A Very Special Christmas

By Lil

Once there was a furry special Christmas here at our apartment. It is the story of us becoming a family.

My brother Phil and I had been born to a stray kitty and were given foster care while we were very tiny. Then we were placed, along with our other brothers and sisters in a wonderful place called the SPCA. I thought it was terrific because so many people came in an admired us and talked to us, especially to my other brothers and sisters. One by one, my brothers and sisters were being adopted. It was the beginning of December and we were all waiting for humans who would love us.

Meanwhile something was happening in the next town over. A woman who loved cats had chosen to leave her home because she was in a bad marriage and needed to make a new start. There were two cats in her house and two children and she was very very sad about leaving them. She would be close by though and she knew that she was making the right decision. On December 1, she moved into a nice little apartment that she would begin to call home.

This woman was mostly happy but she knew that something was missing from her life. She needed some family. Kristen, a pretty 10 -year -old girl loved to come and see this woman. But every night Kristen wanted to go and sleep in her own bed and so the lady felt lonely at night.

On December 13 she decided she was going to do something to build a new family. She went out and bought kitty litter and food and a nice litter box. Then she went to the shelter. In she walked and saw five “older” kittens playing in a large cage. Most of them were smokey gray and looked like balls of fluff. In she went to the kitten room, and saw the loveliest little white kitten who mewed at her. It was so cute and lovely and stole the lady’s heart.

She went back to the desk and told the lady she was going to adopt a kitten. My brother Phil was overjoyed when he heard this. “Meow, Meow , ME ME ME” he yelled and jumped. My other sisters crowded around him mewing but Phil was the loudest. I was still in my corner. She told the woman at the counter which kitty she wanted and was ready to begin the process, when she heard another woman from the shelter talking about the “Poor” kitties in the front. It looked as if no one was going to adopt them.

She walked over and studied us carefully. The gray ones were cute: all girls too.

”Well you know, it might be a good idea to get two cats, so that they can keep each other company. I suppose if I do that though I should take two from the same litter and of course two of the same sex.” She studied us carefully. I cowered to the side of the cage. I was the “ugly” cat. I was black with a big spot of something that looked like rust on my forehead. I began to shake as she leaned closer. Phil came over and licked my head and I felt better. Then the woman from the shelter explained that Phil and I were the “hard to adopt” kitties. The little spot on my head meant that I was tortie, she told the woman who would be my meowmie. Most people did not think I was very pretty but the woman said my coloring would change. She looked from the gray kitties, back to me, and then to Phil. Phil, would be difficult to adopt too because for some reason people don’t adopt black kitties very much. Things did not look good for us. That is what made Meowmie know. We were like her, alone, not the most popular kids on the block. As if reading Meowmie’s mind, Phil reached his paw out protectively to me. He definitely was my hero. That day our Meowmie took us home to her apartment. We cried a lot and cuddled together because we were very afraid. She spoke to us gently and never forced herself on us. Often we would wander from our little bed and approach her. The apartment was so warm and smelled so good. We wanted to tell her thank you.

After a few days we noticed Meowmie bringing out boxes into the living room. Something green came out of the box, and then little blue balls. Very soon we had something called a Christmas Tree. Oh it was so much fun to try to knock those blue balls off the tree. Meowmie would scold us and then laugh at us.

One night it was very quiet. Meowmie lit candles and we knew something was up. She played pretty music and she told us a story about the first Christmas; about a little baby that had no place to sleep but the animals shared their food and their shelter with him. It reminded me of how Meowmie shared her food and shelter with Phil and me.

That night Meowmie went to her bed and told us to have a good night because tomorrow we would get toys from Santa. We didn’t really know what she meant. I saw Meowmie laying in that bed all by herself, and I thought of the poor baby in His little bed and how the animals helped him. I got up all my courage and jumped up on Meowmie’s bed. I sniffed near her head and then curled myself up with my head next to hers. Soon Phil joined us in the bed.

Santa must have come that night for in the morning under our tree were lots of little presents for us. We didn’t see any for Meowmie and we wondered. I was so sad for her. But she was happy and laughing and singing. And then she told us that she had found the most wonderful gift of all… the gift of love. Because we had accepted her as our Meowmie and now she had a little family. Later the girls came over and opened their Christmas presents but they decided that the best Christmas present of all was the two little kitties who were now part of the family.