I love all of these stories. My favorite about mine is watching Amy building up her courage to get up on that top perch. She mastered the second level without much effort but it took a lot for her to work into the high level.

She would lay there awhile, looking at the top perch. Then she would sit up and look at it, lay back down awhile and sit back up..... All day she worked her way into it.

After just looking at it sitting and laying back down, she started standing up and looking, then lay back down, eyeballing it the whole time. After she was comfortable with standing and looking...... then she reached out with her paw and touched it briefly, then would lay back down, still eyeballing it. After about 5 times of touching it, then she put her paw up there and leaned ever so gentely towards it a little...would lay back down and she kept this up uptil she was comfortable leaning into the perch. (Keep in mind, this is taking her HOURS) Once comfortable leaning into it, MANY trys later... she placed her paw on it and raised her head up to look at the perch...... Time to switch paws now... She goes through the whole routine again with her other paw until she was comfortable with doing that. By that time, I am so deeply involved in keeping my eyes on her and my heart was bursting because I knew what she was doing...

Finally then time came when she put BOTH paws up on that top perch.... and she sat down, studying it.. So deep in her kitty thoughts... studying it and studying it.. She put both paws up there again over and over and would sit back down and study. Finally, with both paws up there, she stood up on her weak wobbely hind legs and stretched towards the top perch and leaned her upper body into it.... then she sat back down but she was determined now to finish this challange and she didn't sit long. Both paws go up and she stands on those weak back leags and stretches into it again. About 5 more times and by then, she was comfortable and was ready to try it.. I had the camera ready of coarse!! She stood on the second level, put those paws up there and UP she went!! She was proud as pie that she had finally accomplished what she had wanted for so long and so was I. I was crying and taking pictures, praising her and telling her how brave she was. She was SO darn proud of what she had done!!! Nothing stops that brave little determined girl and I am so proud of her!!

(For anyone that does not know, Amy is a CH kitty and hers effects her back legs and hips. It is hard for her to walk and she falls over a lot because of her CH.)

This is a picture of her when she got on the lowest perch the first time... see that look of pride and satisfaction she has on her face when she made it this far? (and already eyeballing the highest level..... NOW I realize that was her goal the whole time!)