All About Pets

Bella – Blending Two Families

When I met my boyfriend in 2000, one of his positive attributes was that he had a kitten.    I know how most men feel about cats, so the fact that he had one of his own was a good sign.  He didn’t have any interest in having a cat…the same way I felt before I got Jasmine, but as it turns out, fate had other plans.

He was watching a boxing match on TV late one summer night.  From the second floor condo, above the sound of the TV, he could hear crying in the backyard.  He went outside to see where the sound was coming from.  He spotted a tiny gray kitten crying up a storm.  He went over to check on her, and she wasn’t hurt, so he headed back into the house.  (As I said, he wasn’t interested in having a cat.)  

Well, this tiny kitten who could barely walk started running and stumbling after him, crying even louder.  Of course, he couldn’t bear to leave her out there after how hard she worked to get his attention.

He took her into the house, but it was too late to get any supplies at the pet store.  Not knowing what else to do, he made her a bed with a layer of towels in a large bowl.  She cried all night long, so the next morning, he took her over to his parents’ house, hoping that his mother would know what to do.  He knew that she was still very young, probably about 4-6 weeks old, and she would need to be bottle-fed, so he went out to get kitty formula and a bottle.  His mother showed him how to feed her, and she took to the bottle in no time.  In fact, she used to get angry when the bottle was empty.

One of his sisters was at his parents house, so he told her he needed to find a home for the kitten if she heard of anyone that was looking for one.  A few days later, she called to tell him that she did have a friend who wanted her.  When his sister’s friend came over to see her, she thought she was adorable, but when she asked to hold her, he realized that he couldn’t give her up.  After just a few days of feeding her and caring for her, he was already attached to her.  The friend was disappointed, but she understood.

By the time I met him, he had her for about 2 months, so she was about 3-4 months old.  She had a collar with a bell, and it was so funny to hear her jingling as she pranced through the house.  She was a gray tabby named Bella, and she was very cute.  If he was lying on the sofa watching TV, she would curl up and fall asleep on his chest.  She was definitely Papa’s little girl.  We found out from the vet not long ago that tabbies are known to become attached to one particular person.

Well, she didn’t seemed to be too thrilled when I came along.  If I would sit next to him, she would give me a look that said, “You don’t belong here”.  Through the years, she has come to accept me, although she will always be Papa’s girl.  She is definitely our crankiest cat, but she is still a special kitty to us.  As her “parents”, we can see the good side of her.  She is closer to the image that I had of cats before I got Jasmine – if she doesn’t want to be bothered, she’ll let you know.  She especially wasn’t thrilled when I eventually moved in with Jasmine, but she learned to tolerate her.

She is happy to let us pet her when she first wakes up, and she also lets me kiss her goodnight, but that’s about it.  At other times, she’ll put up with being pet, but the low growl will let us know that she’s not enjoying it.  She still likes curling up with Papa when he’s lying on the sofa.  Even when she doesn’t want to be pet, she’s never sitting more than a foot or two away from us.

She has come to know that Momma is the one who gives her treats, so she’ll often come over and lie next to me on the sofa, or even walk over and head-butt my arm to let me know that it’s time for treats.  Even then, she still doesn’t usually want to be pet, but I just have to say the word “treats” and her ears perk up and she sits still and lets me pet her.

I don’t want you to get the wrong impression of Bella.  She’s a very loving cat when she wants to be, but we just have to accept that it’s not always when we are ready to give her attention.  She is a very good judge of character, though.  My boyfriend has had friends at the house who she will check out when they come in, and then just walk away.  There have been a couple others that she will not stop growling and hissing at, and she turned out to be right about them.

That’s the story about how Bella came into my life.

More about Bella in future posts.

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