Ugly Kitty

Lauren always loved kittens. Unfortunately she had a bad run of luck in recent years with being a kitty mommy. I allowed her to talk me into a kitten from a litter that her friend's cat had given birth to. This little orange kitty was tiny but feisty so we decided to call him Napoleon....he had a complex! He was a sweet little guy and Lauren loved him. The agreement was she could have him inside to visit but he mostly had to live outside. We were not going to start keeping a litter box inside because I knew she would not keep up with it.
Around the same time I had adopted a mutt from a friend of mine to keep my dog KC company. Kody, as I named him, was a Treeing Walker Coon hound mix that had wandered up onto my friend's property way out in the country. This tends to happen at times when a hunting dog doesn't perform well. The owner drives them way out into the woods and leaves them there. The deal I made with my friend Ruby was if her husband came over to help me put gates up and close in my otherwise completely fenced back yard I would take the pooch.
My shower has a window overlooking the back yard. I would be in the shower getting ready for work in the morning with the window open to allow steam to escape and that darn cat would be meowing in a tree right behind the house. Being the sappy sucker I am I would get my ladder (after exiting the shower and getting dressed of course) and rescue poor Napoleon. Now I am telling you this happened at least twice a week in the exact same tree. I always scolded the little guy but it didn't seem to help.
Morning time is also when I let the dogs out for potty and exercise. I never put two and two together until the fateful morning that little Napoleon didn't make it to the tree in time and Kody, the innately programmed hunting dog, caught him. Again I was in the shower when I heard the ruckus. I immediately started shouting at Kody out the open window to leave Napoleon alone as I scrambled to get out of the water, grab my robe and run to the back yard. Sadly I was too late. Then I had to break the news to Lauren. My heart broke for her.
Kody was removed from our home the following week. He wasn't a good fit for our family for many other reasons and not based on this incident alone. I fully understand he was just doing what came naturally. I lamented over the fact that I had fussed at poor Napoleon for running to that tree and getting stuck. Little did I know he was trying to survive. Shame on me.
Time passed and once again Lauren got the "itch" to get another kitten as soon as she heard that my sister Beth's neighbor had some available. The same deal was made about no litter box and she went to select her new baby. My sister accompanied her to look at the kittens. I have to tell you that Lauren picked the ugliest little kitten out of the bunch. Even my sister recalls asking her if she was sure she wanted the one she picked out. The kitten is a black ¨tortoiseshell¨ cat which means she has blotches of color throughout her black coat. And her nose is completely covered with an orange stripe.
When Lauren brought her home we started talking about names. The little kitty was somewhat uncoordinated and would knock things off our side tables when she jumped atop of them. Then she would give us a look as if saying she was sorry. All of a sudden a name came to me....Gilly.
Kristen Wiig had a running bit on Saturday Night Live in which she portrays a bratty little girl named Gilly. In these skits Gilly wreaks all sorts of havoc and the other characters say her name..."Giiiiillllllyyyyyyy?", dragging it out and then the camera closes in on her as she says "Shawy" (sorry) in a funny, lispy voice. Lauren loved those skits and made me watch them with her on YouTube all the time. When I suggested the name we laughed and laughed. Lauren loved it instantly.
So, the ugly little kitty was named Gilly. Gilly was a good little kitty and spent some time inside but mostly outside. I have another cat named Sophie who is not the most welcoming of gals but she was starting to become a little accepting of Gilly. Then all of a sudden Gilly was gone. We checked to make sure we hadn't accidentally closed her up in our detached garage but she wasn't there. Kevin worried that maybe a hawk had snatched her as she was still pretty small. I looked on the roads daily as I went to and from work worried that maybe she had been hit by a car. She simply disappeared. Poor Lauren. Months went by with no sign of Gilly.
Then all of a sudden we had a sighting. We would see her on occasion and then weeks would go by with nothing. I was worried she would come back pregnant. We had not gotten her spayed yet. That was all I needed...a bunch of kittens. This pattern remained up until Lauren's death. Then Gilly started coming around a little more. She would be in our driveway when we came home or Kevin would see her eating the food we put on the back porch for Sophie.
In recent weeks she has been at the house daily. The other night I set out a little bowl of food and water on the carport for her. Kevin is less than thrilled that I am setting up an additional pet area at our house. I informed him that I am worried that Sophie will run Gilly off too much in the back and I see nothing wrong with having a back porch kitty AND a carport kitty. He loves me and will tolerate me like the great husband he is. I am truly blessed.
Something about having that little ugly kitty around helps my heart feel better. She is a reminder of my sweet Lauren's love and acceptance. She always stuck up for the under dog and didn't judge others based on outward appearances...not even kittens. I can happily report that Gilly is not pregnant. Probably because she is so durn ugly the other cats won't have her. I know, I know...I'm terrible.