometimes kitties had these things and got better. Bip hoped that was true. Brig was tired out when she got home but she was happy and even ate some food! She climbed onto the couch and Bip gave her a good warm snug all night long. The next morning when Bip woke up, Brig wasn't there! He searched the house and looked in all the rooms. The woman was still sleeping because it was too early. Bip was frantic! Where was Brig! Finally, he saw the tip of her tail. She was behind the bathroom door. Bip ran to her and kissed her nose. Silly Brig! Was she playing hide and seek? Bip jumped excitedly thinking this was a game. But Brig just sighed and didn't move. She was sick again. Bip ran to the bedroom and hopped on the woman. He pawed at her face to get her to wake up and he let out a scared squeak trying to tell her that something was very wrong. The woman reluctantly got up even though it was too early.

"Why are you waking me up?" she asked. "Well, now I'm awake. I might as well be up!"

She shuffled into the bathroom and there she saw poor Brig.

"Oh baby! Oh sweet Brig!" the woman cried out. She gently lifted Brig from the cold bathroom floor and brought her to a soft cat bed in the living room. Bip paced back and forth. He was so worried. Suddenly, Brig cried out and her back stiffened. Her front paws moved to one side in a way they had never done before. She looked at the woman with fright in her eyes. The woman immediately called the doctor and off she went with Brig leaving Bip to pace and worry about his dear friend.

A long time passed and finally the woman came home. Brig was not with her. The woman was crying. She gathered Bip up in her arms and held him close and quietly said, "There was nothing else they could do for her." And she cried some more. This felt sad to Bip. This felt empty to Bip. This felt like a hurt. And it felt that way to the woman too.

For a long time after that, it was just the woman and Bip together. The woman still talked to the man on the computer and Bip made sure he got to see him too. Talking to the man made the woman happy again and it helped Bip feel better too. The best day was when the woman shouted out, 'He's coming here for good!" and she twirled Bip around the room! The man was coming to live in the forever home too! Everything was getting happy again. Bip thought that Brig would have liked to live there when the man was there but he knew that sometimes friends have to go away and you have to never forget them. Sometimes Bip had happy dreams of playing hide and seek with  Brig. And everything was going to be all right.

When the man moved in there was something new that Bip discovered. It was a suit case! This was new and exciting! A suit case was something the man brought with him to carry clothes and other things in. But to Bip, a suit case was like an island with an inside and an outside. Sometimes you could climb inside and close it over you and peek out at the people in the room. It was fun to grab at their ankles with a paw when they walked past. They never saw it coming. Sometimes you could sit on top of the suitcase and watch everything happen around you. The suitcase sagged in just the right place so it was comfy and usually caused long naps. Eventually, the man had to put the suitcase away but it was fun while it lasted.

Bip didn't feel lonely with the man there because, at first, when the woman was gone during the day, the man stayed home. Bip could snug and play with the man all he wanted! But one day, the man went out too. Now both the people were gone during the day and Bip started to remember what lonely felt like again. Even though it was always fun when the people came home, it was also always long and boring when they were away. Sometimes it was so long and boring that Bip forgot to wake up to greet the people when they returned. The woman noticed that Bip seemed down. One night, he heard her talking to the man and heard his name said over and over again. He didn’t know what that meant.

The next day the people went out. They were gone a long time and when they came back Bip noticed that they had a new smell on them. They smelled like kitties! But there was no kitty in the carrier at all. How could this be? A few days passed and it happened again. The people went out and came back smelling like kitties! Bip sniffed and sniffed to make sure it was true and it was! But there was still no kitty in the carrier. Bip was confused but when he slept he had the most happy dreams of running and playing with a friend and sometimes even Brig was in his dreams.

