Blackie

As a kitten I am afraid little is known about my background. I was in a litter of several other kittens, all
with my coloring, black and white and so. We were all American Shorthair mixed. We were about 5
weeks old then. A woman found us and brought us to an animal shelter, in Long Island New York. For
about a week we were "featured" there, in the first room in she shelter. My brothers and sisters were each
adopted. After about a week, all that was left of the litter was myself and one of my sisters. Why I was
not adopted sooner remains unknown to me. Perhaps my coloring was inadequate to the humans, or
maybe they did not fancy my small size (I admit I was the smallest in the litter). In any case, my sister
was not adopted sooner as she was a screamer, always meowing loudly

Then one day two female humans came for a kitten. They saw me and my sister, and chose me. I was
bought for a donation of two dollars. I was then taken to their home, and given to the older female's
daughter, Sarah. She was younger then, a rather small human, and she named me Blackie on the spot. I
lived in New York peacefully for two years, I was raised and became a fine cat. I grew friendly with the
other cats in the household and learned to be a gentlecat. I would hug humans when they picked me up
(by wrapping my arms around their neck) and snuggle in to my meowmie's neck when she slept (I still
do). I could even sit in a chair at a human's table and eat the food from that position (I used my paws to
bring the food closer to my mouth though). I grew, however, to be a very large cat. Never fat, but long,
sleek, and muscular. Sometimes people who visited the humans saw me creeping along and asked if
there was a small panther in the house.

In any case, after two years the humans moved to Virginia, and most of my friends who lived in New
York (cat friends) were given away to other humans. When I was brought to Virginia, a human divorce
caused several changes to be made. That is the reason the other cats were left behind with the other
human adult, due to divorce. When we came to Virginia, though, meowmie bought a cat named Nova.
She was a black and white Shorthair. A pretty cat, with green eyes and skunk-like features (she was white
on the bottom and has a long black strip of fur running across her head and back and tail). She and I
became outdoor cats, though we were both let in frequently (I come in almost every night and sleep on
my meowmie's bed). Nova became a great huntress, chasing and catching mice and moles and even a
small snake once. Over time more cats came, a manx mother and her 5 kittens. After several weeks, one
kitten was given away, two of them died (one was killed by a dog, the other was always very sickly). The
remaining manx cats were named Ginger and Avatar. After about two years, Avatar was hit by a car. My
friend Ginger remained, and he and I became good friends, as he lived outdoors with Nova and I.
Another female cat named Stimpy lived indoors, and later on a male named Spooky (my best friend!)
moved in as well. Stimpy and Avatar (before Avatar died) mated and had a kitten named Dust Bunny,
whom the humans kept and still have today.

We've all lived in our small town in Virginia together, 6 cats and three dogs. Over the summer (this
summer, actually) a few changes were made. A new kitten, a white persian mix, named Camaro came
and lived with us. Another change, this one very important, was I discovered CLAW. I joined with my
sister Nova and brother Spooky. Later on Camaro and Ginger (though Ginger used his middle name,
Nathanial) joined as well. I became the chaircat of this guild, and later on Spooky and I became chaircats
of a guild we call the Good Citizens Society. Nova worked with the Advice Column, and I later became
the dean of the Health and Veterinary Sciences college in the CLAW University. And more recently, I
was elected CLAW Council President. I am a busy cat, but I enjoy my life in CLAW. I have a lovely
wink-wink, a beautiful female named Minnie Minerva. I spend my nights prowling and my day's working
and sleeping. I am not a very playful cat, but sometimes I'll play, and I'll pounce on my brofurs and
sisfurs and together we'll play-fight. I am almost 7 now, and cannot complain about my life. It has been
good, and I do not regret a minute of it. Purrs, Blackie Jamison