Meet The Critters...

Chubby Kitty

Chubby's a wee bit mad that I've waited so long to introduce her to you all.  Nah,  not really.  That's just her hey-I'm-Chubby-Kitty-and-I-always-look-like-this face...

The real reason I waited so long to get a photo of Ms. Chubby is that she is an elusive creature who sleeps the days away outside under her favorite holly bush or porch chair and then sneaks in at night for a quick, and I do mean quick, pet session before she sleeps her time away on top of the couch in the extra bedroom.  At nearly 14 years of age she feels like she should do whatever the heck she wants and I'm quite in agreement.  She's deserved it.

If you've met the other critters then you're probably thinking 'oh no, this is going to be yet another sad animal story' and you'll be somewhat right.  Luckily, Chubby has never been abused or beaten.  In fact, she's been much loved almost all her life with the exception of the short period of time after her lovely owner (a friend of a friend and the one who gave her the name she still carries) unexpectedly passed away a few years ago.  While her kitty companion of 11 years quickly found a home, Chubby was unwanted by everyone due to not being a purebred of some kind.  *sad/angry face*  Bullshit stuff.  After a week of trying to get rid of Chubby there was talk of a trip to the shelter and so our friend came to us for help.  The next day she was safely ensconced in our home where she promptly hid under our extra bed for several weeks...only creeping out late at night for trips to the litter box and food bowl.  Fast forward two months and she was demanding a pet session or two, a different type of food and trips outside to roam our quiet street.

Chubby handled the move to Athens with aplomb and enjoys digging in the red clay much more than she did the sandy soil of Valdosta.  Much to my dislike, she's also found a love of killing large squirrels during her brief moments of wakefulness and then sneaking the half-gnawed remains into our bed during the wee hours of the morning.  So far I've woken up twice with squirrel remnants on my pillow...kind of like that horrible scene in that Godfather movie.  Bleh.

She's also developed a close bond with Mama Kitty and they're often found snuggled up together on top of my DIY photo booth and supplies.  These faces just melt my heart!  I swear Chubby channels Wilford Brimley on the regular...

Our fur family, and, yes, they are our family for realsies, are irreplaceable and bring us joy and frustration and smiles and tears.  I highly encourage to consider adoption if you're looking for a kitty/doggy/etc to love.  Can't adopt?  Donating to your local animal shelter or rescue group is always a good idea!  So is learning about and promoting animal welfare legislation locally, nationally and globally.  There are so many ways to help!