Checkers
Whoosh! One little white dog (Sarah) was hot on the tail of a white cat upstairs in the hay loft of the barn. Where had it come from in the middle of winter? Denise began putting out cat food and water for the new barn resident. The next time she caught a glimpse of the cat there was a tiny black and white kitten at her side. As soon as they saw her, they were both gone, deeply hidden in the hay somewhere.
For several weeks the cat food disappeared and then it didn’t. Denise could hear was a tiny meow coming from the rafters. She could see the kitten and almost touch it, but not quite. It was too small to survive without its mother and temperatures were expected to plummet to blow zero. Finally Denise was able to lure the kitten into a live trap. Dressed appropriately to encounter wild kitten claws, Denise reached into the trap. Instead of a wild thing, the kitten cuddled in her lap purring contently.
Checkers grew up in the house that winter with Sarah the Jack Russell and Zena, the black lab. She wasn’t afraid of dogs and loved to curl up with them to nap. When the dogs were called, the cat came too. They even taught her to beg for food after meals!
Checkers was not Sarah’s, the dog, favorite friend, she merely tolerated her. Problems would arise on chilly winter nights as both loved to curl up next to Denise on the bed. However, both had decided there was only room for one. Sarah loved to bury herself under blankets. Checkers thought this was great fun and would gently climb on top of the blanket that the dog was under and lay down. If you have ever had a cat, you know they like to “knead with their feet” and Checkers thought that kneading Sarah was just the best fun ever. It always produced a deep guttural growl that the cat totally ignored. Life with animals is certainly never dull!
So there are really three black and white cats that rule Mystic Mountain. Checkers is the female that comes in and out of the house at will. She is about half the size of Smudge. Both Smudge and Fudge are male cats that live in the barn and help to keep the mice population under control. No, there will be no kittens because none of the cats are able to reproduce. It is just easier that way!
"Life is so hard when you're a cat!"
