From the East Wing with Miss Kitty and LIttle Brother, the Black & Whites of The Office

Greeting to all, and welcome new friends to the East Wing.

Like Dorothy said, “there’s no place like home”. So, so true. Me and the she had so much fun at Hilton Head Island, had such an enjoyable visit with our family. But like Dorothy said…….

Going to work last Monday was something special. The 2office cats required lots of attention to say the least. Now Miss Kitty, being the Office Queen, had to have her attention first, as all good queens should. I held Miss Kitty for about 45 minutes before she’d stop jumping back into my lap just as soon as I put her down on the floor. After Miss Kitty, came Little Brother’s turn and another 45 minutes of quality cat time. Ninety minutes into the work day and all I’ve done is talked with the cats. We told stories. They told me what happened in the little city while I was gone, I told them ‘bout the ocean, they didn’t believe my stories.

A special cat, Miss Kitty. Don’t think I ever told ya how my association with Miss Kitty came about. It will be 4 years next month, Feb 19th, that this cat walked into my life. Well, actually I walked into her life. “Cause ya see, the cat was in the process of dying. She’d used 8 of ‘em and was in the final stages of number 9.

It all started out with my son, John, coming to my office one late afternoon wanting keys to one of the building we use for storage. After getting the keys, a short few minutes later John comes back to my office telling stories of a cat with Rabies in the storage building. Now it being the middle of February, I’m thinking there may be more wrong with the cat than Rabies. We go to the building housing the Rabid Cat.

Lying on its side, in full convulsions is a little cat. Convulsions not from Rabies, convulsions of death. The cat had been trapped for 12 days without food or water in an unheated building during the coldest two weeks of winter. This cat is dying before my eyes.

Knowing that water is the key to survival for all living species, I offered the cat water the very first thing. The cat was too near death to know water. I flipped water into the cats face, and got no reaction, picked the cat up and dunked its nose in the water, got a reaction. I sat the cat down, it tried to drink and fell over on its side, again the convulsions started. I kneeled down held the cat with two hands while she drank the water of life for the first time in 12 days. After the water, I offered the cat food, she accepted the offer. After both water and food, the cat started to shiver. Now it’s not convulsions this time, its shivering. Shivering is nature’s way of trying to raise the core body temperature. It works the same be it cat or BobbyRay, ya get cold enough, ya shiver. Interestingly though the body uses the same technique if the inside body temperature is too hot, but that’s another story for another day, today’s a good cat story.

Looking around and spotting a 5 gal. plastic bucket, turning it upside down, it makes a good seat. Now it’s 15° out here with this cat, and I’m prepared, the cat’s not. I set on my new bucket seat, unzip my down filled coat and place the little cat inside where it’s warm. For 30 minutes on the bucket seat I’m praying to God “Please don’t let the little cat die this day” After a while I feel the cat start to move inside my coat. Soon the cats doing 360’s inside. The cat’s running ‘round me like a race track. I unzip the coat and out pops the cat as if nothing had ever happened. But inside the warm coat, cat magic had taken place and the kitten got all 9 of ‘em back.

For the first time I take the time to really look at the cat, she’s a Black & White. Black Face with white nose and mouth with a black chin. The very end of her white nose is black. Such a pretty cat.

By now it’s well past dark and time for me to go home. I’m thinking this is a pretty cat and she just got locked in our building by mistake, so I’ll leave the door open and she’ll go home.

Then next morning on the way to the office I’m gona stop and lock the door. The cat is setting in the doorway. It’s 10°, what ya gona do, I get the cat some water and more food, surly this cat will go home by noon.

When I checked at noon the water was frozen, so I got her fresh water and more food, hoping she would be gone by time for me to go home. When that time came I got her fresh water and more food, after all, even if it’s not your cat, ya can’t just let anything go without food and water as the temperature drops into single numbers. I’ll not bore you with the details, but we repeated that story line for three full days. I’m still thinking there’s a good chance this cat will go home soon.

On the 4th day when I go to feed the cat breakfast, she’s gone. The cat has left the building. The cat is gone. I lock the building, drive ‘round the block, park in my usual place near my office, walk up to the door. The cat is setting in front of my office door. I open the door, the cat walks in front of me into my office, looks first to the left then to the right, turns and looks at me, winks, grins, and says “I think this’ll be ok” From that remark, I concluded the cat was longer concerned about her future. Right then and there I thought she was kinda hinting ‘round that she wanted to be my cat, so I named her Miss Kitty.

Now Miss Kitty adapted to office live much faster than life on the street. Within the first hour of her arrival she acquired a private drinking and dining room plus private sanitation facilities along with custodial services.

