MagPie Approved?

Penelope is my younger daughter's kitten. She is ALL kitten, curious about any thing and every thing. A true MagPie wanting to claim anything sparkly, shiny and pretty for her own. She loves to sit and watch while I make jewelry, swatting at the wire as I weave, and trying over and over again to steal the finished piece of jewelry. It isn't MagPie Approved unless Penelope has tried to steal it at least twice!!

Penelope and her sister Lola came to live with us almost exactly one year ago. Tiny little things barely six weeks old, still with blue eyes, scared and motherless, dumped near our house along with a brother and another sister.

We knew we couldn't keep them all, I already had Bastet an 8 year old male and had just adopted Kairi, a six month old Siamese that had belonged to my oldest daughters room mate. But we couldn't find them homes if they were terrified of people either, so we set out to befriend them.

Over the course of the next several weeks we brought them kitten food softened with milk and kept fresh water readily available. We spent many hours sitting out on the back steps watching the kittens chase grasshoppers and stalk each others tails. First to come around was Cookie, oh she was sweet, happy to sit next to you and be loved on, with an instant purr. She became the favorite, the one we were going to keep. Then Ginger, the male, came around. Penelope was starting to come around but Lola was still quite wary of us.

Just as it seemed we were making headway and might find them homes, Ginger disappeared. We looked everywhere, no sign of him anywhere. The kittens had moved into the Hickory Tree outside my daughters window, only coming down when we brought food or were sitting on the steps. We knew something was wrong, but felt they were safe living in the tree. Then Cookie disappeared. We were devastated and decided it was time to bring them in, ready or not, it wasn't safe for them outside.

So began the life of Penelope and Lola. They've been indoor kitties ever since. They are still wary of strangers but quite happy to be inside. The one time Penelope found herself outside (after a little help from the dog!!) she couldn't get back inside fast enough! She sits at the doors and cries the most mournful meows you've ever heard until we come back in when we go out to feed the horses, or work on the balconies as we have been doing this last week. And Lola? Well, she quietly watches over us from the stairway windows, and as distrustful as she was at first, she has the biggest purr when snuggled in your lap.