Stuck But Grateful

BELLA:

"I got stuck inside the small room overnight.. Dang it, I kept scratching on the door and mom never came. Until this morning when I heard her come out of her room. She started greeting everybody, they were gathered around the closed door, Baby my recruit, and them.

Soon as I came out, I decided I would do the right thing: I walked up to miss Princess who was nearby the door, and thanked her. Yes, I did. I nose tipped her as gently as I could. I sniffed her face and neck to make sure all was right.

"It's okay, Bella.. You don't need to thank me", she politely looked at me without a flinch, without a hiss.

"I do, I'm glad you're okay, I'm glad I'M okay, I'm glad we're ALL okay.... ANYthing could have happened while I was stuck in there for so long. "

I then proceeded to mark every corner around there with my chin and cheerfully look up at mom and follow her as if nothing had happened. "

Equal Opportunity Effort

DEPUTY BABY G:

"Daddy went up to mom and shmoozed with her, I suddenly noticed them together and she's stroking him and paying attention to him and eberything...And here I was, trying to play with my toy but it wouldn't move. So I walked up to them and stood side by side with Daddy, looking up at mom and edging in for some attention of my own.

I was unsatisfied...I walked back to my toy and started to meow my complaints back at mom. "

A Teasing Tail

LITTLE GETTY'S WORLD: "TEASING TAIL"

"I thought it was time to break out of the shadows and venture ahead!

Yes! I could no longer resist that tail swinging in mid air, tempting me and all my instincts. I broke out of my shell and charged toward mom lady and the teasing tail! She swung it against my face and I stepped up and reached for it against my back legs, exposing all I had to mom lady.

I broke my own rule: I would not even touch anything that mom lady was touching at the other end. As long as her paw was on it, it was not safe. But this tail thing, this furry prey was just too much to overlook and ignore. Mom lady continued to swing it up to my face and I played ball as they say - I stepped up to the game with her.

And every once in a while, I would retreat back under the chair but that tail would tempt and tease me all over again and I could not resist but thrash out and vie to conquer it.

It was safe to play."

A Light In The Darkness

KATIE KITTY'S KAHOOTS:

"I've been keeping vigil tonight on top of the couch, looking out the window waiting for mom to return. I told big Bella to forget about it, this was MY turn, it was MY job and MY duty and I don't care if she stays up there, I scooted her out of the way.

I kept vigil until the bitter end. Until the light shone through the darkness down there, and I ducked under the blinds and stuck my face on the window to make sure: YES!! She's back!! I would get to announce it now to everypawdy else! And take charge.

By the time she opened the door we had all gathered downstairs to greet her. So what if big Bella was closest to the door.. "

Stick With Me Kid

LITTLE GETTY'S WORLD:

"I sought refuge up at mom lady's room when she woke up this morning.

See, I have had another pep talk with my soul-sister, miss Pipi. I took my troubles to her and pleaded my case, how I get harangued and chased by that kook, Katie.

So Pipi told me: "Stick with me and we'll go up to mom's room when she wakes up and opens the door. Remember, mom does stop her from bothering you, haven't you noticed that? So come with me, I'll be by your side and then Katie won't be able to get to you; she can't, not in front of mom. "

So I took miss Pipi's advice and followed her this morning up to mom lady's room. We stood side by side outside mom lady's 'bathroom' as we watched her get ready..

I got up there first too, and walked right in mom lady's space sniffing about and sticking my neck out behind her. I wanted to explore kook-Katie's toy in there, I had heard about that too.. how Katie goes in there and kicks around stuff and chases it all over the floor.. So I stuck my nose on it to see what I was missing."

Working Out Our Issues

GOOGIE'S GRITS:    

"We keeled it.. It finally stopped moving and just layed there after many trahs, chasings, and jumpings. It was awfully hard dere for a while. Baby was pantin' at the end and we were concerned for him, mah Pipi went over to check on him. She is the only one who won't trah and keel the thang, she lets us know in her haughty way she's above all that.