In my office, Miss Kitty has grown and prospered. She has no interest in going outside, with the door open she will go over, stick her head out look up and down Lane Street, then back in the house. She now qualifies for the “Fat Cat” category. Some people seeing Miss Kitty for the first time assume she is pregnant. She is not. The issue of possible pregnancies was addressed quite some time back. Miss Kitty never had babies. Living with Miss Kitty is Little Brother.

When I parked my car for work on June 30th 2008, I spotted a really small kitten in the middle of Lane Street. It was early in the summer morning, I was the only moving car on Lane Street. My intensions were to pick up this little dirty cat and put it on the other sidewalk from my office. I just didn’t want the kitten to get killed right there in the middle of the little city. I walked over and picked it up. It was the most dirty cat I had ever seen, so dirty I had to look twice to see that it was a Black & White. It was little more than skin and bones. This little cat was as starved as it was dirty.

I thought “Oh well, the Lord wants me to feed this one breakfast” as I walked into my office. I expected Miss Kitty wouldn’t want this little piece of black & white trash around. I held the little cat as I got food and water, thinking Miss Kitty would slap it around just as soon as I set it down.

With both food and water in place I put the little cat on the floor, whereupon the little guy started his feast day. It was at this point one of the most precious things I’ve ever seen occurred. Miss Kitty walked over and within seconds started to groom on the little cat. The little cat was so starved he didn’t even notice Miss Kitty. As he had his fill, Miss Kitty washed. Finally, the little guy, with belly full, curled up and went to sleep, Miss Kitty continued to buff him up. I’m sure he had visions of sugar plumbs dancing.

Up to that day, Miss Kitty had spent most every minute of her day within arms reach of me when I was in the office. From the time I put the little cat on the floor she ignored me. When I left for the day, Miss Kitty didn’t even look my way, she had things to take care of, and babies to clean.

The next morning when I arrived, Miss Kitty was setting beside the little kitten, and he was as clean as Black & White. They were two perfectly groomed Black & Whites, One 2 years old and one a baby. It was at this point I named the baby, Little Brother, It just seemed right.

Little Brother is no longer the little guy. He can, and does often, lick the top of Miss Kitty’s head while both are standing upright. A big cat, that Little Brother, a gentle giant.

Late last summer, from out of nowhere, Little Brother decided he was now big enough so he would be the leader of the pack. Unprovoked he attached Miss Kitty in mortal combat. Now these two play all day long, but from the very first sound, I knew this was not play, this was war.

Miss Kitty retaliated with overwhelming shock and awe. The battle was joined. She bit Little Brother’s ear as he screamed and struggled to escape. He broke free and ran to the safety of the back room with Miss Kitty in hot pursuit. The second battle occurred outside my view, but the sound track was loud and clear. When Little Brother came flying from the back room, cat blood was now on the white part of his black & white, and it’s not Miss Kitty’s cat blood. Miss Kitty caught up with and jumped Little Brother right ‘bout where the battle started just moments earlier. She continued to bite his ear.

Little Brother broke loose for the third time and ran for safety under the couch, with Miss Kitty right behind. As Little Brother dived head first under the couch, Miss Kitty jumped up on the couch and started something I’d not seen before. She started making noises I’d never heard from a cat. Miss Kitty was cussing him out in cat. This cat tongue lashing continued for ‘bout 3-4 minutes.

Finally Little Brother stuck his head out from under the far side of the couch, looking much like the little guy caught with his hand in the cookie jar. In slow motion, Little Brother came from under the couch, and crawled upon the far end of the couch away from Miss Kitty. All the while Miss Kitty continues her discussion ‘bout the law, and the enforcement there of. As a guy just watching the show, it seemed as if Miss Kitty was saying “I let ya into my house, I can take ya out”

Again in slow motion, Little Brother makes his way ever so slowly toward Miss Kitty. With his ears laid back in a total submissive pose, he gets within touching distance. The foul cat cussing stops just as quickly as it began, and Miss Kitty turns her attention to Little Brother’s wounds. She licked his ears. The war was over.

The final battle score was Miss Kitty 3, Little Brother 0. There may be a time when these two will fight again, but I doubt it, ‘cause cats remember for a long time. In the years to come, Little Brother may well be able to predict upcoming changes in the weather by the pain in his ears.

Miss Kitty and Little Brother, pretty office cats, my Black & Whites.

Seems I read somewhere that thousands of years ago the ancient Egyptians revered cats as Gods. The cats never forgot. Anyone who’s ever met Sophia, the Republican Cat of the East Wing, will surly agree, the cats never forgot.

Stay safe in Afghanistan and Iraq

From the East Wing with the Miss Kitty and Little Brother, The Black & Whites of the Office.
I wish you well,
BobbyRay