I
remember the day I first saw her.
It was July 4, 1996.
After visiting with my parents my husband, Ronnie, and I
stopped by my sister's house. There to greet us came two
little kittens. One of them stole my heart instantly. She
had been abandoned, along with her brother, the night
before in my sister's yard. I admit there was nothing
beautiful about that little kitten and yet I picked her
up and held her close to my chest. She was thin and
malnourished. Her eyes were too big for her head and
protruded from the sockets. She was solid black except
for a little patch of white on her chest and tips of
white on her back paws. I saw great potential in her. Out
loud I said to her, "I think
I'll call you
"Precious."
|
My brother-in-law said I
could have her if I wanted her. I
wanted her all right, but Ronnie wasn't as thrilled at
the prospect. I
had just had surgery on my foot and was still on
crutches. He didn't
want to double his burden by caring for a kitten and me.
So we left
without my Precious, but I told her and my sister I'd be
back for her.
What fun I had preparing for her to come home! Amidst the
many reasons Ronnie gave me that we couldn't have a cat I
began buying all the cat essentials any good Mommy would
want to provide for their baby. My little ball of fur
would have a soft bed, the best potty money could buy,
good food, and lots of toys! I couldn't wait to bring her
home. There was still the problem of convincing Ronnie
that a house cat was just what I needed, but he had this
look in his eye that told me even though his mouth was
saying "no", his heart was saying, "Okay,
you can get the kitten".
Sure enough we went a few weeks later to pick up
Precious. I got to keep my promise to the little kitten
that I was going to come back for her. She was already a
daily part of my thoughts and conversation. My heart
leapt for joy when I saw her again. She had gained weight
and her eyes sparkled from her shiny black coat. The
potential I had first seen in
her was realized! At first she was happy being a housecat
but then one day she begged to go outside. I was
protective of my baby, so I put her on a leash and tied
it to the swing on the carport. She had plenty of room to
walk around in the grass and hide under the bushes during
the heat of the day. This satisfied her for a while but
then she again became restless. I began taking her for
walks on her leash around the house. Precious loved it!
She liked to "stop and smell the roses" and it
made me happy that we had found a compromise. I could
still protect her and she could discover the world
outside the house.
One day while we were out walking she sat down, hissed at
me and
wouldn't move. I knew in my heart what was wrong. I'd
sensed it coming on for a while. Precious was tired of
being hooked to my apron strings. She wanted to explore
on her own. We had been going on our walks for almost two
years but now it was o-v-e-r! I went into the house and
cried. It hurt to know she wanted to be free from me, but
I wanted what was best for her. I decided to give her the
freedom she so desired. I bought a red collar and ID tags
for her and prayed that God would keep my Precious safe
and give me peace! So there I sat watching her get her
first taste of real freedom and wishing she could just go
back to being that little kitten cuddling in my arms like
before. There we were on the carport as she took a few
steps and then realized she wasn't leashed to me, and
turned to look at me with gleaming eyes. I just looked
back at her longingly. She took a few more steps and then
stopped to look back again. What's this? Could it be that
my "big girl" still wants her Mommy close by? I
got up and went to her and she started walking again. My
heart was filled with such relief! She did need me, but
she didn't want me to smother her anymore. After we
walked around the house I put her back inside and
everything was fine. It was a momentous milestone in both
our lives.
Precious is now an indoor/outdoor cat and I have learned
to accept that
she needs her space. In fact, I enjoy watching her do
what cats love to
do - chase squirrels and rabbits, and explore every nook
and cranny
she can find.
She makes me laugh when
she runs because she looks like a pregnant cow running
sideways! She has brought me such joy and has been great
company for me. She still wants to take walks with me and
asks me every day to go with her, except now we walk
around the yard without her leash. I am confident I gave
her the perfect name that first day I held her because
she certainly is Precious.
|