"Kiralyno" The Warrior Queen

           

Kiralyno, the oldest of the Abbottsford Cats, was a throwaway kitten despite her excellent bloodlines. As the runt of the litter, she fought for her mama's milk. She would wiggle her body to the teat and suckle until one of the bigger kits got his way. She always managed to get enough to keep her alive and healthy. Kiralyno survived. When of age, she was sold to a small family for fifty dollars as a 'pet quality' kitten with papers.

Kiralyno never felt like a throwaway. She expected everyone to treat her with respect that her bloodlines demanded. The family who had bought her had a four year old boy and a beagle. They thought a kitten would round out their home nicely. Unfortunately for Kiralyno, things went downhill from the start. As an inquisitive kitten, she'd wander all night; yowling at bugs and shadows.

 
She loved the living room curtains. They were made of fine shear cotton. Her little claws fit perfectly in the intricate weaving for the vertical climb to the shelf where all the fine china was kept.

During the day, the little boy would chase her, grabbing her tail and pulling as hard as he could. She was too small to retaliate; so, she hissed and squawked mightily. As soon as he'd let it go, she'd vanish for hours.

The beagle (who really hated cats) laid low for a while, but, when he saw Kiralyno swipe her paw at the little boy - that was it. The beagle snapped almost amputating her misused tail.

 
Through this, the parents continued as though all was going well, until the fateful night when the kitten reached the top of the shelf. She'd been with the family a month and at twelve weeks old was full of energy. That night, after achieving the summit, she daintily pranced all over, dropping one piece of china after another. Most of the pieces made it to the rug 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. As she got older, her cuddle appeal was diminishing. Not many people wanted a grown cat; especially one so reticent. Two months turned into two years. She would occasionally get a break from the Pet Place cubby cages when she would be fostered by a kindly volunteer.

On weekends, she would be featured in an outdoor venue where people would stick their hands in her cage. She didn't like that. It was embarrassing. She learned to growl at them to keep them back. She was scared, lonely, and shutting down.

She'd lie 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 took her in. It wasn't long before that foster emailed everyone in the rescue that 'She bit her husband and meant it. This cat would never find a home.' Even a no-kill shelter has its limits.

That's when Maggie, a local rescuer, who also belonged to the group, emailed back. "I'll take her!" Kiralyno was in the store after the biting incident. Maggie didn't let the rescue take any time to say no. She scooped up the queen and talked to her firmly. "Kiralyno, you are a great protector now, aren't you? We've been waiting for you. You'll be fine, little lady."

Maggie knew that this cat managed years of loneliness becaue of her strong will. She was not a cuddly cat. She drew immediate respect from the Abbottsford Clowder as the fighter she was. Kiralyno became the Abbottsford Cats' Warrior Queen.

"Kiralyno Stalks" @2013 by KY Cadt

Cica 'The Sensitive'

 

Cica was a tiny brown flash of hunger as she darted out to grab the turkey left by the ladies at the 'Zumbalicious' gym. She lived in the supermarket parking lot after her mother was killed by a car. Her siblings didn't survive long after their mom died. That was for the best. Cica ate bugs and roamed away from their nest whimpering for days.

Finally, a little boy saw her. He grabbed her spike of a tail and pulled her towards him. When the boy's mother saw what he was doing, she yelled loudly, "Jasper, leave that kitten alone!." Well, Jasper knew STOP when he heard it and let go of the kitten's tail with haste .Cica ran into the bushes, her little heart bursting. Then she ran right into a building. When she hit the building she saw stars for a few moments. She watched them twinkle and roll all around. She was too exhausted to catch them, but put one tired, little paw up in a futile attempt. She never felt the touch of a human before. If she wasn't a true feral before, she was now. Not only did this first touch frighten her; it was downright painful!

In front of the Zumbalicious classroom there were many humans; mostly small ones with all manners of skin and hair. They saw Cica one evening and cooed "poor little thing... Marquenta, do you have tuna? We need water too."

Because Cica would come only as far as the median that was between the gym and the parking lot, the ladies took to feeding her in two plastic bowls. When they left, she would run out from under the cars in the lot to the tree planted on the median, to the bowl, grab some turkey or tuna and run back under a car tire!

One day, a new lady joined the Zumba class in full anticipation of joyfully shedding years and pounds over the next few months. Instead, as she zumba'd here and zumba'd there to the infectious music in the room, she spied a small gray and gold critter running back and forth from the median out front to the parked cars. The lady couldn't believe that a kitten that small could maneuver around moving vehicles so well.

"What's that?" she yelled as she zumba'd to the front door pointing at Cica.

"Oh, our little kitten. We would've caught her, but nobody can. She's too quick! She's been out there on and off for months. This is the first time we've seen her for awhile."

The quick-thinking lady, who just happened to be love kittens said "I can get that cat". In a blink of an eye, the lady took some turkey from the dish and made a trail to her lovely new car.

Cica never took her eyes off this creature who was stealing her food. But, Cica noticed she also had more food and it was fresh! So began the cat and mouse game Cica and the lady played as the women tantalized the kitten with one piece of food tossed closer and closer to her car.

