Do cats wear pajamas? By GJ

When our daughters, Donna and Nancy were about 10 and 12, we got them each a kitten. Donna named hers Charlene, and Nancy’s was Kelly. Donna’s reason for that name is lost to me, but Nancy’s reason was that Kelly was a calico cat. Since we never bothered getting a birth certificate, the spelling might have been Cally, I suppose?)

Kelly had beautiful markings, with a lot of white on her chest and neck, and very pretty orange, brown, and black on her head and face.

One day, I heard a noise at the front door, so I opened it. I looked down, and there sat Kelly, looking up at me with something large hanging from her jaws. Not knowing what it was, but pretty sure it was an animal, I barred her entrance with my foot.

Kelly opened her jaws and the creature’s long (and I mean LONG) ears popped up to reveal a good-sized rabbit! Kelly had brought us a gift, and I wasn’t showing much appreciation.

The rabbit leaped away and went darting across the street to the safety of some shrubbery, with Kelly close behind. (I’m afraid I never discovered whether or not that kitty ever forgave me.)

Ah, but there were two pets, so there has to be a companion tail, right?

Then there was the time both cats had kittens of their own. Kelly had four (despite being the obviously larger feline) and Charlene had six.

The nesting boxes for all 12 cats was in the basement and every now and then Charlene would come up, cry at the door, and we’d let her in only to hear her cry more as she remained in the doorway. We’d go down the stairs to see what the matter was, and there, in Kelly’s nest were all ten of the kittens. Kelly got in the habit of “kitnapping” Charlene’s six, because four weren’t enough for her, I guess.

When the little ones got bigger, they were up in our recreation room where the floor was linoleum and slippery. Ten kittens were slowly looking around, sniffing things, and investigating the new environment.

I suddenly let out a roaring sneeze, and all ten kittens tried to scamper for hiding places, but their paws could not find traction and the sound of those forty, tiny feet was a real laugher as they slipped and slid across the floor. Both Kelly and Charlene appeared out of nowhere to see why their children were meowing in panic.

Kelly grew to be a BIG cat, I’ll tell you. Both lived a pretty good spell after the girls left our nest, as I recall. (It must be noted that Donna has had cats, almost ever since…often two at a time so they can keep company while she’s at work. Her current room-mates are Lucy and Sally, I think.)

Oh, yes. Out of all the cats Donna has had, several would “fetch,” believe it or not. Now, one will and the other won’t. Or vice versa.