We found a little scrap of a kitten in a parking lot yowling her head off, almost sixteen years ago. She just barely had her eyes open and was so tiny I could hold her in the palm of my hand. She was a gorgeous,lilac point Siamese and how she came to be there lost and alone is a mystery. She looked like a china cat and that's how she got her name.

We brought her home and fed her and fixed a temporary litter box. We were afraid to let her get in bed with us because she was so little and we might crush her. I put her in the bathroom and she cried all night. The next night
she solved the problem by sleeping on my pillow and nestling in my hair.

We had her neutered and declawed when she was old enough and she has never put a paw outside. Like all animals, including human beings, being removed from a mother's nurturing too soon had an impact on her personality. She hides under our bed when we have company. She follows me around the house when she isn't napping and doesn't hesitate to scold or hiss when she is displeased. She purrs all the time now that she is old, but it took her several months to learn how to purr. She doesn't mouse. These must be learned behaviors. She still plays in the morning and snuggles at night. She will be sixteen in October and has been a joy.

I know that most people abhor declawing but it makes a cat a much better companion. Cats don't survive long if they live out of doors or are permitted to go outside. Particularly here where eagles, owls and hawks are a constant threat. She has a great disdain for dogs but can tolerate them as long as they don't get near her bed, which is our bed too.

She has one trick that she learned as a kitten. She demands to be pulled around on a rug. She will ride as long as she can persuade someone (with mews and purring) to pull her around. I guess that Ms. Troutbend's Buddy must be her boyfriend because she got a valentine from him.