This short tale is about our small, friendly kitten named Minny.
Some animals come and go, but Minny is here to stay forever. As previously detailed in this blog post, we have had many animals just live in our yard. Justin and I have literally had a rooster, rabbits, cats, dogs, and even mice. The mice were the least welcome. Our neighbor even keeps bees- but don’t even get me started on Achiko, our neighbor. One of our top favorites has been Spot, our dog for just a couple of months. I still maintain my opinion that he was the sweetest puppy that ever lived- wherever he is now.
However, my heart has opened its doors to my newest love- Minny. She was born in our yard probably sometime in the late summer of 2018. The mother cat has always perused in our yard, with her husband and possibly her father-in-law in-toe. The litter, to our knowledge, was small. Three beautiful kittens huddled around, being nursed by mama cat for what seemed like weeks on end. Two kittens looked identical and the other one looked oddly very different. The whitewashed kitten was the strangest of them all, and sadly, was probably born blind. Our best guess is that she had joined her yard siblings in animal heaven. The other black kitten vanished and was never to be seen again. And then, only one remained.
The one that did not bite the dust was, thereafter, named Minny. At first, Minny was shy and very much a wallflower. She would hide in bushes whenever she would see the tips of my or Justin’s shoe exit the front door. She would scatter like the wind under some leaves behind the wooden bench in our yard. Minny, as she would have it, wanted to avoid human contact or interaction, as much as cat-ly possible. In her tiny strong-willed kitty heart, she would not be petted.
Justin, a lover of animals, wanted to provide his humanly love and compassion towards this scaredy-cat. The mother cat could not be bothered and daddy cat and grumpy cat grampa were they “leave me alone and don’t step on my yard” type of kitties. But Justin thought to himself, “this one will be hugged and loved.” So each day, Justin would tip-toe to the little, future-lovable kitten. Little by little, tiny Minny would ruffle some the leaves and have herself some sneak peeks to learn more about approachable Justin.
After a month of courtship, Minny began to approach Justin and then me. You see, I had taken a little vacation, so I was not around for this kitty-courtship. When I had returned, I saw Minny in Justin’s arms and I was surprised to see another love embrace my husband’s arms to warmly. Minny looked up with her bright olive-green eyes and purred the softest “meow” that has touched my ears. I was in love.
However, like Romeo and Juliet, my love is forbidden. Bound by different circumstances, my love is limited due something doctors like to call “allergies.” Minny’s dander, harmless to Justin, steeps deep down to my chest and causes a rash when I’m exposed for long periods of time. Unoriginally, I sneeze and become stuffy. Minny’s adventures stop at our front door. She is not allowed to step beyond the threshold of my front door.
I pay the price from time to time, I give her little kitten massages. I immediately scrub my hands with water and soap and remove any evidence so my lungs would be none the wiser. Minny purrs unknowingly and how I can explain to such a cute kitten that she cannot zig-zag around my feet and touch my pant legs continuously? I literally have no sense of discipline and so I call out to Justin, “Can you pick up Minny and make sure she doesn’t get inside?”
Despite what might seem like a hot-and-cold relationship between Minny and me, rest assured, there is real love. When we go away to Tbilisi for a couple of days, I wonder how Minny is doing. I wonder how long her filtered water bowl will last. I speculate if she ate the buckwheat that we left out. Have no fear, if the buckwheat is done, our yard neighbor, Zurab, also puts out food. Minny and her cat family will have full bellies full of food.
Minny has gotten used to us and now seeks out the attention. When we come home from work, Minny is the first to greet me. She plunges down the mandarine tree bark and walks with me to the front steps of my 3-foot-wide porch. When we leave, Minny hurdles to ensure that we hear her meow goodbye. When we call her by her name, she runs up from the basement to our feet. Minny knows that she is loved. Minny loves us back too and stands on our porch’s railing to meow a “wonderful good morning Rawan and Justin” each day by making eye contact through our kitchen window.
To the end of my service, I hope to see Minny’s face rain or shine. I hope to continue hearing her soft paw knocks on our front door for hugs and kisses. I hope this because to me, Minny is the sweetest and best kitten in the whole-wide-world.