Rosie, Snow and Smudge

Rosie isn't lonesome anymore, and she does not like it.  Not one little bit.

One day last week, I came home to find not one, but two kittens on my front porch, under the baby seat my son left there.  They seemed a tad shy, and who could blame them? So I left them alone until it was time to feed the other animals and figured they must be hungry, too.  I picked up the first one, a snow white little kitty who surprised me by purring.  No fear there.  Or maybe she knew my intent.  Hmmm.  This one had promise.  I took it inside and went back for the other one.  Just as snowy, but with a charcoal smudge on her head.  She purred, too and I thought - this is remarkable!  It isn't often you find two kittens that aren't afraid and wearing flea collars.  They must belong to one of the neighbors, I thought.  I took Smudge in, too.

They were immediately at home, except they had to face Rosie.

Rosie flattened her ears and hissed.  You aren't keeping those, are you?  she asked.  No, she demanded to know.

"Well...until their humans turn up, they can stay.  And you should be nice.  It isn't often you have company."

"Company?  Oh please.  They look like laboratory rats.  And I bet their personalities are as pale as they are."

"Now Rosie.  You wouldn't want me to leave them at the mercy of every dog in the neighborhood, would you?  Or let them go hungry?"

"Speaking of such, what are they going to eat?"  She looked at me expectantly.  I didn't answer - partly out of fear. 

"Let me repeat - WHAT are they going to eat?"

"There's a 25 lb. bag of food here, Rosie..."

"But..that's MINE!"

"God.  I'll replace their share of it, okay?"

"You have tomatoes."

"Cats don't eat tomatoes."

"Look again, smarty pants."

I turned, and there was Snow, on the counter, chewing away at the freshly sliced whopping big boy tomato.  I shooed her away.

"It's different, isn't it, when the shoe is on the OTHER foot?"  She looked smug and satisfied that she might not be the only one inconvenienced.  "All I can say is - don't expect me to be nice.  And keep them off of my bed.  And if they approach my food bowl - there will be consequences.  And if they get in my way?  I'm not responsible for what might happen.  Otherwise - ok, you have my permission to let them stay. For a brief period."

She arched her tail in the air, lifted her head and walked away.

When I found out my son was the one who left the kittens on my doorstep, I didn't dare tell Rosie.  She will eventually figure out that Snow and Smudge are here to stay, but for everyone's safety - that will happen when it happens.