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Well-Loved Pets
The Calico Cat, Gigantic White Moths, and Me
The small, silly cat made me laugh
“I love my cats more than I love most people. Probably more than is healthy,” Amy Lee
One of my favorite cats didn’t stay with me for long. I had the pleasure of Skyy’s company for less than a year. My spouse thinks a coyote got her. I believe she was a rolling stone and moved on to her next assignment.
One evening, I was out back in my jacuzzi when I heard a soft meowing. A small female calico had given birth to kittens in our backyard metal shed. She looked so thin. I brought food and water for her and the kittens daily. The kittens learned to expect me and would come over to play.
When the kittens were big enough, we caught them and took them to the vet and the shelter. All of them were quickly adopted, as they had beautiful, unusual patterns on their fur.
The mother was another deal altogether. I kept putting food and water out for her, but she was fast, and I was slow. She would cautiously come over for me to pet her at feeding time, but she was always wary.
Sometimes, she would disappear for days only to return with her soft mewing, asking for food and water. We lived in the low desert in southern California. Water was always a…