Remember MCG (Miss Callico Girl) the rescue kitty we were fostering?
Well, the kids couldn't stand it any more and released her into the
wilds of the house where she has settled in very nicely.  She had a
short hissing contest with most of the other cats and then a couple of
nose touches and now they all act like she's been here forever.
Tanada is thrilled, MCG is voluntarily lower on the totem pole than
she is, and the rest of the cats seem to think she is ok, since she is
very self effacing.

MCG has been through hell at the hands of a human and is just starting
to trust again.  I couldn't put her into another home without adding
to her fear of abandonment.  Thank Bast that Fayetteville has no
animal limits or we'd have to get registered as a cattery.  Anyway,
the other night MCG started sleeping on my pillow at night and purring
into the top of my head.  She trusts us (me) to take good care of her
and that is what she is going to get.  She purrs most of the time when
she is sleeping and loves to bump my head for scritches.  She is no
longer skin and bones and her fur is starting to soften up rather than
feeling like stiff nylon fake fur.  She is not only keeping herself
clean, but is willing for us to see her cleaning herself, eatting, and
doing all the normal activities of a healthy cat.  She doesn't play
yet, we hope that will change.  She is much too solemn, but we're
hoping that will change too.  She doesn't seem to like catnip (more
about that later) and thinks that Mike's cat Qui Gun Kit (aka Stoner)
is insane.  I won't argue with the little lady.

We still haven't been able to find a name for her that she likes.  So,
until we come up with a mutually satisfying name, MCG she is.  Anyway,
the little stinker has a sense of humor of sorts as she has succeeded
in getting Speedy to think that Pine Cone smacked him on the butt and
to chase Piney down the hall.  She got the stoner last night as
well.

We'd picked up a large container of "da weed" and I'd grabbed a sock
and filled it pretty full of the stuff then knotted it and threw it on
the floor.  Stoner chased after it and promptly hugged it, rolled
around the floor with it, then proceeded to lay on it while inhaling
deeply.  In short, he was stoned in record time.  The other three cats
(other than MCG) just licked my pants and inhaled it off the floor so
they were not hurting either.  I was busily picking stray nip off my
pants and feeling satisfied that I'd made the crew happy and sad that
MCG is imune to the effects of the stuff when I noticed that Piney was
staring at my side of the bed.  I turned and looked at my pillow and
saw the attraction.  MCG was laying so that she looked like she was
standing on her head.  Her back feet were gently waving in the air and
her tail was standing straight up.

I heard a chocking noise from near the bedroom door.  QGK had just
entered the room and was staring at the bed.  A look of stunned
disbelief was on his face.  If you could see his eyebrows, they'd be
standing up straight.  His tail was already standing up straight, no
movement what so ever.  Then, ever so gently, he shook his head,
turned around and walked out of the room.  Pine Cone and the other
cats with him were still staring at her.  Then Piney jumped on the bed
walked over to the pillow and poked MCG in the tummy with one claw.
MCG colapsed onto the pillow and layed there curled up watching the
other cats.  They all left the room walking in a single file.  MCG
seemed to let out a sigh and then laid her head on her paws.  A new
era of insanity seems to have joined our house.

Meanwhile, Huey decided that I hadn't had enough excitement.  Rob's
hospice nurse came by today to visit and Huey was sleeping between my
inert form and the edge of the bed.  Of course the ringing of the door
bell woke us up.  I asked him to please let me up, but he wouldn't
move.  I sat up and the inevitable happened, I had to visit the
bathroom.  I asked him again to let me up.  No movement.

"Please Huey, let Mama up."  Poke, poke.  No movement.

"Huey, please let me up, I gotta go to the bathroom."  Poke, poke.  No
movement.

"Huey?  HUEY!!  MIKE!  Huey's not breating!  HUEY!!!"

Huey finally raised his head winked and stood up.  I breathed again
and cried as I ran to the bathroom.  Afterwards, I looked at Huey in
the bathroom mirror as I washed my face and hands.  The little sh*t
had a grin from ear to ear.  The B*st*rd cat trick lives.

Pam S.