Ruthless the Calico Kitten

When my pally, Chuck, posted some photos of his barn kittens, I noticed two calicos in the bunch. Oh, my heart skipped a beat when I saw them, as it reminded me of my dear kitty, Ruth.

After a long string of hamsters, I had finally had enough and decided to move onto a pet that would last longer than 2 years. It was emotionally draining to have funeral services for a beloved fuzzy one every couple of years, and Ruth was my solution. Ruth was the most adorable calico kitten that my aunt was fostering for Animal Control. One look at her and I was smitten.

She was adorable enough, doing kitten things like sneaking behind Grace and scaring the crap out of her, scratching on the couch, and attacking everything and anything. In fact, her full name was "Ruthless" because she actually terrorized family and friends alike with her ability to chase us down and bite our legs. Although it was painful, it was funny, so we let her stay--we just learned to walk very slowly.

Ruth won over our hearts the instant she came here--she was sweet, cuddly, and always looking to get into trouble. Grace wasn't as thrilled as we were about her being here, but we figured they would get along some day. Ruth didn't care if they weren't friends, she followed Grace around like a little sister, jumping out from behind the sofa or the corner to make sneak attacks on Grace. I think Grace ran out of spit trying to teach that kitten her place, which never really happened.

Ruth didn't let Grace discourage her, she found friendship in a small Oranda goldfish, named Dottie.

The first year we opened the pond, Dottie was part of our original fish couple--Big Fish and Dottie. Each morning, as I went out to feed the fish, Ruth would come "help" me. I'm not sure if it was the fish that she loved, or the floating fish food flakes, but she would go nose to nose with Dottie when I fed the fish. Dottie would come up for her breakfast, and Ruth would gently touch noses with her orangey friend each and every day. It was sweet to see a friendship in an unlikely pair.

Dottie was especially friendly and would come up for her food at the mere sound of my voice, and Ruth, she would come running when she'd hear the "Good morning, Dot!" from across the yard. They were adorable together, and I think they were really friends beyond all that fish food munching they did.

Ruth didn't live much longer than the hamsters she was elected to replace. Three days after Christmas, Ruth couldn't breathe and she had to be put down due to a lymphoma that she had in her chest. She was just 1 year old. The emotional goodbye that we were avoiding with the hamsters nearly broke our hearts in saying those very words to our Ruth. I still get very emotional thinking of her.

What Ruth taught me was friendship--an odd thing for a calico kitty. Although never successful, she never gave up trying to be Grace's friend. When she was rebuffed and spit at, she backed up and gave Grace her space. And then she attacked from behind. "No" just wasn't an answer for her.

And when all else failed, she went out on a limb and made friends with someone you would never expect--a fish. No, she never batted or attacked Dottie--it's almost like she knew it would harm her. She was gentle and sweet with a little orange fish who trusted Ruth to be kind. And it made me smile seeing the two friends together.

So, my thought is about friendship today and how very important it is to not only have a friend, but to be a friend. We all have those people in our lives who we just cannot be friends with--but that is okay. Accept them for who they are and back off a bit. Maybe a swipe or two of fun every now and then is okay, but it is probably best to just walk away.

But don't ever give up on friendship--there is a tried and true pally out there for all of us. Treasure those friendships that you have and work on making new friends. Being friends isn't always easy--there are obstacles that may stand in our way of being a good friend like time constraints and hectic schedules, but it can be done. And we have to work at it daily--like Ruth and Dottie.

So, happy weekend, pallies. Go, make a friend or visit those you hold dear. Turn off the computer and call that friend you haven't seen for a bit. Be a good friend to someone or perhaps make a new friend--it can be done if you want it so. Laugh hard and breathe deep, my friend.