T.

Alice is fifteen and feline and has resided
on Brandon Street, where she was born, all of
her fifteen (and a half) years. Yesterday
she made the first move of her short furred life:
to Redmond. My sons were nearly teary when I
took her (but they still have two cats, "the boys.")
I kept her closed in the bedroom/bathroom all night,
and about 2am, she began to scratch at the door,
wanting more. When I opened the door, we were greeted
with a hiss and growl from Sally, the resident doyenne
at this address. Whoops! Back into the bedroom for Miss A.
Now this morning, (Alice let loose to roam and explore),
they've hissed and growled alternately, Alice more fierce
than I've seen in years, including growling while lying down.
(Not an especially fierce stance.) Quiet now. This house
is big enough for many cats. (But, I think two is plenty.)
Alice, the runt, plucked a freezing October Sunday afternoon
from an aluminum pie pan outside at old Mr. Nelson's house.
(No, she had not been baked into a pie.) She nestled in
my hand, and on my kitchen scale, weighed eight ounces.
Her favorite place to sleep was on the back of my neck
under my pony tail, and then in a tiny box on the
dining room table, which I had to continually switch out
for a larger box as she grew to her current very slight
size of about four pounds. O new beginnings!