Dear Supporters of Chickadee,

Writing for a new cat is like going out on a bunch of first dates. You are bit tentative at first, trying to figure out just what the cat is like and how far you can go. Some cats have a history that you need to respect. Some cats need time to trust. Some cats are different.

With Chickadee, this month, I entered with one mindset and left with another. And I don’t mind admitting that. I had been visiting her every week, dropping by, spending some time, petting her if she’d let me. And she’d been slowly assessing me, too.

In the beginning, she literally brought her face up into mine. Her nose literally touched mine. She sniffed, then she backed away and gave a little chirping sound, which I couldn’t read. Was it a sign of approval or disapproval? I continued to interact with her and she didn’t seem to mind, so I figured we were buds on some level.

That continued for a few meetingss.

Then this last week everything changed.

Chickadee sniffed, seemed to recognize me, and even acknowledge me as a friend.
I sensed that she relaxed for the first time.

She purred when I pet her. She rolled around on the chair, almost fell off, righted herself, showed me her belly and rolled some more. She was having fun.

Yeah, there was some odd chirping, but that’s just part of her charm.

She did get up and waltz to the window, but she made sure to bump into me when she walked past, which I took as a good sign.

For the first time it seemed as if she actually knew who I was and was glad I had shown up. A very sweet girl.

But does Chickadee have a dark side? It seems that while Angela was absent from the Community Room, Chickadee took over a certain cat bed specifically reserved for our dear boy Webster. This could have been disastrous, but it wasn’t. Webster bided his time, no doubt aware that Angela’s return would put an end to such foolishness.

The holidays are coming – does Chickadee even know about Santa’s elves?

She will, no doubt, promise to be on her best behavior – no more bed-stealing.

On the medical front, she is doing splendidly.

Chickadee and I wish you all a very special holiday, and thank you, as always, for your generosity to Tabby’s Place and all the kitties who benefit now and during the year.