Where I Live

by Mewsette

I was born in the country in Texas, but I live in Springfield, Missouri now. It is a small city near the Ozark Mountains, but not near enough. I am not a city cat.

Before we came here we lived on a quiet mountain, deep in the green woods, and I had never seen or heard the noises of a city in my life. Of course I am an an indoor cat now, and have been for seven years, but the city was still very hard for me to get used to. We have a grassy yard that I can look out on from my window seat in our enclosed porch, and most of the year I spend a lot of time out there, watching the birds and the occasional squirrel or bunny. There are no chickens out there like there used to be. I try not to look at all the traffic that I can see too. But at least it doesn't make me cringe any more.

When we first moved to our house here, we were all a little shell-shocked, and none of us could sleep at night because of the bright light pouring in every crack of drapes or door window and the constant noise of traffic. I would prowl the house looking for a quiet place, and my mothercat and sisfur would sit and look worried. Every night for weeks our Mom would get up and come in the living room with us. We would all sit on the floor together and talk and meow, and sometimes we all fell asleep there. Finally she made window quilts for the bedroom windows to keep out light, and we all started sleeping in the bed again.

I have made peace with the city, as I have with many things in my long life. Mom says we are here for good, and it doesn't bother me much any more. But I will always miss the deep, black, quiet nights on the mountain. I will always love my mountain best.