kitten – Colleen Keller Breuning

Felinity

Felinity

I believe in love at first sight,
My furry little feline sprite.
In your shelter cage, full of glee…
My heart you stole eternally.

Mood swings from funny to fickle:
Playful, puckish, in a pickle.
Blind luck? I call it destiny…
My heart you stole eternally.

I held you close that fateful day
And helped your spirit sail away.
Chase that rainbow, finally free…
My heart you stole eternally.

I believe in love at first sight…
My heart you stole eternally.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2023
February 11, 2023

This was written for Tommy Breuning, my furry soulmate who died from lymphoma on September 12, 2020. He was 15 years old. He was my animal spirit, my furry soulmate, and he completely stole my heart from that very first day. Here is the story of how we met in 2005.

It was September 11, 2005. We were on a mission to rescue a cat. There had been a huge influx of stranded kittens into Florida from Louisiana, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Kate and I went down to the Broward Humane Society, and it was jam packed with folks wanting to adopt the plethora of dogs and cats in need of a home. The local Channel 10 station was even there, covering the news. We had looked at some of the Louisiana rescue kittens, and even stood in a long line to get a chance to meet a few. We held Lucky and another white cat from New Orleans that were from this import, but they were skittish and we really didn’t seem to bond. I knew that we both had to feel something in our hearts, that would be the sign that kitten was the one for us. I was trying to be patient and determined to get the right match.

We went back into the large cat area of the shelter to check out the other kittens waiting for adoption. There at the very back, I spotted him. A little tiger tabby, desperately trying to cover up his poop with a shred of newspaper! He was so tiny and so adorable, and we watched him playing with his little brother behind the glass. His name was “Titus” from the Rome mini-series. It was most definitely love at first sight! We requested a meet and greet. There the little shelter room, he came to us with hesitation and snuggled up to our necks, purring loudly. He had a very loud kitten voice, and we knew immediately we HAD to adopt him!

It was an easy decision, but now the problem was…. would we get to him in time? Once we filled out the application and put in a bid for “Titus,” we were given a number to officially adopt the kitten. But we quickly discovered there were 90 people ahead of us in that packed waiting room!

Frequently, the shelter workers would call out a number and that person would be so disappointed to learn that the pet they hoped to adopt had already been adopted, sometimes minutes before. Many left disappointed, some children in tears. Katie and I were becoming more anxious as we waited. Would we get to Titus in time?

We chatted with an older couple seated next to us who were much further ahead of us in line. They were hoping to adopt a certain dog. Another family was called up, and their dog was already adopted – the same dog the couple next to us were hoping to adopt. The husband turned to me, stealthily slipping me their ticket and whispered, “Here, take our ticket. Good luck getting your kitten.”

I felt like an outlaw, a cheat, at accepting that ticket and “jumping the line.” But at the same time, I could see the hope and anticipation in Katie’s eyes. The mere thought of not bringing this little boy home was more than I could bear. I knew he was my soulmate, and I just had to have him!

About 10 minutes later, our new ticket number was called out. Katie and I approached the desk, hearts pounding. Our application had been approved…. and Titus was still available. He was ours! Tears misted our eyes as I completed the paperwork and paid the $75 fee. They said they were having a “2 for one” special, I could take another kitten home for the same price. I was very tempted to adopt his brother as well, but I did not want to push my luck and take on too much at once! We could go back and pick him up after his neuter procedure was complete. I always say that was the best $75 I ever spent.

On the drive home, we decided to change his name to Tommy, after my beloved father who had passed away two years prior. Tommy Titan. A perfect name for him! There was an immediate bond after bringing him home. I have so many funny stories and beautiful memories which I will continue to share on this blog. Tommy Breuning became a bit of a social media celebrity. He had his own Facebook page, wrote the infamous “A Tommy Blog” and sparred with his sister Jordan frequently. The Blogophilia writing group seemed to really enjoy when Tommy took over my weekly blog! I miss those Tommy blogs, and I have saved every one of them. Maybe some day I will compile a book of them. There are over 40 of them! Below is a video we created for one of our Blogophiia posts.

There ought to be a law against stealing hearts. Tommy stole mine from the very first day, but I love him eternally for that. Rest in Peace, my sweet Tommy. There will never, ever be another cat quite like you!

xoxo
Colleen

Mood: Thoughtful
“The Stowaway ~ A Cat’s Tail” by Colleen Breuning

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 32.14 Topic: There Ought to be a Law
Hard Bonus: Incorporate a quote or line of Sean Connery
Easy Bonus: Use the phrase “in a pickle”

Stray

Stray

Dark loner wanders as the sun goes down,
Dirty asphalt beneath his weathered feet.
Straying on, past the far edges of town,
There is no vacation on these mean streets.

