Eleia - how she chose us

Yesterday I posted a picture of Eleia contemplating the destruction of a pot of daffodils, staring right at me as if to say which way shall I tackle this and I dare you to stop me. Today I thought you might like to know how she came to rule this household. We all bow to Eleia.

The picture at right is taken shortly after she arrived here - she was about five or six months old and looks quite like a disembodied head as she clings to the middle rail of the loft and stares down, likely at Bliss. She has watched him from the moment she arrived.

The August or September before this picture was taken, my niece's cat Alice presented her with six kittens. My niece was faced with finding homes for them. She was present at the birth of all of them and had to help the last little kitten arrive, because Alice was just plain wrung out. My niece rubbed that little guy down, cuddled him and became immediately attached. She called him Michael Bean.

When the time came for her to find homes for all the kittens she wanted me to take Michael, she had homes for all the others...So I went to visit her and bring the kitten home.

I picked up Michael, he left me immediately, acted as if I was the enemy and went and hid in my niece's lap. But this other little kitten came running over to me and crawled onto my knee purring. "Who's this?" I asked. "What about her?" when it became apparent that Michael really was going to have nothing to do with me at that time.
"That's Mini-Bean she's going to someone else."

When I picked up the carrier cage to put Michael in it, my niece got a stricken look on her face. I realized she really didn't want to part with him. So I said "Why don't I wait for a bit - you don't seem ready," "Is that okay with you," anxious.

I came home without a kitten. But a month later, I was going to the city again and suggested that perhaps I could pick Michael up then, though I was not convinced that this was the right thing for him. When I arrived, it turned out that the person that Mini-bean was to go to was unable to take her due to health issues so the little one was still there. Again she climbed onto me, purring and cuddling. Michael still ignored me. You can guess what happened.

All the way home in the car that afternoon, Mini tried to get out of the carrying case and explore. She yowled at me. She grabbed at the door and begged... I stopped the car at one point, thinking she might curl up in my lap. Not a chance!

She was under my feet in a flash, up on the back of the seat, looking out windows, onto the front console, happy as a clam and quite disgusted when I put her back in the carrying case realizing that I couldn't drive for another two and a half hours with a kitten underfoot.

All the way home I thought about this little girl and how she was such an explorer. When we arrived the dogs were thrilled and so excited. I put her in the guest room upstairs, with food and litter and tons of toys. It wasn't long before she wanted out. She wasn't going to come downstairs with the big dogs there yet, but she hung over the balcony all the time and her big orange-yellow eyes were always on Bliss.

She reminded me of Princess Leah in the Star Wars trilogy - intrepid adventurer, especially when she figured out how to get up and downstairs without using the stairs, but the window wells in each of the bedrooms... clever girl... So the name Eleia popped into my head. She has lived up to her reputation ever since and is now three years and a half years old

She's a talker - complaining here, or chatting to Bliss or Spirit whom she has come to love just as much, though it's obvious when she rubs her chin up under Bliss's that he's the favourite son. But she is the boss in her mind anyway. Always busy, racing from here to there and keeping us on our toes, in summer she sits at the edge of the pond and watches the frogs and fish, sometimes even getting her feet wet (which she hates) trying to catch one.

But it strikes me as interesting how cats choose us. Michael was my niece's cat, still is. Totally bonded to her. Eleia chose me.

The same thing has happened when I've gone to the vet clinic and seen kittens or cats that need homes, most of them don't want me anywhere near them if I'm thinking of taking one home... occasionally when I'm in a just petting mood, they let me pick them up. George the resident cat at the vet always welcomes a scratch and tickle. But new ones? not a chance...

I guess that's a good thing cause my little church is pretty full of critters right now - two big Labradors and two cats. But you just never know what's around the corner do you?

Have a lovely February day wherever you are. Hope you enjoyed my little story of Eleia, intrepid adventurer.