We keeled the bushy furry tail that is.. We don't really know what happened to the rest of the body but dees thang was LIVE, Ah'm tailing ya awl.. It was LAVE and it was taunting us mercilessleh, it wouldn't even leave momma's hand! Ah personally think she was held hostage bah it.

We took turns hunting it down. Babeh was our front-man, always taking charge. He done jump way hagh a lot of tames trahing to tame the thang, make it stop - conquer it and keel it. It would die once in his mouth, but then it would jump up and taunt him in the face all over again. HOW maneh tames do we have to KEEL dees thang to git it to stop moving?!!

Then it would flah ovah to MAH face, momma done trah to get rid of it but it was in her hand the whole tame and she would swing it, looking to us to keeel it. So it flew into mah face ovah and ovah again and it became personal. AH had to trah just as hard as Babeh. Almost..

And then the thang would get away from Babeh's grasp and flah into big Bella's face and SHE done take it personally too. She done not lake it when Babeh trahd to tame it, he would trample into her bah "accident" and bump and grind and what nawt, and big Bella would cry "FOWL!!!" in her most beatchy meow she done got.

Poor Babeh, he don't care how hagh or where he lands, the thang kept landing him right into beatchy Bella half the tames - and it would be another FOWL! And Bella would get awl riled up and peessed off and gallop down the stairs.. She done gain momentum with her belly and then she can't stop, the stairs takes her and it's a bumbling, rolling rade !! [ride ]. And it's a 'bump-bump-bump!' but she done work off awl her issues through DAT process..

Even miss Katie got into the act and trahd to compete with Babeh himself, jumping almost as hagh as he duzz, and twisting a couple tames in mid air. Ah guess she wanted to show him he done have nuttin' on her. So she done work off HER ya-ya's and issues and what nawt, that's furr sure.

That last jump-n-grasp done keel it though. It nevah moved again and Babeh walked away panting. "

Dames! Dames Everywhere!

GOOGIE'S GRITS: "DAMES! Dames Everywhere!! "

"Ah bean watching dat little Baby of mane playing with mom and the furr-tail toy.. And it's gotten me all juiced up, especially after the tail flapped in my face and Ah was challenged to git it, and git it good!!

So Ah got all excited from that and next thang Ah knew, Ah was eyeing miss Katie's butt - and Ah pounced! Ah chased her a little, and then Ah saw mah Little Getty take flight up the stairs and got all riled up at that and gave chase to her too!!

Hey!! AH am the prime male here, awkay?

"MAH BOY": Googie's Teachings of Baby-G

GOOGIE:

"We were awl going about our day, mom was up, and Ah was waitin' for her to come on down when suddenly, Ah heard a blood-curdling scream.

It was mah boy. Mah boy was in pain and anguish, Ah knew it.

Next thang Ah knew, he was rumbling down the steps, utter horror in his eyes.

"DAD!! DAD!! She hurt me! She hurt me Dad!! Please keep her away from me Dad! Aww my tail hurst SO BAD! Getty had been right ALL those times!! It's TRUE!!! "

Ah didn't know what to make of it.. Momma done hurt Mah Boy? How could it BE? She came on down herself after him, she was bare-skinned and saying "I'm sorry! Awww...!! " Meanwhile, Mah Boy kept running away from her, his eye all big and dark and wide.

Ah stood between them, Mah Boy tryin' to hide under the table near mah Little Getty, and mom on mah other side. Ah did not lose mah cool, Ah stood there contemplatin' the situation and Ah looked up at mom's eyes, searching for a reasonable answer.

"It was an accident, Gabriel...", she explained, as she stroked mah back. That felt good. "Please explain it to him.. it was an a-c-c-i-d-e-n-t..", she said calmly, slowly... plaintively. She too was worried.

Ah took a few steps toward Mah Boy.. Ah had to fand out what had happened first. Everyone else was around us now, Bella wanting to know too, mah Pipi looking a little worried.. And of course, Little Getty saying' "I TOLD you SO!! ".

Ah stepped up to mah Baby and looked him in the eye, sniffed and air-nosetipped as Ah stretched mah neck toward him. "What happened, hawneh? Tale it to me slowly.. What were you doing?"