Though winter is waning, bitter winds blow,
He shivers behind a ramshackle shed.
His fur coat matted by cold rain and snow
As visions of summer dance in his head.

Searching for solace, hungry and alone,
A life counted with every waking breath.
The black specter of fear gnaws at his bones,
Too many years he has eluded death.

Your journey is over, so close your eyes…
Fading deep into the nights of goodbye.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2021
March 12, 2021

A sonnet for all the stray cats that I would love to save…. 😥 ❤

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 53.13 Topic: Vacation
Hard Bonus (2 points): Include a Grateful Dead Lyric or Title (“Cold Rain and Snow” and “In the nights of goodbye”)
Easy Bonus (1 Point): Mention a Fur Coat

SECRET BONUS GUESSES:

Snake in the grass
Snakeskin
Venomous reptile
Mortal coil
Hissy fit
Viper
Rattlesnake
Slithering away…
Leather for my snakeskin boots
The sidewinder sleeps tonight

Topic: Craig Pic: Christopher

Inspired by the music:

Bobby Moonlight

Bobby Moonlight

what’s behind the door
hiding underneath the bed
white whiskers and fur

I can see your eyes
like a starry summer night
glowing like the moon

heaven knows I tried
bribing with treats and catnip
you hunker down low

I’ll see you at dawn
my little Bobby Moonlight
until then, sweet dreams

We are doing a foster to adopt with a 5 month old tiger cat named Moonlight. However, because we prefer “real” names for our cats, we have decided to rename him Bobby (after my uncle). For the time being his full name will be Bobby Moonlight (sounds like a rock star). Since he’s used to being called Moonlight, we want him to recognize his name for now until he gets used to Bobby. Of course, we always have multiple nicknames for our cats so he’ll also be called Bob, Bobcat, Mr. Moonlight, any other variation we think of…. 😉

The reason we’re doing a foster to adopt is that because of COVID-19, the adoption process has slowed down and substantially changed. Since we were not able to actually go in person to the foster mom’s home to spend time with him in his environment, they recommended we go this route as a trial. 90% in this situation end up adopting, and that is our intention unless he’s simply not able to adapt. We had been looking at kittens, but they’re in high demand. Seems the older the kitten or cat, the more challenging to get them adopted out. Bobby is technically still a kitten, but he stayed longer in foster because he needed a little more socialization. But the foster mom reports he is loving, enjoys being with other cats and is a purr machine. The fact that he’s a little older than 8-10 weeks may actually make for a better integration with Rudy, since he’s bigger and could stand up to him better than a tiny kitten.

We have put him in a safe bedroom, which is Katie’s old bedroom. We had it all set up with the usual cat things. When he arrived with his foster Mom, I took him directly up there and opened his carrier. He scurried right and and under the bed where he has stayed hidden all day. I’ve spent much of the evening lying on the floor meowing and pretending to be a kitten…. that has elicited the most response and he’s at least come out of the box springs (Rudy’s former hiding place). Overnight he ate, drank and used the litter box, which is a good thing. Eventually he will get curious and leave his hiding place to check me out. This is totally normal, but I’m dying to be able to see and pet him. It always takes time, and I’m not the most patient person lol.

In the meantime, Rudy is energized since he knows there’s another cat in the house. He is keeping watch on the closed up bedroom, and is dying to get in there. When I’m in there he’s sticking his paw under the door. It’s too early to introduce them, will take days if not a week or more until we allow them to see each other for the first time. We did foster to adopt because of COVID and the fact that Bobby is a little older, which sometimes is hard to integrate. We want to make sure both cats are accepting of each other, but I suspect things will work out okay in the end.

Side note: The above picture is not Bobby, it’s from Flickr. But he does look similar to this, and I’ll post pics when he comes out…

Week 37.13 Topic: What’s Behind the Door?
Hard Bonus (2 points): Use a lyric from the song “Misty Blue” (any version or artist) (“heaven knows I tried”)
Easy Bonus (1 Point): Include a Ray Stevens lyric (“like a starry summer night”)

SECRET BONUS GUESSES:

1.  Super freak
2.  I mustache you a question
3.  Forgot to shave
4.  Black beauty
5.  Porn stache
6.  Beer mustache
7.  Chocolate Stout Beer
8.  Goth Rocks
9.  Here for the Beer
10.  Chrissie Hynde Look Alike

Topic: Christopher Pic: Jonathan