On December 15, 2000 I relocated to Vancouver, BC from NYC along with my beloved feline companions Moojin and Luna. In late July, 2002 I stopped at our local pet emporium; they had a number adoptable strays. Moojin and Luna were, respectively, black and white and I wanted to add a caramel-colored kitten to the clan; that day the store fortuitously had two caramel-colored brothers: one bruiser and one runt; fatefully, the bruiser was spoken for, so I put a deposit on the runt and returned the next day to bring him home. When I first held him he looked penetratingly into my eyes with the solemn gaze of an ancient soul stuck in a small new body.
My husband and I decided to name him 'Bif' who learned his name, with variations--instantaneously! He was adorable; curiously, he rarely purrs; he mostly demonstrates contentment via various noises including grunts, moans and squeaks! The other cats eventually accepted him and we adored him.
One afternoon there was no trace of Bif; we looked everywhere and were convinced that he was either kitten-napped or had found some kitten-sized escape route. We posted notices on every floor of our 22-story building; the assistant managers--also friends--helped us investigate down to a pinhole what might appeal to a small varmint, with no luck. My husband and I were crestfallen; we sat on the edge of our bed and wept--he'd been missing for about 8 hours. We began to hear soft scratching from beneath the bed: as it turned out, the little bugger had found and burrowed into a hole in the bottom of the mattress!
Needless to say it was a very happy reunion. So the lesson from this incident is: Protect and cherish your loved-ones and never take them for granted!
Vancouver, Canada
