There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat. ~Tay Hohoff

Just recently I had been thinking about my Persian girl, Abigail, and how I miss her ... she was a gentle, quiet and sweet little fluffy girl.  I bought her for my son, on his 4th birthday.  I let him pick her out of the litter of kittens. I sat at the home of the breeder having this fantastic little boy Persian, all black with a white mustache sitting on my lap purring, and all these precious little fur balls running around, but my son picks out the beauty of all, the uppity, shy girl that the breeder nicknamed "Princess".  She was my first Persian.  That uppity little girl stole our hearts forever - if my son hurt himself or cried for any reason, Abigail was right there beside him, rubbing and meowing and seemingly consoling him... if she was ready to be petted, she'd come sit down next to you, and softly pat your arm until you paid attention to her.  If you opened a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos, well, don't you dare NOT share... I just remember waking up in the morning to her pretty face looking at me, and her grooming me - she'd wash my hands and then groom my nails, pulling and chewing on them till they were clean enough for her liking.  When she got to be old, and feeble minded, she'd entertain us with a burst of crazy energy, she'd fly around the house sliding on the tile floor, up and down the stair case, until she pooped out... like she thought she was a kitten once more (Kitty Dementia).  She'd wake up and seemingly forget where she was, and then howl until we called her name... hearing our voices quieted her... she'd run to whoever called her - sit beside them ...like she was scared you would disappear again.  Abigail had her faults, I couldn't own a piece of wooden furniture without her going to town with her claws.  She would not scratch anything but wood, and if she got upset or fussy, she'd go to the corner of the baseboards of my house and scratch, scratch and scratch... furiously, AND stare you down as she did it, like "I'll show you!"... she had Poly-cystic Kidney disease that is a genetic problem with Persians - her breeder should never have been allowed to breed Persians!  Luckily for our Abigail, I spent a lot of money over her lifetime making sure she ate food that kept her Ph-Balance in her kidneys and bladders at a safe level, but when she turned 14 yrs old, she started to grow a tumor around her kidney area  - and we eventually had to take her out of her misery and put her to sleep.  To have to make that decision is the hardest thing ... but seeing her suffer so much, her eyes all glazed over in pain, having to be kept in a small room where she wouldn't be able to ruin anything with the bloody urine that she couldn't control... something that was caused from the disease that was killing her... I couldn't bear her suffering.  I had just lost my beloved greyhound two months before to bone cancer, age 14 yrs. old too.  Life is tough - hard - and sad - especially when it comes to pets who love you unconditionally, who always depend on you and never cause you harm... like they are your perpetual baby to care for ... through to their golden years and illnesses. 

I didn't want a pet after I lost Abigail.  I was "done" - losing two precious loves of my life within two months had hurt me deeply.  I'd lost the Happy Dancer (my greyhound), that loving sweet beauty who greeted me with a happy dance every day when I came home... Also, I didn't have that flat smushy - angry looking face waiting for me... so that's when I started looking at Persian kittens... the breeder (a responsible one that was recommended) I chose had already sold her litter I had heard about - I left her my phone number - and in 2009, this day - Habibi was born.... no other kittens were born, just him... within 8 weeks (earlier than the breeder ever lets her kittens leave) I received a call from the breeder asking if I could get him early... I was going to pick up my new baby, sight unseen, to be mine forever... and when I walked into her little cattery, there was this angry looking little cottonball fluff with a raccoon mask staring at me from a little kitty gymnasium... I fell in love!  He fit in the palm of my hand... seems the little monster was a bully, and the brand new litter was his to pounce and be mean to - He's a ferocious ball of fluff!!!  And I sport my Habibi-Battlescars with pride!!!