Originally posted by Randi
Tonya, how could you "hide" these two lovely sweeties from us!! They are beautiful!! I'm especially in love with Clarice! She looks so sweet and cuddly, but I can imagine her as younger - being a real tough lady!

Great pics!
Thanks, guys!

There's alot to the "Reecey" monster... not sure I have the time to type it all. Brief overview:

Clarice came to us pregnant and "homeless" approximately two wks before our move. (We believe she was one of our neighbor's MANY cats; when asked, they denied ownership.) She HATED our cocker with a passion and wasn't very good indoors. We still thought she belonged somewhere in the neighborhood -- she was too healthy/well cared for not to have a home-- so when we moved, she didn't. Two days later we went back to the "old house" ... there she was on our doorstep! When we were ready to leave, my sis (then just old enough to walk) picked her up and set put her in the car! So we took her home.

During the first few wks, Clarice kept 'running away' only to be found a few houses down. Eventually, she and the dog became BEST friends, so much so that they "shared" the litter of kittens (aka Reecie's Piecies! ). Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately b/c of the end result) we were unable to catch Miz Reece in between weaning the first litter and a heat cycle; she was preggers again. From this litter came our dear (but dim! lol) Tinkerbelle.

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Clarice once had horrid house manners and spent most of her days/nights outside sleeping in the doghouse cuddled with the dog. However, one evening I went out to feed and found a cat I didn't recognize lying in the doghouse. I could tell the cat was hurt but was unable to tell if she was still alive. I came back in screaming for dad (the only one home)--he went out, looked, and came back in with the body. It was Clarice... but she was so sick that it DID NOT look like her at all!! Dad just looked at me and shook his head; her breathing was so shallow that he thought she was gone.

I can't remember what she did --mewed, sneezed, something-- that let us know she was still with us. At that point, we rushed her to the vet. Our wonderful vet (God bless him!!!) saved her life. We have no idea what in the world happened but she was one SICK kitty.

And it was this illness that turned her house manners upside down! She still hated the indoors but never again did she mess inside. Her litterbox manners were impeccable!

Once she was well, she returned to her -and our- faithful doggie companion. And when ButterScotch passed, Reece meowed to come in and hasn't left since.

~and that, in a nutshell, is a rundown on our beloved Miz Clarice~