I am so glad to read about these experiences.

My old kitty (R.I.P. 2007), ChenMao, was a rescued kitty. She had been abandoned by her previous family and had delivered a litter of kittens in the garage of a neighbor who subsequently caught and killed them (I never knew or wanted to know how...he's evil). The day that she came to me he was setting a trap for her. She was so sad, nearly starved and obviously terrified looking for her kittens. I took her in and she became such a sweet companion for 17 years. At the time I was staying with my mom in the house where I grew up and many kitties had come and gone before (doggies too). After about 6 months I was getting ready for work and ChenMao came to me and was crying a different meow than I was used to. It was demanding. It got my attention. When she saw she had my attention she started running to my old bedroom. When I didn't get up to follow she came back and did the same thing again. I told my mom I thought she wanted me to follow her. I did...she had found a large paper bag (storage for some old towels and sheets) in the closet and was lying on top of it on her side purring and behaving much like a mom kitty nursing her babies. I stood there and wept. It was so touching. She wanted to show me her babies. Mom told me that we had never had a cat that delivered kittens in that closet so I'm thinking it was her babies.

I had an experience in that same room when I was younger. We had a a Siamese named Melvin. When my oldest sister got married and moved out of the house she took Melvin to live with her. Melvin and I were buddies and he used to sleep with me at night. I cried when I heard that Melvin had passed on but a few days later I was in bed and had just turned out the reading light and settled in. I felt Melvin jump up on the foot of the bed and start walking towards my face (he slept on my chest). I was so happy to have him with me but then I realized that he couldn't be there. I turned on the light and there was no cat but there were indentations in the bedspread where his little feet had walked.

When I took ChenMao to the vet for the last time I told her that her little spirit could come and visit me anytime she wanted to. I wouldn't be afraid. She had a jingle ball toy in the sliding door that rattled everytime she went behind the vertical blinds to catch a sunbeam. I told her if she came to visit to rattle that toy. I never heard her. My niece brought her dog over and he went to smell the ball but didn't touch it, he avoided it as a matter of fact. After a year and half after ChenMao's passing I adopted Brie. She didn't bother the jingle bell toy. After 2 weeks I adopted Scutter, a most challenging little kitty on so many levels. On his initial investigation of the apartment I was wondering if I was doing the right thing and he entered the living room and made a beeline to the sliding door where he promptly knocked the jingle ball to the other end of the window. I knew that ChenMao was telling me that Scutter belonged with me and I WAS doing the right thing.

Thanks for letting me tell these stories. People usually laugh at me. My mom witnessed the nursing behavior and she said it made the hair on the back of her neck stand out. I was just very intrigued.

Love to you all,
Dj, Brie and Scutter

Someday on the Rainbow Bridge I'll find Shana, Melvin, Tiki and ChenMao and maybe even Simon and Charmin and Alan.