Scene: Sunday morning, nearing the end of January, in Boise, Idaho. I'm eating my latest tofu stir-fry concoction, reading about and contemplating the best vegan and eco-friendly yarns [latest decisions are: definitely hemp, corn and banana silks, linen, tencel {eucalyptus fiber}, bamboo that's not processed with harsh chemicals, and in a pinch, organic cotton; it's a dynamic list and subject to changing], listening to my old Ladykiller album by Cee Lo Green, and being kept company by Pepper.
Remember Pepper? He's the kitty, along with his littermate, Ginger, that Sophia and I found running around in the middle of the street at about four weeks old, around midnight, in a Portsmouth, Virginia neighborhood. He was teeny-tiny, but scrappy as all get out:
Shortly after I managed to catch Pepper and Ginger on the street and bring them home, Pepper nearly died. From his street urchin days, he was suffering from severe flea anemia and needed all kinds of blood transfusions and other veterinary interventions. Chloë had already fallen in love with the kitten we all now considered hers, and there was just no way we could let that cat die. And so, we spent hundreds of dollars to make him well.
And he did get well. Fast-forward six-plus years, and here is Chloë's big, beautiful Maine Coon cat. He normally has a giant, fluffy mane, but she had to trim it and his paw fur down considerably, because while he was grooming himself, he was getting the fur caught in his throat and gagging too much. She didn't want him to asphyxiate on it or some such.
Also, we've had to switch Pepper over to the weight-control formula of cat kibble (Blue Buffalo Wilderness, which our three felines love, in case you're interested), because he's easily gotten up to 20 lbs. He's wheezing, snoring loudly in his sleep, and lumbering along slowly and maybe uncomfortably with all that weight on his bones. He hasn't really been on the new food long enough to notice a difference, but I sure hope this gentle giant drops a pound or two so he can continue his long, mutually-admiring love affair with his young woman, Chloë Raine. We all love Pepper, but she is definitely crazy about him!
Fin.
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