Pierre Grows Up

Mr. Pierre turns two today and would like the whole world to know it. He is, after all, a cat, which means his ego is larger than any human’s ever could be.

After my old kitty died, a week later I answered an ad in the newspaper from a man in Farmville giving away kittens. Mr. Archie Dunkley, who I keep wanting to call Archie Dunker and then make him Archie Bunker, had a lovely striped mom cat in his lawn mower repair shop near Longwood University. When we walked into the shop, all I saw was a tangle of gray kittens rolling over and over again in a big adorable lump on the floor. I couldn’t choose. One guy with a jaunty white tail walked right over to us to investigate. I liked the little girl hiding shyly behind the door. We ended up taking Mr Whitetail home, as he was known around the neighborhood, and rechristened him Pierre. He was so bold that on the car ride home, as I sat in the back seat with him tucked securely in a cardboard box, his little head kept peeking up at me over the flap of the box. Not content to sit demurely and ride, oh no, not Pierre. He wanted to see and experience every last detail of life around him.

I had never owned a kitten before. I’d always adopted adult pets from the shelter. Even as a child, I never bought baby hamsters….always adults. Having a kitten was an experience. I was so afraid I’d hurt him, or drop him. I discovered he was such a tough little thing that he’d climb the highest shelf and leap down just to get a good jump on the dog’s head. (He still does this. Last night he hid on the couch and jumped Shadow as she walked by. I’m also really lucky she’s gentle with him. But he is a bold thing, attacking a German Shepherd 4x his size!)

For anyone who says “all cats are alike” or “all dogs are alike”, they haven’t owned a pet, or at least haven’t spent enough time with a pet. Pierre is night to my old cat’s day, opposite in personality in almost every way.

From 2 pounds to 20 pounds, my little puffball kitten has turned into an enormous tiger.

The photos today show him the day we got him home. Note the green books on the bookshelf. The second picture shows Pierre around age 1 1/2, next to the same books on the bookshelf. It’s like watching time lapse photography!