Spunkabitty

It is time to introduce you to another one of our critters. His name is Spunkabitty, and he's the handsome, sweet-looking kitty cat in the picture. ;) Watch out, he's dangerous. Spunkabitty, or Bitty for short, is certainly no longer bitty,but that is what a certain member of our family decided to call him when he showed up at our house at about 6 weeks of age. Bitty has a deformed lower lip which the vet said is probably due to his being hit by a car at around 3 weeks old. In the four years we've had Bitty, he has been bitten by poisonous snakes at least twice and by a black widow spider at least once. He has had tangles with wild animals and stray cats. Spunkabitty is tough, and he doesn't back down to anybody. He likes to lie in wait for the dogs and jump on them as they go by. He has even been known to stand his ground before a horse and swat it on the nose!

Daddy says Bitty is the only really useful animal on the property. That cat is truly a hunting machine. He scarcely eats at home, but he catches plenty of meals outside. No animal is safe from Bitty.

We bring the cats inside for the night because we lost a cat one night to the pack of coyotes that live on our road. Spunkabitty is difficult to catch, and he rarely comes when called. It is maddening to walk around calling him in the evening, knowing that he is sitting under a bush somewhere, watching you. (He wants to stay out. He'd like to taste coyote.) When you finally get him in, Bitty likes to sharpen his little claws on the couch, beat up the other cats, and then go to sleep on somebody's bed. In the middle of the night he climbs up on the grand piano, which he is forbidden to do. The other night he gave himself away, because Annie forgot to close it. Da-da! Spunkabitty is not a talented piano player.

You are probaby wondering why we keep such a terror at our house. Well, he is cute, in an odd sort of way, and he can be really sweet when he wants to be. Spunkabitty is a constant source of amusement for our family.