On Saturday, October 9th, 1999, I was awakened by the sound of a cat/kitten crying. At first, I thought it was Lonee or Gracie, stuck in a room. They both have very high pitched voices, like a kitten's. Gracie was in bed, so maybe it was Lonee. I got out of bed and checked the office and the exercise room. No cat came running out. I looked around the house to make sure that all the cats were okay and they were. I went back to bed. I heard the crying again. This time, it sounded like it was coming from outside, in front of the house. I put on my robe and went out. There was no kitty in the entry way. I opened the gate, walked out into the yard. No sign of anything. I looked up into the sky and just then a star fell. All the times I've looked and searched for falling stars and I don't see one. This was an omen, I felt it. I went back inside and back to bed.

Later, after we were out of bed and dressed, I was cooking breakfast. I had opened the door earlier and I walked passed the door. What's this? A little, tiny black and white kitten drinking from the fountain. Huh. "Honey, come look," I called out to Brian. The kitten looked up at the sound of my voice and ran. "Brian, there's a little kitten out here!!" We both went out front to see where it had gone. We found it behind the air conditioner. This little kitten was crying very loudly at me, as if telling me to go away!!" I tried some Fancy Feast, but this little beast was having none of it, just get away. Finally, it ran off and we couldn't find it anywhere.

It was back that night, at dinner. I watched it through the door. It loved the other cats, even when they smacked it away, it came back for more. Rubbing and headbutting. When I put the moist food out, I could hear it purring. Loudly. As the next week progressed I played with him through the door. I would sit on the floor, inside the house with the screen door open, my body blocking our cats' exit. I had the stick with the feathers on it and he would chase it back and forth. He purred. I tried to catch him with my hand, but he ran. Brian talked with his friend, Chuck and Chuck said he had seen the kitten running up the street. "Too far for a little kitten like this," Brian thought, "he won't last long on his own." The kitten never came with any of the other cats. His tail was still an arrow. Most likely two/three months old. He wasn't the offspring of any that ate here. Brian expressed concern that the kitten would be out there while we were gone on our yearly trip to Disneyland. "Are you going to catch him before we go?"

I spent hours at the door at night, trying to win the trust of this tiny homeless kitten. On the night of October 13th, I was successful. At one point, I had the stick with the feathers behind him. He was in my reach. He turned to get the feathers. I grabbed him and brought him inside. He purred. He purred loudly. I let him down. He ran. He ran into the laundry room and hid. He came out of the laundry room when he realized that there were other cats here. At first, Jackie hissed at him and ran from him. But before too long, they were sleeping together.

I know that this is going to sound really looney. But, I think Bobby sent him to us. I had been thinking about Bobby and Blackie. How Blackie left little signs that he was still with us, in the form of whiskers and other intangible things. But I hadn't heard anything from Bob since he left. Then, early one morning, I hear a kitten. I see a falling star. Later, we see the kitten, a black and white kitten, like Bob. He has the same sort of odd shape that Bobby had, before he lost his leg. He was hungry and needed a home. Like I said, I think Bobby sent him.

Thank you, Bobby.