The lady noticed the kitten was shaking. She must be so afraid, the woman thought. Cica took the food as the lady spoke in a gentle, soothing tone. A piece was gobbled down, and just a few inches away, another piece would appear. Cica, not knowing for sure what to do, let her stomach lead the way. She followed the trail . Little by little she found herself at the door of the Mercedes. The woman was still as she watched the tiny kitten take that final leap into the car.

With movements as quick as cat, the lady shut the door and watched as poor Cica flew from window to window, claws out, crying hysterically.

"Looks like ya' got her!" one Zumbalicious lady giggled while rolling her eyes, "Now what!".

The woman gave a knowing smile, "I guess that was the easy part!" The ladies all helped the woman get into the car, guarding carefully to be sure the kitten stayed put. All the woman could hear was fsist and HAA! HAA! from the kitten. These were not messages of joy!

As she drove home, the woman began to smell the poop. It was inevitalble. Some things were just too frightening for some critters. She smiled, and then laughed! New car, new kitten! A car can always be washed.. but, a kitten.. they are one of the most precious creatures around.

Little did Cica know, Magikys Cigany, Maggie for short; the Abbottsford cat whisperer was her benefactor. Her life on the streets was over.

She was now an Abbottsford Cat.

"Cica, the Wild One"
Photo Art @2011 Kim Yvonne Cady

"Bravo" The Warrior Prince

Bravo was a sauntering kitten - a large tabby with bad eyesight and a pedigree that would strike fear into any ordinary house cat's heart. He was the only offspring of a backwoods experiment by a trapper who wanted a wild cat for a pet. The trapper had a lynx who stayed nearby for the food the trapper would share. He developed a respect for the young wildcat, but as a true to form backwoodsman, he knew that a lynx’ fur was worth more than her friendship.

But something tugged inside of the grizzled trapper’s heart. He wanted a pet. Not just an ordinary pet - he wanted a cat with attitude. When one of his friend’s male kittens grew to an extraordinary size, he came up with an idea. He would mate this large male with the lynx.

It took awhile for the missy to reach her moment of rapture, but, she finally showed some interest. Since the large tom was the only male available and as the hunter had put together a rather elaborate honeymoon suite for the two - nature took over. The trapper was the proud owner of a clynx as he dubbed the sole kitten that came from the coupling.

Once the kitten was born, the lynx would have nothing to do with him. The male tom ran away and the trapper was forced to find someone who knew how to care for a kitten.

He called him 'Bravo' for the brave and fearsome soul that would take over once his bottle-feeding stage was complete. Unfortunately for the trapper and for Bravo, the kitten turned into a docile, sweet, rather large tabby. He'd thrust his head into a bowl of kibble with relish, knowing the food was there, but unable to adequately gauge where it was. He was considerably farsighted.

The woodsman was disappointed. He didn’t want a docile, bottle-fed tomcat lolling around his trapping grounds. Although fond of the kitten, he knew this cat would be no match for the first hungry coyote that came by.

He asked around to see if anyone wanted to buy a real-to-life clynx. There were few takers. When a prospective buyer came to see the kitten, he would head -butt the fellow and act like a perfect gentleman. The trapper was embarrassed. He put Bravo in his truck and drove to the city. He figured someone would take this friendly cat in. At a local hospital, he placed food and water in the bushes and patted Bravo one last time. "Good luck ya old housecat. Why ain't ya a real fighter?" With that, he left the sleepy cat and sped off.

Bravo didn’t fret. He just stretched out under the bush taking in the sun that leaked through the leaves. Soon he fell asleep. Little did the trapper know what dreams the laid-back tomcat had that day. As his lynx blood began to stir in his nine month old body, Bravo felt his mother’s ancient lines calling.

When he woke, the sun was down. Bravo left the bushes to see where he was. Smells were all different and the trapper was nowhere in sight. As he ventured out, he heard another cat yowling. The large orange tomcat had been watching him from the other side of the expanse of grass. He felt something rise inside him as the tom screamed a challenge. The orange cat was many years older, wiser, and more experienced in the ways of battle. He was used to the younger toms leaving his territory with haste as he challenged them. Bravo didn't back down.

Actually, Bravo would've backed down if he wasn't confused about the whole situation. The tom walked closer in an arc with his head lower than his body, growling. Bravo knew things were not looking good. His wild ancestors whispered to him that he could win this battle.

When the orange did not get the respect he assumed, he ran at the large kitten. The cats circled each other growling louder with each step. With one quick lunge, the orange had Bravo pinned to the ground and bit the back of his neck causing a large wound. The tom turned triumphantly and trotted away without looking back.

Bravo ran to the bushes for cover. He felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. By morning, the bite was becoming a festering wound and much more painful. His eyes were closing when he saw a small, female cat staring at him. She began running around him furiously. Moments later he felt her tongue on his shoulder. The wound was gone and he was no longer on the grassy expanse. She looked at him with compassion. "Bravo, you are the brave one, aren't you? As a warrior, you must learn when not to stand your ground!" She smiled. "Afterall, you're still a kitten."

The Abbottsford Cats welcomed the newcomer with open paws. With his fierce bloodlines and honorable ways, he became the protector they'd been seeking - their Warrior Prince.

"Bravo Through the Fire'@2011 KY Cady