Kiralyno was the oldest of the Abbottsford Cats. She was a throwaway kitten. Throwaway kittens are the ones cat fanciers sell cheaply. The more honorable breeders, who just love a certain type of breed, will be sure the kitten is spayed to prevent the breed from going in a direction they dislike. What is disliked and liked in the world of cat fancy usually has very little to do with whether a kitten is healthy, bright, or lovable. Mostly, it has to do with the current fads of fanciers of the breed. Some breeders try to breed for health as well as fads such as 'no nose Persians' (This is a fad which has bred cats that grow up to have numerous breathing problems) or other traits that work against a feline's health. Kiralyno just didn't fit the mold of what her breeder wanted.
But, Kiralyno didn't think of herself as a throwaway. She thought of herself as a queen. She had been born the runt of the litter. She learned to fight for mama's milk as soon as she was born. Most runts just don't make it. If they can't get food, they wither away, perhaps catch a disease, unprotected by the important nutrients in the mama cat's milk. Eventually they die if there is no intervention. She survived.
When of age, she was sold as a house pet to a small family for $50.00, as she did come from a champion bloodline, according to breeding standards.
Unfortunately, the family didn't realize that Kiralyno knew she came from royalty. She expected EVERYONE to respect her territory and treat her as a queen should be treated. The family who had bought her had a 4 year old little boy and a beagle. They thought a kitten would be just the thing to round out their home. They may have been right had they went to the shelter and saved a cat who had a few less bloodlines! With Kiralyno, things went down from the start. She was an inquisitive kitten, not the cuddly type that likes to lay in bed and be with someone warm. Not Kiralyno. She liked to wander all night, all over the house and shriek when she found bugs. She liked to find bugs!
She loved the curtains. They were made of fine shear cotton. Her little claws fit perfectly in the intricate weaving for the vertical climb to the shelf at the top where all the fine china was kept. During the day, the little boy would chase her around grabbing her tail and pulling back as hard as he could. She was too small (at that time) to do much damage. She hissed and squawked mightily when he pulled her into his lap by that tail. As soon as he let go, she would vanish for hours.
The beagle (who really hated cats) laid low for a little while. But, when he saw Kiralyno swipe at his little boy, that was that. The beagle snapped at her just missing amputating her little misused tail. All through this, the parents continued as though all was going quite well, until that fateful night when Kiralyno finally reached the top of the curtains. She had been with the family for about a month and at twelve weeks old was full of energy. That night, after achieving the summit, she daintily pranced, galloped and sauntered all over the shelf, dropping one piece of china after another onto the rug below. Most of the china made it through intact. Unfortunately, great grandma's tea pot was toast.
The next day, Kiralyno was on her way to the "no-kill" shelter. She languished in Pet Place (the local pet store that helped rescues show off their charges) for almost two months. She was getting older, and not so cuddly anymore. Not many people wanted a grown cat, especially one so reticent. Two months turned into two years. She would on occasion get a break from the Pet Place cubby cages when she would be "fostered" by a kindly volunteer who wanted to give her a break from staying in that noisy store and tiny cage. On weekends, she would be "featured" in a outdoor venue where people would surround her and stick their hands in her cage and try to pet her. She really didn't like that. It was embarrassing. She learned to growl at them pretty well. She got a really good hiss up and was noted for her incredible spitting. Her Highness was scared, lonely, and quickly shutting down.
She would just lay in her cage, when the people left, resigned to the solitary confinement of the no-kill life for a kitty nobody wanted. Finally, a foster stepped up and offered to foster her again. It wasn't long before the foster family let it be known to all in the rescue that Kiralyno "bit her husband and meant it!. This cat would never find a home."
That's when Maggie, a local rescuer, who also belonged to the group, e-mailed back "I'll take her". Kiralyno was back in the store after the biting incident (and this time close to being "put down" for behavioral reasons which many no-kills use to cull the unadoptable). Maggie didn't let the rescue take any time to say no. She went to the store, scooped up the queen and talked to her firmly. "Kiralyno, you are our protector, now, aren't you? We've been waiting for you. You'll be fine little lady."
That was when Kiralyno, the Warrior Queen became one of the fiercest protectors of the Abbottsford Cats....
"Kiralyno Stalks"
Collaborative Artwork @2011
Macro from acrylic painting "Interstice" by George Grace
Macro from "The Abbottsford Cats" photoart by Kim Yvonne Cady
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