My Little Warrior and How I Broke His Heart
By Gloria Jean Childers

With six cats sharing my home and 4 dogs that stay inside at night, it seems there is always some kind of activity going on in this house. This has been a very long hot dry summer . My dogs decided, the night hurricane Katrina , they preferred the cool low humidity feel inside the house rather than their outside room. Once Katrina and the other hurricanes that affected this area were gone, the dogs thought it unwise they return to their outside status. Thank goodness I am now retired as it is very hard to get a good nights sleep. If its not the dogs barking at the raccoons that come for their night snack, its one or more of the cats on some sort of nightly rampage. Be it a good game of - your it, to an all out war amongst the troops they are busy nightly.

Last night was a bit different. The elder cats had already found their sleeping spot for the night. The only cats siring were Prince Pickles - an orange Manx and Prince Pepper. Prince Pickles who arrived here 3 years ago as a young cat that belonged to the family across the street. He arrived on my door step one very cold January day - starving . At least thats what he wanted me to believe. I did not know he belonged to my neighbors. He was invited in, as it was to be raining and very cold that night. The next morning I took him to the vet and had him checked for any communicable diseases as I did not wish to cause my own cats any problems. While he was there he lost his manhood. The next afternoon he was back home. He was less than a year old.
Four days later, my neighbor called me and asked if I had her cat. After she told me what it looked like, I said "yes he is here." Well he's ours !!! He and his brother never, EVER , left their yard." She wanted him back. I told her that I would be happy to return him, she just had to give me the 250.00 I had spent on him. She said she would ask her husband. I never heard another word about HER cat. If you know cats- you know they wander, and one could never expect they would stay in their own yard ! Really......

My other inside cats were 6 yrs- to 11 years old. How sad this poor cat, Prince Pickles, has no one to play with. So, there was nothing to do but adopt another younger cat. Thats how I came upon Prince Pepper. He was all alone on a shelf at the pound. He had long gray and white hair. Somehow in his young life the tip of his tail had been broken and healed - so he has a small crook at the end of his tail. The first night, he found himself a quite spot and was at home. He is my only house cat who seems to be happy to do his own thing and did not need other cats for company. THEN, in another decision - I got a little 8 week old Scottish Terrier mix puppy. My 5.00 dog. I named her Miss Daisy as I planned to take her where ever I went. Thus I am Driving Miss Daisy. The twist here is Prince Pepper and Miss Daisy became the best of friends.

Last night, Prince Pepper was on a kind of mission - or quest. He and Prince Pickles were crouching at the front of the refrigerator. Being well after midnight, and knowing my chances of finding what they were stalking was slim with out nothing short of an entire kitchen re arrangement so I let this one go. Due to the lack of rain and high temperatures this summer the yard bugs have been in short supply. THANK GOODNESS. Two days ago we had a very bad rain storm. I have had monthly extermination service in this house- for 27 years. Occasionally though, when the conditions are just right, the American cockroach can get by and get in.

Do you know that cats bring their Masters gifts? I did not know this until I was explaining to a friend about the 2-3 pound fish head that appeared on my door step a few years ago. It seems another adopted cat - Kalu - had brought it to me.
He just showed up one day and called my home HIS home. He was beautiful but not to friendly. In the months to come,
be became more friendly, but also began loosing weight. He was found to be HIV positive and after a long expensive try to make his life a bit better, he seemed to give up- so he took his last trip to the vet and now resides on the other side of Rainbow Bridge. My KALU ( a Hindu word meaning black) was the first to bring me a gift from the heart.

As I was just about to turn off the computer last night....two cats came flying through the house and into my room - landing in the middle of my bed. It was Prince Pepper and Prince Pickles. They were looking into the folds of my down throw. There it was - A BIG FAT 2" cockroach !!!!!!!!! A gift. Pepper brought me a gift. Prince Pepper could have taken it to just about anywhere to play with this find. BUT NO, he brought it to me. With a hand full of tissue I grabbed the roach and went straight to the bathroom- where it was FLUSHED. When I came back in my bedroom, Pepper was looking at me. Where did it go? I tried to explain it to him, but the words fell on deaf ears. After searching on the bed, under the bed and any other places he could think of, he went to bed. My LITTLE PRINCE PEPPER. I broke his heart tonight.

This had been, to my knowledge his first big HUNT. He captured his pray and brought it to me.

I am so sorry Pepper