Snippets & Snatches
Tonight as "His Highness Lonesome" settled himself
into my lap I remembered I promised to tell you how he came to us. A few years
back my sister (whom I had not seen in 29 years) came to visit. We had just had
a litter of kittens, the result of Butterscotch taking a nocturnal jaunt by
squeezing out a hole in the attic (while under 'house arrest' waiting for the next spay clinic in our town) and one family member felt very overpopulated
in "his" house space. Anyway, one day she and I went on errands, which
included the Feed store, and while she browsed the clothing section I ordered
feed. She disappeared, which wasn't unlike her, so I went to the loading dock to
wait for my order. Still she didn't come. Then as I headed back to look for her
she appeared carrying a large box, obviously heavy. I gestured to help and she
said no. I asked what she had and she gave her oft used phrase "Never you mind"
(I'm sure she was copying Mom on that one) She put the box on the back of the
truck and we headed home. She would try to face forward but couldn't help
looking back at the box. Finally I said "As heavy as that box seemed, I'm sure
it won't blow off". She nodded but looked quite concerned and sat looking
backwards for the next 8 miles. We stopped at someone's house to say hi and
when she got out of the truck she said "I'll wait out here." Well my puzzlement
was soon resolved, when I heard a small meow coming from the box.
At my shock
and dismay ( NOW I dreaded going home)
she said" well 'he' always said he wanted a
Maine Coon Cat. This one lived in the back with the feed to catch mice and
I asked if we could have him and they said take him." I know she knew if she'd
asked me I would have said no, so she didn't ask. Look how thin he was at first
and without the luxuriant coat he now has. She had had two when she lived in
Alaska and apparently knew her subject well as he has turned out to be a gem,
both in looks and demeanor.And his name? Well we were afraid to have him in the house with tiny kittens, he being a male, so we kept him outside in my husband's work shop. Often my sister would take a break out there to keep him company.
One day my husband said that poor cat looks "lonesome" and soon after he joined the houseful of others.
He never harmed the kittens and his original description became his name. 
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