If you know me, you know that I LOVE kitties. I always say kitties, not cats, because that sounds way cuter, and kitties are the cutest things on the planet. We adore our three kitties; Alley (short for Alejandra), Josie (for Josephina), and Smokette (really the cutest one, and the Kelley Hart mascot, pictured in the banner above). Since I work at home, they are my constant companions and bring me joy every day.
This is Josie. She is the most mellow, laid back animal I have ever known.
Josie was named after the best cat we ever had--Smokey Joe. He was a stray, found by our dear friends the Fultons, when they were moving out of town. It seemed an omen that we should adopt him, since I was so sad to see our friends leave. We tried to make him an indoor cat, but being the wild street urchin that he was, it became futile. Our entire neighborhood got to know Joe, as he would walk into any open door. We came home from one weekend away, and couldn't find Joe. Finally, we checked our phone messages and learned that a neighbor had him at their house. They figured he had run away and were keeping him safe for us. We went to retrieve him and the family was so sad to see him go. They said he was welcome any time.
(This is Smokey Joe soon after we adopted him)
On another occasion, my husband was taking our son and some friends skateboarding in our van. They got half way down the block when one of the little boys in the back seat proclaimed, "Dude! There's a cat in your car!" Somehow Joe had snuck in the van to go along for the ride.
Joe's adventures were not limited to our neighborhood. At one point, after not seeing Joe for several days, we got a phone call. It was a kind stranger calling from 10 miles down the freeway at a city park. He said that Joe (a name tag with phone # is a good thing!), had been hanging out at the park for most of the day. All we can figure is that Joe, once again, took a joy ride in someone's car (maybe the back of a pick up truck?) and got off at the park. He seemed happy to see us when we came for him.
Sadly, Joe's journey ended one Sunday morning when he was hit by a car just a block from our house. Another kind stranger found him, still warm, wrapped him in her jacket and brought him to us. We were devastated, and cried for days. Neighbors we didn't even know would ask where Joe had been and were equally saddened by the news.
It took us over a year to get another cat; the pain was just too much (yes I'm a wus). Our friend, who is a wonderful vet, called one day to say he had two kitties for us to see. Reluctantly, I went over and found Josie and Alley, together in a cage, all cuddled up. Josie was the spitting image of Joe, and I burst into tears. Josie was just a kitten, and Alley had adopted her after her kittens were placed in new homes. I couldn't imagine splitting them up, so after consulting with my husband, Josie and Alley became part of the family.
Smokette came later, but that's another story!
