Meet The Kitties: The Mother Kitty

The Mother Kitty finds a spot in the sun.

The son of one of my dad's friends, who was attending the University of Akron, was looking for a home for the cat that lurked outside his dorm. One day, Dad brought her home.

After a scrubby bath, what we thought was a salt-and-pepper kitty turned out to be fluffy winter white. Her friends at the University of Akron called her Ghost. But, since she was the only cat we knew, we referred to her as The Kitty, a name that she approved.

Soon, The Kitty became The Mother Kitty, bearing six kittens. (One was kept—more on him later—while the others moved in with friends.)

The Mother Kitty—and all the kitties to follow—became instant family. She roamed our two-story house and surrounding yard and woods as if she owned it. (She did.) Indoors, she hunted through our belongings for barrettes, paper clips, business cards, and jewelry. At times, she’d trap me for hours, napping on my lap. Outside, she helped Mom out with the mail and her daily gardening. She climbed her favorite pine tree and always kept her eye on all the neighborhood happenings.

The Mother Kitty is a true lady, caring and stern, street smart and full of wisdom, opinionated and no-nonsense. Mom, Bette Davis, and Eleanor Roosevelt are just a few of her role models. Her eclectic pastimes include reading, gardening, fine dining, music and formal dancing, astrology, staring contests, and messing with her roommate Simon’s head.

The Mother Kitty with her kittens 

(Illustration Friday--May 8, 2008: Baby)

Her most distinctive feature, her multi-colored eyes, has always been a mystery. Some reports suggest that The Mother Kitty is thousands of years old and that her eyes mark the ages, serving as windows to the different eras and worldly locations she’s experienced. Others say her eyes reflect the level of her Jedi powers. Several studies explore their respective purposes and origins, but no conclusive or definitive comparisons have been drawn. Some have gone as far as to link her to Buddha, David Bowie, and Dorothy Parker. The Mother Kitty does not dispute any of these theories but will not discuss it. And she will stare you down until you stop asking her.