Feline Friday -- Treasure

She looked up, licking her lips from her hasty meal and gauging the situation.  Before the treasure had arrived, it didn't matter so much.  Now was different, and she had to be more careful.  She couldn't afford to be followed back to the nest where the treasure was hidden.

There was water not too far away, and she needed a lot of that.  So she stopped, drank for a while, and then decided it was time to go back.  She couldn't stay away from the treasure for too long.

She noted the only person in the area, someone on a roof.  He was no danger, it would take him too much time to climb down.  Sniffing the air, she didn't smell any other cats in the immediate vicinity, which was good.  A tom would try to take the treasure from her and destroy it, she knew, and while she would fight to the death, it was easier to avoid that scenario.

Approaching the road with caution, she listened and looked for a moment, and didn't see any of those big monsters heading her way.  As she went, though, one came flying around the corner, catching her off guard, especially with it's speed.  She tried to hurry, but it was too late.  It was as if the monster knew what move she would make next.  Its wheel caught and threw her, and it kept going.

On adrenaline, with her body broken and bleeding but no pain yet, so did she.  The man on the roof had looked up and seen the whole thing, including her picking herself up and continuing to run.

By the time he did climb down from the roof, a moment later, he had to guess which way she had gone.  Following the direction she had been heading, he found a few spots of blood leading under the bushes.  Squeezing himself in behind the bushes, he found the nest.

As she climbed into the nest, the treasure stirred, and three furry little heads perked up.  Collapsing next to them, she began to feel the pain, and as the kittens latched on to nurse, she went into shock.  The babies were totally content, not realizing that their world was about to completely change.  That's how he found her, in the extremely labored breathing that signals imminent death, eyes already turning glassy.

Blinking hard to fight the tears, he climbed out from behind the bush and went to the front door.  Ringing the bell, he asked the homeowner if she owned a cat.  She said she didn't, but that there were feral cats around the neighborhood.  He told her about the dying mama in her bushes, and she went to find a phone book, so they could find someone to call.

He went back to his truck to get two boxes -- one for the treasured kittens, one for the body of the mama, which he would take home and bury in his back yard later.  He lined the box for the babies with newspaper, and put them in the warm cab of his truck with the door open so it wouldn't get too warm while he and the lady made phone calls.

About an hour later, he dropped the babies at the shelter, and as you see above, they are now nestled next to the Wuffie toy that becomes the best beloved of all our foster babies because of its softness and texture.

The story is mostly me filling in the gaps, but the facts are pretty correct.  He saw it happen, and got them to us.

And now, after a couple of days, they have learned that the bottle is not their enemy, and they are doing well.  Her treasure is safe, and i hope she knows it.



Today is:

Barthelemy Boganda Day -- Central African Republic

Borrowed Days begin -- old English/Scottish/Irish legends about how March borrowed the next 3 days from April; these are still seen as weather prognostication days based on several different legends

British and World Marbles Championship --  Greyhound Public House, Tinsley Green, West Sussex, England (team and individual titles are on the line; annually on Good Friday)

Day of Redress -- Fairy Calendar

Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race -- Wharf Car Park, Wharf St, Devizes, Wiltshire to County Hall Steps, Westminster Bridge Rd, London, England (125 mile race; annually Good Friday to Easter Monday)

Good Friday/Passion Friday -- Christian (remembrance of the crucifixion of Jesus)
     Via Crusus (Way of the Cross) -- San Fernando, Philippines (reenactment of the Passion)

Hola Mohalla -- Sikh (3 day grand festival)

Knights of Columbus Founders Day

Martyrs' Day -- Madagascar

National Hot Cross Bun Day -- always on Good Friday

National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day

National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day -- as recognized by AICPA

Procession of The Mysteries -- Taranto, Italy (Good Friday religious processions)

Smoke and Mirrors Day -- some sites call it "Festival of Smoke and Mirrors Day," but appropriately no one knows who started it

St. Armogastes of Africa's Day (Patron of the poor and torture victims; against poverty and torture)

St. Gladys' and St. Gwynllyw's Day (the Welsh "Bonny and Clyde", who led a life of crime before their conversion)

Youth Day -- Taiwan


Birthdays Today:

Hideaki Takizawa, 1982
Jennifer Capriati, 1976
Lucy Lawless, 1968
Elle Macpherson, 1964
Bud Cort, 1950
George Blaha, 1945
John Major, 1943
Pearl Bailey, 1918
Sam Walton, 1918
Philip Ahn, 1905
Denton True "Cy" Young, 1867
Isaac Mayer Wise, Rabbi and Founder of Reform Judaism, 1819
John Tyler, 1790
Carlo Buonaparte, father of Napoleon Bonaparte, 1746


Today in History:

The city of Salvador da Bahia, the first capital of Brazil, is founded, 1549
Treaty of Saint-Germain is signed, returning Quebec to French control after the English had seized it in 1629, 1632
Swedish colonists establish the first settlement in Delaware, 1638
Ludwig von Beethoven, age 24, debuts as a pianist in Vienna, 1795
Construction is authorized of the Great National Pike, better known as the Cumberland Road, becoming the first United States federal highway, 1806
Niagara Falls stops flowing for 30 hours due to an ice jam, 1848
The United Kingdom annexes the Punjab, 1849
Ohio makes it illegal for children under 18 & women to work more than 10 hours a day, 1852
Queen Victoria gives Royal Assent to the British North America Act which establishes the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867
Queen Victoria presides over the opening of Albert Hall in London, 1871
The Knights of Columbus are established, 1882
Dr. John Pemberton brews the first batch of Coca-Cola in his back yard, 1886
The North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement goes into effect at 03:00 local time, 1941
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage, 1951
NASA's Mariner 10 becomes the first spaceprobe to fly by Mercury, 1974
The Canada Act 1982 (U.K.) receives the Royal Assent from Queen Elizabeth II, setting the stage for the Queen of Canada to proclaim the Constitution Act, 1982
Catherine Callbeck becomes premier of Prince Edward Island and the first woman to be elected in a general election as premier of a Canadian province, 1993
Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia join NATO as full members, 2004
The Republic of Ireland becomes the first country in the world to ban smoking in all work places, including bars and restaurants, 2004
Thirty-five countries and over 370 cities join Earth Hour for the first time, 2008