Gig walked around the kitty shelter with her watery eyes and runny nose. Every time she came upon a food dish she would eat some of it just in case there wasn’t going to be food tomorrow. The shelter was warm, at least, and there were comfy beds if you were fast enough to get one. Some of the kitties had been here a long time. They eyed Gig suspiciously as she ambled through the shelter. She was skinny and they could see her ribs and her cold made her squinty and sneezy. During the day, the kind shelter lady would give Gig some medicine that made it easier for her to breathe. Gig was a scrapper though and she always gave the lady a hard time even though she knew it would make her feel better. People would come to the shelter every day. They would hold and pet the kitties and many of them would go off to their forever homes. Gig tried to stay away from the people. They were big and scary and usually they didn’t want to hold her anyway because she was so skinny and her nose was runny.

One day the man and the woman stopped in. They walked around looking at all the kitties. They told the shelter lady that they were looking for a friend for someone called Bip. Gig watched them closely as they made their way through the storefront shelter. There was something about this woman she liked. When the man and woman sat down on the couch, Gig bravely walked over and rubbed herself against the woman’s ankles.

“Oh, look at this poor thing!” the woman said as she gently picked Gig up and placed her on her lap. Gig didn’t like being scooped up like that so she quickly jumped down and started to walk away. Another kitty came over and rubbed against the woman’s ankles. Something didn’t feel right about that with Gig. She went back to the woman and pushed the other kitty out of the way.

“Well, she likes you,” said the man. “It would be nice if we could get one that liked me a little too!”

The man and woman did not take Gig to a forever home that day. They didn’t take any kitty home with them at all. Gig watched sadly as they left the shelter and drove away. She found an empty comfy bed and rolled into a tiny ball and feel asleep. A few days went by and more people came and went from the shelter. Gig, still coughing and sneezing, tried to stay away from them as best she could. She was eating from someone else’s bowl in the back room when she heard a familiar voice. It was her! The man and woman were back. Gig scurried into the main room and saw them sitting there petting a black kitty. She strolled over to the woman and rubbed against her ankles.

 

“Well, here’s that skinny grey fluff,” said the woman. The man reached down to pet Gig. The Gig did something that surprised even her! She jumped right up on the man’s lap and let him pet her. The woman looked at Gig with her snotty nose and runny eyes and skinny ribs showing through her fur.

“This scrappy girl needs some love,” said the woman.

“I don’t know,” said the man, “I’m just not sure if this is the right one.”

“Ah, c’mon,” said the woman, “Look at her. She needs us!”

The man looked at Gig’s little face and realized the woman was right. This little kitty needed a forever home.

When the man and woman came home, Bip could smell the kitties on them again. But there was something more. The man was carrying the cat carrier and there was definitely someone moving around inside! Bip thought it might be Brig! But it didn’t smell like Brig. The man put the carrier on the kitchen floor and opened the door. Slowly a skinny grey scrappy thing with runny eyes and sneezy nose crept out into the room. Bip wanted to show her all the toys and where to eat and the special place for when she needed to go but all Gig wanted to do was find a comfy place to sleep. This had been a big day for a sick little kitty. She was happy, in spite of her cold, and knew that she had finally found her forever home.

 

Bip stayed close by while she slept. After all, she might wake up during the night and want to play. He laid down next to her comfy bed to keep watch but after a awhile he couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore. He fell asleep next to Gig dreaming of teaching her all the best games. In the morning, Bip opened his eyes and Gig was gone! Bip searched the house for her. He looked where the food was and where the toys were. He even looked at the special place for when you needed to go. He even looked behind the bathroom door and was very relieved that she wasn’t there. He went into the bedroom where the people were sleeping. He jumped up on the bed and there she was! Gig was curled up in a ball on the man’s chest – sound asleep. The movement of Bip pouncing on the bed woke the people up.

“Look at this,” said the man with a smile as he gently rubbed Gig’s soft grey fur.

“I guess she likes you best!” said the woman.

Bip purred into the woman’s ear and they all four snugged in the big comfy bed. This felt right to Bip. This felt like family to Bip. This felt a lot like love to Bip. And it felt that way to the rest of them too.

