I'm in London visiting my Scottish girls (and my favorite South African girly) this weekend, which is fab, however, it means I'm away from my sweethearts, which is, I'll admit, a little bit sad.
So to celebrate my love for Matty and Pinks, I offer this tale of everlasting love.
A year ago, Ms. Angelica Pinkerton, Kitten Extraordinaire came into our lives via a lovely cat lady named Millie. Ms. Angelica Pinkerton, also known as Pinkertons, Pinks, Pinkerpins, Angelica P., Angel, Smurf, Smurfy Brown, The Littlest Smurf, and The Littlest (to name a few) was born on the streeets - the streets of Union City, to be exact.
Within weeks of her birth, she was casually trying to cross the street (no doubt to get to the other side) when a delivery truck smashed into her (no doubt because the driver was texting while driving or worse yet, leering at young Catholic school girls) in what could be the most vile hit and run accident in feline history.
Now, Angelica Pinkerton is no slouch - she's quite an agile cat - however the oncoming truck was so large and she, so small. Temporarily flustered and incapable of avoiding the crush, which hit her smack in the behind, Pinkerpins was struck and her hind quarters, paralyzed upon impact.
Ever resourceful, though, this Kitten Extraordinaire army crawled her way to the other side of the road and took shelter, shell shocked.
Poor thing, she was near death, so young and so very afraid.
But luck was on her side: Pinks still had seven of her nine lives remaining (she had lost one after eating from the trash of a Cuban place that had recently failed inspection). A few days after the accident, she was found by a cat lover who took her immediately to the pet hospital where she underwent surgery.
By the time her second guardian angel, Millie Chalmers was called to foster her, The Littlest was suffering from PTSD and refused to take part in anyone's reindeer games (before the mid-December accident she had, after watching the Rudolph cartoon special through the window of a basement garden apartment the previous week, entertained visions of Christmas grandeur and had been plotting to make her way to the North Pole to see if Rudolph needed any help).
Over the next five weeks or so, Millie nursed Angelica P. (whom she named Danielle, Danny for short) back to health and in time decided it was time to find a good home for this special kitty.
Meanwhile, Matty and I had decided it was time for us to test the parenting pool.
We searched the world over (well, Northern New Jersey, at least) for the cat of our dreams, looking on Petfinder, traveling to shelters, you name it, we did it in search of our kitty. We held loads of adorable kittens and cats and were offered others by friends and internet services. Yet for some reason, none of them clicked. I don't know why, it was so bizarre: there I'd be, petting the most loving, deliciously fuzzy kitten and yet, I knew it wasn't my cat.
Until I saw Pinks.
The minute her little face peered out at me from the screen of my computer, I knew she was the one and so I emailed her contact information:
1/09/09
Hi,
I was wondering if the kitten who was hit by the car is still available and if so, how old she is.
We own our home and are looking for a kitten to complete it!
Thanks
Ali Weiss
For the next 24 hours, I waited in anticipation for a reply. I was so nervous until finally, the following day, I opened my email to find this:
Hi Ali,
Yes, the kitten is still available, although we have a few people interested.
We would be very interested in knowing more about you and your family.
I have a meeting with a potential adopter has a 4 year old daughter and
I'm not sure if that is a good match for Danny.
Danny is still suffering some back lash from being hit by a car, not physically but her anixety level is still high. She seems to feel very safe if you hold her, but not very safe on the ground.
So a home with a small child might not be what's best for Danny right now.
As I made the appointment already, I feel an obligation to meet the family.
I'll e-mail you this evening and let you know the outcome. I won't just leave the issue hanging.
I'm very grateful for anyone who is interested in one of our foster kittens or cats.
Best regards,
Millie Chalmers
Purrfect World Volunteer and Supporter
My heart sank. A little girl? Who could say no to a little girl and single mother who wanted a pet, regardless of whether or not it was best for the kitten?
Millie Chalmers could, that's who, and she did. Within hours of determining that family wasn't a good fit for Pinks, Millie brought her to us and she's been with us ever since.
This may sound crazy and by saying it, I am eating a lot of crow. I never understood, until now, why anyone would ever send their pet's picture on a holiday card; this year, I had to refrain from doing just that.
Man, I can't imagine loving anything in this world more than Ms. Angelica Pinkerton; she is the heart of our little family; she is its soul. We would give up anything for her.
Seriously - Matt and I had a talk once where we both agreed that if we were giving the choice of Pinks living with us, healthily and happily, for the rest of our lives - the three of us passing peacefully together in our sleep 50 years from now - or having a baby and losing Pinks in the next ten years, we would choose to keep our family as it is now: we'd keep Pinks and forego a baby.
Crazy, eh? I know, I know, it does seem crazy but that's how much we love her and how much she brings to our lives. She is entertaining, affectionate, smart, clever, loving, and just plain adorable. She isn't an everyday cat; she's really very special. Believe me, you've never met a cat like her. She completes us.
So, happy Valentine's Day, Matty and my Littlest. I heart you both; here's my gift to you:
* HEY ladies, if you missed our second post on Wednesday and you're interested in joining us as we explore motherhood from every angle, go here for more information!
PINKERTON!!! I miss him
ReplyDeleteand you