My Kitten's in Foster Care

One of the hardest things that comes with moving is finding a foster home for our Nutmeg.  There is a distinct feeling of both dread and concern.  I wouldn't hand off my children to someone for an undetermined amount of time.  So, why would I do that with Nutmeg?  That first move introduced me to the uneasy feeling of having to depend on others...in ways that I really didn't want to have to.

That first move brought the perfect family to the fore front.  Nutmeg went to stay with friends who also had a cat and children older than our Angel.  With deep feeling of gratitude, we took Nutmeg to their house the night the packers left with all of our stuff.  Little did we know that her prankster personality would come out in force.  Our fluffy sweet thang would prove to us that she had a bit of a mean streak.

Because Nutmeg was SO big (11lbs), I was, at first, very concerned.  That was until I saw Muffin.  Muffin was as big, if not bigger, than Nutmeg.  Plus, Muffin had her claws!  OK!!  I thought, Muffin can defend her territory!  I must admit, I was relieved.  The last thing I wanted was for Muffin to feel like her place was taken over by my interloper. Upon leaving our Nutmeg, I felt a little better about the situation.  That was until I talked to Muffin's mom on the phone and heard about what my Nutmeg was up to.

Oh boy, was Nutmeg causing havoc in Muffin's home.  It turned out that Muffin was a big scaredy cat!  After a couple of ambushes, poor Muffin had sequestered herself to the kitchen chair and was scared half to death to either eat or go to the litter box.  At that point, Muffin's mom and I decided it was best for Nutmeg to spend most of her time in the den downstairs, coming out to visit when she wasn't likely to completely freak Muffin out.

Nutmeg is a turkey.  I readily admit that.  Anytime we have lived where there are stairs, we have had to accept the fact that she would box us every time we walked by.  Even though she is now pushing a decade, she will still stalk us through the house and tackle our legs.  So, obviously...we knew that she had this "tag...you're it!!" kind of personality.  I cannot imagine the glee her little sociopath self must have felt when she discovered that this bigger cat, not only refused to fight back, would run and hide.  Like mother like daughter, I would have taken it as an open invitation to take it up a notch too.

By the time we picked Nutmeg up from Muffin's house, Muffin was a nervous wreck!  Muffin had finally fought back, leaving signs of a reprimand on Nutmeg's ear...which was much deserved.  However, Nutmeg left behind stories of stretching out on the arm of the couch with her belly up in the air, legs splayed over the arms of the couch, looking so ridiculously comfortable it brought a smile to Muffin's dad's face.  Nutmeg's time in Muffin's house also gave the family hours of free comedy that they couldn't find anywhere else.

While Muffin was THRILLED to see Nutmeg's backside leave her home, I was also happy to have my girl back.  Her slap-stick, prankster self was much missed during the time we had to live in Billeting.  Knowing that it was going to be a very long flight to the Orient, I was still thankful, beyond words, to have her back by my side.

(I want to send a special thank you to all the foster families who have taken care of our girl through our various moves.  Without you, life would have been much harder...Thank you!)