Arnie and Belle...

Belle is a gray beauty!


Arnie, my big boy!


Big round head!


Belle likes to be upside down!

October is National Adopt a Pet Month so I thought I would write more about my experience being an "adoptive" mother to Arnie and Belle. I know I've written about them before but they really are two unique and individual personalities. I thought this time I would compare some of their routine activities and show you just how different they are.

1. Sleeping - Now anyone who has a cat or has had a cat knows that they spend an enormous amount of time sleeping. They're really good at it! Arnie and Belle are no exceptions. I think Arnie has taken his sleeping to a professional level. They each have very distinct ways they like to sleep. Arnie, for example, tends to like "holing up" in covered spaces like the inside of the condo/tower thing we have or the inside of his little tent house. He curls up in there and I won't see him for hours. Belle, on the other hand, loves a box. Any box. She'll squish her way into a box and stay there snoring for a while. Yes, she snores and it's adorable. One then they do share in common is where they like to sleep during the winter months. That would be on top of my legs pinning me to the bed until I lose all circulation. More than once I've awaken startled from a dream that I am being held down in a pool of water by cement blocks only to find the cats are weighing me down in bed!

2. Eating - When Arnie and Belle first came home I was told a mixed diet of both wet and dry food was best so that's what they got. Arnie has been a-okay with that since Day 1. In fact, if he doesn't get his wet food by 5pm each day he makes a real pest of himself until someone gets it for him. At first, Belle loved it too. She would scarf down the wet food like there was no tomorrow. When she first came home she was super skinny and somewhat undernourished so I think she was making up for lost time. Now though, Belle doesn't really eat more than a bit or two of the wet food but, instead, chows on the dry. Sometimes she eat the dry food so fast she will immediately throw it up. I know...sorry...not a pretty visual image but oh well! One thing they do agree on is that there is almost nothing better in this world than Whiskas Temptations Cat Treats. I keep a bag of them in my desk drawer and if I even open it to get a pen they are here at my side waiting. They could probably live on those things if I let them!

3. Affection - Both Arnie and Belle crave affection but in this they are very different. Arnie is a very insistent cat when he wants to be held, which is very, very often. If I have my back to him he'll climb across the couch and over the back of my office chair and up and over my shoulder clinging onto my clothing in the hopes that I'll lean back and let him perch over my shoulder. if I do, he'll rub his big round head into my face and ears and nose and neck until I stop what I'm doing and pet his head. Oh yes, he has a big round head. Occasionally, I call him Charlie Brown because of it. Belle likes affection on her terms. When she wants attention she'll come bounding over in her stumbling way and BAM she's on you. She does this at night sometimes too. Nothing like having a 9 pounds dead weight with claws just PLOP on your chest in one leap from the floor to get your heart racing!

4, Curiosity - All cats have a natural curiosity but in this Arnie and Belle are very dissimilar. Alex called Arnie "Inspector b' Larnie" because no matter what we are doing - cooking dinner, taking a bath, putting on make up, putting together book shelves, typing a blog post - Arnie has to be there, sniffing around, making sure it's all up to par and then we can go on with our day. Belle will stand aside and watch and doesn't really get involved. Which is much appreciated when what we're doing involves doing something big like putting in the window air conditioners. Arnie is also unafraid of most household items where Belle is terrified of the vacuum cleaner. I mean TERRIFIED!! She screams and runs and if you've never heard a cat scream you haven't lived. It's blood curdling.

5. Playtime - Both cats love to play and, by far, their favorite plaything in this house is Alex. I often protest when, late at night, the three of them start a romping game of chasing each other into the kitchen and back again. Alex will take off with the cats chasing him and then he'll turn around and they'll run into the other room and hide around a corner or a chair until he comes running in and then they're all off running again. It's actually pretty funny and cute to see. We've purchased a thousand little cat mouse toys which are always a hit until Arnie hides them all over the house and we don't see them again for months. We've had other toys too. Toys that hang from door knobs or are attached to a stick. Those last for a while and are popular until Belle chews the mousy thing or the ball thing off the end and then all that's left is a stick or a thing on the door knob. The mousy thing or ball then get hidden with all the other mousy toys. I swear I have no idea where they go. One day, when we move our couch there will be a million mouse march going on under there, I'm sure.

