In the Summer when I was 11 years old, When my sister's cat Merry had her first and only litter of kittens. The year was 1990 and on our Grandparent's Orchard Farm slopping down a hillside to the most amazing view, we lived a childhood of magical adventures. In those summer evenings my Sister and I would walk up the steep hillside to our Grandparents house, where we would sit on their front lawn. We often watched the sunset, or went just a few steps down in to a small apple orchard filled soft green wild grass. Now in this summer our kittens would follow us. While we sat relaxing watching the sunset. Misty was my sister's second cat, one of those adorable kittens with bright blue eyes, white soft short fur and light brown stripes. She had gray ears and a gray tail. Along with the softest "meow" a cat could ever make. Gentle was her middle name, though she was my Hero when catching a mouse inside the house during the day. Since the mice were a daily visitor and I greatly feared them. Misty was a Goddess in my eyes! She never wasted any time coming in to catch the rodent and she happily be right back outside. One evening my sister Dana and I sat on the grassy hillside watching the sunset with our kittens all around us, Dana said holding her Misty up to her face, "She is the sweetest cat I have ever seen." I agreed "I know, I wish she could teach Cally." Since my Cally and her Misty were sisters they were as opposite in personality as 2 cats can get, really much like my sister and I come to think about it. Snobby Cally did whatever she wanted, Gentle Misty always stayed close to us. There was just something so beautiful about holding a kitten while watching the Sun set on those summer nights.
Almost a year later while my Cally was going into labor, I closed the window to the "Cat Haven" storage room. I made it quiet and dark while she gave birth to 6 kittens all afternoon. I wrote letters to my Auntie Val, to my Cousins and to m Grandparents when passing the time. All the while when I was sitting right next to my crying cat saying, "Oh Honey I know." For I felt so helpless watching her pain. Now Cally was a drama queen, a self-center cat, but she loved and trusted me. So I would pet her as each baby kitty was born. "It's okay Girl, I am right here." I would sometimes sing songs that I knew to comfort her with the sound of my voice. While we were in this ZEN like room, a crashing sound outside startled me. I saw Misty throwing her whole body into the window like it would help her get in. "Oh NO you don't." I said at her looking through the dirty glass. "This room is closed, Cally is IN LABOR, GO AWAY." She had such desperate eyes when she saw me. I was unsettled by her. "Misty Girl have you lost your mind!?" I quickly went outside through the side door to look around. I was worried she was being chased by a coyote. She was meowing so much, so I knew something was wrong. For months Cally has been walking around like she swallowed a basket ball, I was all ready for the birthing time with towels, bedding and a cave like corner in the storage room. "You need to calm down now, Cally is okay." I thought to myself how adorable that Misty thinks Cally is in trouble right now. I carried her over to the open playhouse, thinking if she needs to be inside somewhere she could hang out here. As I went to set her down a gush of liquid came out of her, "DID YOU PEE ON ME? Oh Gross! Go on now!" I said to her as I set her down. Now I knew this stuff wasn't like pee, but I was so distracted over my kittens being born to think about Misty anymore for the rest of the day. She was a skinny little thing that was acting hysterical. As the evening arrived with 6 kittens fought over Cally's nipples. I became alarmed that not everyone was getting enough milk. "Okay fatty let the new guy in." I would say while gently putting my finger under the small belly of the newborns to move them slowly around. How funny it is to quietly watch kittens nurse and their mama pur.
That evening I feed the other outside cats, noticing Misty wasn't there. I walked into the playhouse so surprised to see her still there, over in the corner on an old deflated inner-tub. I just slowly feel to my knees shaking at what I saw, She was purring while watching me closely. "Oooh Miss Misty, I am so sorry. I am so sorry I yelled at you." Tears soaked the neck of my t-shirt. Misty licked again the lifeless kitten, she was hoping one of the only 2 kittens she gave birth to would live. But it's impossible with no legs. I move the deformed kittens around to be sure I wasn't dreaming. Then I realized why she was so panicked, why she wanted to be inside the Cat haven and be safe. I picked her up quickly because I knew what she was meant to do. In the opposite corner of the Cat haven room from Cally and her many kittens, I setup a new bed with cave like blankets and towels. Misty laid there cleaning herself when I set 3 all white kittens in her bed, She went right cleaning them. "There we go Mother, These will be your Babies." She was instantly at home again. Now with my Cally only having 3 kittens and Misty with 3 I felt like everything was perfect after all.
My Dad helped me clean up the playhouse. He said chances are the kittens were never alive so they didn't suffer. It can happen when cats of the same litter mate and have misshapen kitties. When I told him that Misty had adopted some of Cally's kittens, He was impressed that I had thought of that all on my own. Misty was a Mighty cat, a Mother hawk always feeding and cleaning her babies. In time Misty's kittens ended up being the biggest, fattiest things of the whole litter.
My Dad would say "your cat is a horrible Mother! after 2 weeks she refuses to feed her babies! Thank God for Misty or your kittens would starve to death!" Upon realizing this I took extra time through out the day to find my cat and hold her down to nurse. She hated me of course but she still played "Mother" a couple hours at least. So I admired Misty's love, her overall understanding of her job raising all the kittens. Once she chased a tom cat clear up to the ditch, My sister and I cheered her on "GO Misty! Ya tell 'em!"
On one fall day she didn't show for dinner when I called. My sister Dana and I search everywhere for her, we knew she liked being inside when it got cold. So this wasn't like her to just disappear. When the days turn into months we really thought she was forever gone. Now Dana loved Misty so much she even painted a ceramic cat in honor of missing her Misty.
3 years later I was helping my friend feed her neighbors pets, This was 4 or 5 miles from our farm, so when I saw Misty again she was a fatty happy kitty. "Misty!" I watched in awe as she sat on a big fluffy pillow in the house. She had the scare on her ear from lord knows what when she was a kitten. "This was my sister's cat! WOW she really hit the jackpot! Does she get to live INSIDE this house?" I asked my friend looking around the beautiful home. She replied while dumping out more cat food "They said this cat was rescued, 2 or 3 years ago. She was a really mess too. They took her in and now she owns the house, and the dog owns the yard." I cuddle with Misty until we left, I was just so happy to hold her again even if she weighed 20 pounds more. I whispered to her "Don't worry I will tell Dana that I saw you and that you now live happily ever after! Wow this is just so WOW!"
Dana listened to me describe everything about that afternoon. She asked me in wonder "How you know for sure it was Misty?" I said without hesitation "Her face it has those unique stripes, along with her scared ear and she is living like a Queen, I'm tellin ya!"
We both nodded in agreement that our Mighty Misty still lives on!
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