You Gotta Rub Me the Right Way

Rubbing Backs is Hard Work

Jersey was just an itty bitty when I first saw him. My friend Suzanne's cat, Momma Kitty, was a baby making machine. I can't even count how many litters she had. One day, I was over at Suzanne's (to get CDs for making mix tapes--hot!) and we were playing with the three new kittens. My mom showed up to take us back to my house. Suzanne and I had the great idea to smuggle a kitten home.

I held the kitten underneath my shirt and somehow my mom was oblivious to our scheme. I ran inside and to my room then collapsed into laughter at my triumph. It was great fun, but it would be even more so if Mom found out about our trickery.

My mom had called my dad and was concentrating on their conversation, so I knew she was distracted enough to not hear us giggling as we pushed the poor kitten into the living room. We hurried back to the hallway, snickering and keeping each other from running in and saying "Look! Look what we did! We are smuggler-fiends!!!"

I'd like to have seen my mom's face and been in her head at the moment she saw the kitten. Did she see a slight movement or did she hear his puny little meow? From my hiding place, I couldn't hear her, but I definitely heard Mom's shrill voice. "GIRLS!!! DID YOU KNOW WE HAD A CAT???"

I don't know if she thought the tiny thing had snuck into the car and followed us into the house or what, but her reaction was pretty much everything we hoped it would be. My parents weren't nearly as entertained and the kitten was soon rushed back to his mommy.

On my birthday, Suzanne showed up at my door with a balloon and a basket. Inside the basket was the same kitten we'd smuggled a few weeks earlier. My parents had long before set down a no-more-pets mandate and were not pleased with my birthday present. Jersey turned on the charm, though, and it wasn't long before no-more-pets turned into this-is-the-last-one.

So for 14 years, Jersey has ruled my parents' house. He loves Dad more than anyone, and loves to burrow under blankets. He'll eat anything (even carrots!!!) and will keep your toes warm at night. His best quality, by far, is the way that if I rub his back for awhile, he'll rub mine. I've got to get him to teach Cijay that trick!