The whole point of this post is to tell you about my cats and how much they have enriched our lives. When you have a pet, cat or dog, you finally understand what true, unconditional love means. There's always someone waiting at the door when you come home that's really happy to see you and they don't care what you look like, who you are, how much money you make or if you really screwed something up at work that day. They'll always listen and commiserate with you when you need a friendly ear. And they will always, ALWAYS, make you smile. So many dogs and cats are out there right now that need a home. Please consider adopting and, if possible, adopt an older animal. They have so much to give you and they're just waiting for you!

In praise of animals...

Today, Alex and I did something we do once in a while...we visited a couple of local animal shelters. We both love animals and dream of the day when we can have a dog.

First we went to Kindred Kitties. Kindred Kitties is a store front place in down town Kenosha whose sole purpose is to rescue kitties and find them forever homes. We got three kitties from Kindred Kitties. Arnie was the first. They were showing him at Adoption Day out at Petco and I fell in love with him and brought him home. He's been my special guy ever since. We have a solid bond, Arnie and me, and I think even Alex knows that Arnie is really my first love! LOL

Next we brought home Brigitte. She was less than a year old when she came home and Arnie wasn't too sure about her at all. But, over time, and much hissing later, the two of them became best buddies. Brigitte took some time to warm up to her new human family but once she did she was a lover! Unfortunately, Brigitte became ill and started to have a series of strokes. Eventually she couldn't take it anymore and I had to make that horrible decision to have her put to sleep. I was there with her when it happened and it was one of the saddest days of my life.

Soon though, Alex and I knew it was time to get another kitty. We went to Kindred Kitties again. The best part about Kindred Kitties is that all the kitties run pretty much free throughout the two rooms of the store. You can pick them up and pet them and get a real feel for their personalities. Well, there was a skinny, scrawny, grey kitten with runny eyes and a cough that looked like she had seen the hard streets in her short life. I am immediately drawn to those cats who aren't as cute or cuddly as the rest. The cute ones get adopted easiest. The others tend to get overlooked. This kitty kept coming near to us, wanting some interaction, and then would go away. But if any other kitty came over, she would immediately come back and push her way near us again. We didn't take her right away. We left and went home and talked about it again and again. We went back to see her again and then went home again. Alex wasn't convinced she was the one. He was hoping for a cat that would warm up to him right away the way Arnie had done with me. Finally, we decided she needed a forever home and brought her home. Her name at the shelter was Zingers which is a stupid name. We called her Belle.

Belle quickly let Arnie know she was in charge. He's an easy going guy so he didn't really care about that. She was still sick when we got her but she soon got well and started to put on weight and thrive. And, much to his enjoyment, she completely fell in love with Alex and, to this day, she is his special girl.

The point of all of this is simply that we couldn't imagine our lives without these two furry, funny creatures. Yes, when we leave to go abroad we have the hassle of figuring out who will take care of them and then we talk about them everyday, hoping they're okay and aren't too upset with us. We worry if we think they're not feeling well or acting lethargic. I can't say they're like our children but they are a very special part of our lives.

Today as we played with the kitties at Kindred Kitties and saw the dogs at Safe Harbour Humane Society, we wished we had a bigger place to live. We would love to have a dog and a another kitty or two to share our days with. If you don't have a pet, get one. You cannot imagine how much they enhance your life. Adopt a stray. Avoid puppy mill dogs and go see the beautiful animals waiting for a loving family at your local shelter. Get them spayed or neutered. Then, sit back, relax and realized you are in for life time of unconditional love.