... AND MY LIFE WAS CHANGED FOREVER

Three years ago TOMORROW, one of my cats, Nibblets, was born ... on my front porch.

I have -- for most of my life -- had dogs in it. Some dogs were mine -- that would be Whitey, Sally & Jinx -- & some belonged to neighbors. Bonnie & Sassy were great dogs that I enjoyed their time with me; they just belonged to other people.

I've done a bit of "dog sitting". Several times when I lived in Memphis, I kept Buffy, the Shih Tzu which belonged to my friend, "Wemus". [The dogs official name was "Buffet's Boat Drink", in honor of singer Jimmy Buffet.]

The last dog I "owned" was Jinx, when I was in high school in New York. A "neighbor" down the road shot & killed Jinx. He said Jinx was "threatening" one of his sheep. Some neighbor. At least he told me what happened & brought Jinx back to me so I could bury her.

Through the years I have been content with other peoples dogs. All of the fun & none of the clean-up, mess & Vet bills.

Cats were "tolerated". I never owned one. Never wanted to. People around me owned them & I fussed with their cats. I just made sure I didn't get scratched or bitten, something I "knew" those "bird killers" did all the time. I really didn't want anything to do with cats.

One thing I learned about cats; if they want to interact with you they will. Yes, they can be very stand-offish. They can also "claim you" if they want & there is a hard way to go to convince them otherwise.

You can see where this is going, can't you ??

Make a long story short. [As if I can ever do that !!] The neighbor down the road had a kitten. It "belonged" to their granddaughter, who was only here occasionally, with visitation rights.

The cat came around my house. I made the [BIG] mistake of buying some cat food for it. [She -- Precious -- was already (metaphorically) ... sinking her claws into me.]

Strictly an outdoor cat as far as I was concerned, Precious spent more & more time here at my place & less & less at "her home". I tried to ignore the cat, but at the same time began to feel sorry for Precious, because -- as I learned -- she got little or no attention from the true "owners".

Of course... I became "the owner". [If you can truly "own" a cat.] Precious had made her choice & I was it. I just wish the neighbors had gotten her "fixed", as it was easy to see she was pregnant.

I am trying to make this story "short. Trust me. I'm leaving out lots of stuff.

On March 22, 2007, Precious went into labor that morning on my front porch. I knew at the time she was too young to be having kittens & not prepared for it physically or maternally. [Kind of like the teenagers having babies on that MTV show.] I became the "midwife" & was assisting her as best I could, but we were both in uncharted waters. [I was cutting umbilical cords on the new kittens & handing them back to Precious.]

For whatever reason, of the six kittens Precious had, only one lived. The kitten was named Nibblets, for no reason I can remember. I set them both up in a box filled with towels on the front porch & left it up to Precious to solve any other problems.

Like all kittens, Nibblets was born with her eyes closed, but with workable -- & sharp -- claws. She fit quite well in my hand & was a "cutie" from the word go. [I was sinking deeper in to the clutches of cats.]

Somehow, between the limited knowledge of cats on my part, the youth of Momma Precious, & despite the cold weather on the porch, Nibblets survived.

Part of the survival of both cats, was due to my friend, Bubba. Shortly after all this birthing business began -- not to be confused with "Birthers" -- I my chest sawed open & four bypasses put in my heart. While I was in the hospital, one of several kind acts on his part, was Bubba getting a bag of cat food [or "kat fud", as I like to call it] & coming by my house each day to feed Momma Kitty on the front porch.

Above, this was a Saturday, my first full day home from the hospital. [Previous week -- Monday/hospital for tests ... Tuesday/operation ... Wednesday/into a room ... Thursday/walking the hospital halls ... Friday/home.] Precious is mugging her daughter, Nibblets, not quite one month old.

This is my friend "Mertle" [Wait ... that is her real name !!] holding on to both Precious & Nibblets, when she & her husband Marty came over from Memphis that Saturday to visit ... & make sure I was still alive. The other woman -- my former "lady friend", Susan -- is enjoying the laugh knowing Mertle is allergic to cats !! [She has to get shots !!!]

It been three years since the front porch birth of Nibblets. I often feel somewhat guilty about the lack of time & care I gave her in her early life. I wasn't "hooked" just yet when it came to cats. Still, her & her mother -- along with THE WOBBLER, born several months later, which will be another story in the future -- have made every attempt to work their ways with me. They have succeeded.

Nibblets is a full grown, healthy cat now. Maybe, because of her many early-life nights on the porch, she is the most "outdoor" cat of the three. She likes to go outside when I first get up in the A.M. She'll spend an hour or two outside, then return to the door to be let in for her breakfast.

All three of my cats have ways of communicating with me, to let me know if they want food, go outside, or as often Nibblets does, let me know she wants me to sit on the couch, with her in my lap, scratching & rubbing her head & neck. My sweet [most of the time ... remember, we're dealing with CATS.] baby.

Happy Birthday, Nibblets. Be safe, sweet, treat your Momma & sister gently & please ... come home every night. Don't make me come look for you in the dark.

And finally ... Precious -- look at what you started. My life, thank you, will never be the same !!