The Passing of Alexis

In November of last year, we found these three beautiful orange tabby kittens. They all looked like Garfield kitties. Somebody had taken them up to the General Store and abandoned them there. I had a sudden urge for a candy bar, and next thing we knew, we had three kittens!

Those three babies had to stay in quarantine for longer than 2 months! All three of them were extremely ill wich Coxyidea. (Yes, I mispelled it! I'm a person, not a vet!)  Eventually, they healed, got their shots and were spayed. Two of them found new homes. Alexis stayed.

Now, me? I don't like cats. Don't get me wrong, I used to LOVE them. But a long time ago, I lived with my ex and his girlfriend in a small one bedroom apartment (I slept on the couch, tyvm!). This woman had two grown cats, and six kittens. If I went to eat, they were at my plate. If I tried to sleep, they were on my toes. If I tried to take a shower even, there they were. Even worse was the smell. Eight cats. One litterbox. That she didn't clean out. UGH!

So yeah. I overdosed on cats and haven't liked them much since. Somehow though, Alexis just kinda creeped in. She kept her distance, which I LOVED. When her surragota mother died (a male cat named Mouser) she took over his roles in the house. She kept the dogs in line, slept with the baby so that if he woke up from bad dreams, he'd see her. And those nights when sleep just would not come, she'd curl up next to me, (not ON me) and would start purring so loudly and steadily, I could help but feel the drowzies coming on.

Now Alexis had a friend across the street. This friend is a kitten herself, and was pregnant at the time. Her previous owner moved out and left her behind. Alexis would bring her here to eat, and then would go and visit with her. One night, on her way back across to get home, I watched as a white truck sped up as fast as they could, and AIMED for my kitten. I blocked it out of my mind and just hoped that it was a case of drunken showing off.

The next morning, there she was. Our Alexis had passed.

Last Thursday morning, I got the call that shattered my world into two. That night, I went to the general store to see if they had any boxes. "Do you want a kitty?" The girl at the counter looked at me earnestly. "No." Then she showed it to me.

Under a crate for it's safety, there was the tiniest little kitten. "The road workers found this while working, and brought it by. They didn't want it to get hurt." The bluest eyes you've ever seen! And it's beautiful fur, blackened by road soot, had the exact orange markings of our Alexis.

I brought him home. My husband said that he is a sign. He named him Hanahoulani. (I probably mispelled that also!) It's Hawaiian for "Heavenly Rebirth."  We don't know what it's a sign of just yet....  but he's currently in a HUGE cage in my room, waiting for his running legs to arrive. (Three dogs... he's gonna need those running legs!)

As soon as Little Man saw the kitten, he exclaimed "Dat's MY new kitty!" *laughs* I'm anxious for him to come home.... His new kitty is waiting for him!