When I was a little boy I was obsessed with cats, I loved them. But, I loved them a little too much and was a little rough. I'd squeeze them and kiss them, even though they wanted to leave. Eventually, they all ran away. That was until 2001 when I met Kiki. Kiki was my best friend. She'd be outside with me all day, and stay with me at night. She'd hunt snakes, mice, muskrats, weasels, rats, small birds, owls, crows, magpies, quails, partridges, and ravens. She wasn't afraid of anything. She'd bring her kills up to the front door to show off her hunt, and she'd get treats for it too lol. She was a proud hunter, the best hunter I ever met.
I remember when she was in heat one of my old cats came around for a piece of ass, and she whooped his. I remember he tried to hold her down, she whipped around smacked him in the face and held him down LMAO. He eventually got her pregnant though. Her kittens were my babies too, she'd bring them up to me, and when we moved they all stayed with me in the camper. I remember one time pissing my mom off before school, I was in my underwear and I took the kittens and but them in their basket, I grabbed Kiki and ran out into the woods in my tighty witeys LOL. I didn't get far.
My dad had her spayed and declawed. And before you go into your heated little rants, it was our vet at the time who talked him into it. But this comes into play a little later.
When my dad died things got rough, my mom went through a really hard time, and I had to move to my sister's house. But, I couldn't take Kiki with me. My sister had a cat named skinny, and Kiki was not a housecat, Kiki was the type of cat that was territorial, and she would have killed any neighborhood cats. So sadly I had to leave her behind. She waited for me every day, she waited for that little boy to come home and play with her, she'd scream outside the house, and my mom told me that she never left.
My mom got better, but she had to sell our house and move to Wisconsin to be with me. And at the time Kiki would go look for me across the road at our neighbor's. They'd feed her, and leave things out for her. She would eat and do her thing there, and then return to our house every day for the next 3 years. Waiting for that little boy to come home. Then someone bought the land, and she knew that the little boy wasn't with them. So she stayed across the street, hunted, and protected them as she did her little boy.
A couple years ago I went home for a visit, and ran into my neighbors at a store. I thought Kiki passed years before, but she was still waiting at their barn. She'd greet everyone that would come, looking for her little boy. A couple weeks before she was hit by a 4 wheeler, and it tweaked out her hip. So with no claws, and a bum hip, and being almost 20 years old, she took a quail down in the horse barn.
When I found out she was still alive, I had to see her. I went the next morning for a visit, she come up looking for the little boy, but she didn't know that he was no longer a little boy. She was very cordial, and let me pet and play with her, but she didn't realize it was me.
Kiki was the most loyal cat I ever met, she always was there for me, she slept at the foot of my bed and protected me, she was like a dog to me. I'm devastated that I had to leave her behind, but I know she wouldn't have been happy here. She needed a place where she could be free to hunt and run and play. And with all her ailments over the years, she was tough. I was informed a couple hours ago she fell really ill, and passed away in her sleep.
I know she loved me, I know she missed me every day, and she waited for me until she died. I hope that she'll wait just a little longer, because I want her there with my Pebbles the moment I get to the rainbow bridge. Thank You for being my most loyal friend after all those years. I love You
My Cat > Your Cat
Kiki "Momma Kitty" Hartnell 1999-2018