"Daddy my TAIL! My tail hurt SO bad all of a sudden, and all I know was ...SHE was right there when it happened! I was... I was behind that door in her little room and next thing I know, she showed up and I saw her hand on the door! And my tail ..My TAIL Daddy!!"

Ah was now able to ascertain exactly what had happened... Momma was right: Eet WAS an "accident". After all, she did say the "I'm sorry" words.. So Ah explained to Mah Boy: "Hawney, your tail just got caught up where eet didn't belong! SHE really had nothing to do with it... SHE did not mean to hurt you.. That is what she means when she makes that "accident" sound, do you understand? Sometames, these thangs happen..

And no, Little Getty was NOT right. "

Ah was relieved to see Mah Boy settle down and relax about it.. Momma done call him and he finally went to her. He trusted us, he kept his faith... And continued to love momma.

He understood the meaning of "accident".

Hostage In Her Wiles

GOOGIE:

"Ah got hung up this morning and could not get to momma... Ah was pinned down again bah little miss Getty on the chair downstairs so Ah could not get up even to go do mah business nor eat or drink.

So momma done come down finally later, much later... And found me still closed in on the chair with Getty and Ah quickly stood up.  Ah knew at that point that miss Getty would not bite mah cheek no more and keep me hostage in her wiles.

Ah jumped down to greet mom, Ah was now free.   Ah think momma done gone to Getty where she scurried under the table, her usual place, and told her to quit holding me against mah will or somethang like that.   She knows about the biting on mah cheek, see but AH don't really mand.. Ah know little Getty still needs me desperately. "

Collusion By The Water Cooler

GOOGIE'S GRITS

"Ah am usually easy to get along with. Bella and Ah have had a good understandin'. But Ah have mah preferences and mah quirks. Like, my water bowl. Ah like mah water bowl un-deesturbed and available to me when Ah need it. So here she comes up to me while Ah'm beesy drinkin' mah water - and she wants to get in there and drink herself.

"What 'chu doin' woman? Can't you see Ah'm beesy here?", Ah looked at her quite perturbed.

"Well, excuse ME! but I'M thirsty!!", she hissed and took her defensive position. All of a sudden Ah had to deal with ears flown back and the whole attitude.. Ah gave up and walked on backwards, especially after Ah heard mom chidin' me to "be nice".. Ah didn't know what had hit me to be honest so Ah stalled in the middle of the kitchen floor trying to get mah bearings when mah little Baby came over, nosetipping me.

"Dad? You okay? You look ...upset..", the poor thang lowered his head to mine in respect and asked me to kiss him. Ah leaned down and licked his forehead for a few. And then he returned the favor and made me feel all the better.

It's good to have mah Baby around for tames like these."

Struck Out

KATIE KITTY'S KAHOOTS:

"I picked a fight with mom last night. She kept touching the tip of my tail while I'm trying to relax on top of the couch and I just can't have that! So I struck out. With my open claw... and it got her. It got her bad. So she started screaming in pain and the whole pack came over to her.. That stupid Baby came running to her first, and then that miss Priss came running to her even though she had been deep asleep on the other side of the room!

The whole pack made me feel like crap for hurting momma.. That Getty though, she knows better than to get in MY crosshairs, she knew her place last night and stayed out of it.

After I made my strike and watched her writhe in pain, yelling at me, I did not even flinch. I just sat there, watching her - I did not see the need to run or even change my position, like even to scoot further out. And yell at me she DID.

The thing that got me the most was Googie's glare.. After I struck out and she screamed, I saw Goog's face behind mom and my eyes popped wide open. He warned me quite sternly without even moving from his spot."

I Watched And Wondered

LITTLE GETTY'S WORLD:

"I sat there, on my chair, and watched mom lady go up to miss Bella. Miss Bella was sitting on top there by the window and mom lady went right up to her and snuggled her face right up against hers... And miss Bella didn't miss a beat, she leaned down and started licking mom lady's face. It was their routine and I could see how comfortable they were with each other.. 

So I stared and watched... And wondered about it all.. I wouldn't be a part of it... I couldn't.. But I watched from just a few feet away. Will I ever be? It's just as well that I could just watch for now.. "