The Cedar Street Bridge was cool and only moderately busy the day in 1992, when we found Beautiful Ursula. We had driven up north to Sandpoint from Coeur d'Alene, to visit friends and enjoy the lovely hot July weather. We had some time off from our college courses, so it was fun to just be carefree for a day. Sandpoint is perfect for that 'anywhere different' getaway.
As luck would have it none of our usual friends were available during the week, so we decided to behave like tourists for the day. The Bridge that spanned Cedar Creek was a delightfully different shopping mall, chock full of food courts, artsy shops and a bar with a great view of the creek that meandered through a portion of the town. There was a Mongolian stir fry buffet that we loved, so after gawking at all the pricey wares available we headed there for lunch, following our noses to the middle of the bridge. There were just a couple of people having an early lunch so the place was quiet as we ordered which meats and vegetables we wanted for the steaming rice bowls. As we watched the meat sizzle on the grill I suddenly became aware of the distinct sound of kittens mewing...!
Cat noises in a Mongolian stir fry joint gave me a big case of nervous giggles....
"Do you hear that?" I murmured to my hearing challenged spouse. He listened a minute and his eyes got big...yes...I wasn't imagining anything.
I scrutinized the case where the chilled meat selection were displayed....nothing suggested cat meat, but we could hear kittens crying, none-the-less. We turned around and were ever so relieved to see a box sitting on the floor by one of the round cafe tables. A girl of about ten was sitting in a wire backed chair next to the box, swinging her feet in a bored manner. I moved closer to peer in the box.
"Somebody left these kitties here...ya want one? My Mom won't let me keep them." She pouted.
In the box were five tiny kits...eyes barely opened...ohmigawd. The cafe owner had provided them with a little plain rice, and the poor mites had little sticky bits all over their pitiful faces. The tiny mewlers cried plaintively for their mama...who sadly was not there to respond.
We are cat lovers. As luck would have it our one feline pet had been lost over the Fourth of July, and we were still hoping she might find her way home, but after two weeks we knew the slim chance of that happening. So we looked over the wee kittens until our meals were ready, promising the youngster we'd pick one after lunch. I already had one chosen...a multi colored ball of fluff with a face full of dark rimmed milky blue eyes and rice kernels clinging to her chin and whiskers.
Another customer was gazing down at the kittens when we finished our lunch, so I hurried to scoop up the one who had captured my attention, and the man picked out another and held it in the crook of his arm. Dan strode boldly to the man and plucked the kit right away from him!
"Sorry...this one is already taken."
I couldn't believe he was being so aggressive, but it tickled me to see his chin jut out like a challenge. Fortunately his big shoulders and fierce looking beard belie his usually shy, amiable nature. He had picked the gray tiger striped brother of my little tortie kitten, different in marks and color but with the same white socks and huge kohl-rimmed eyes. Confidently, we walked away with our new bundles as though we'd spent days choosing the ones we wanted and were smugly satisfied.
As it was a really warm day and there was no air conditioning in the truck, we decided to head for home early so we could get to a shop that sold kitten formula. Our new babies were surely so hungry, although we agreed that rice was probably as good as anything for their immature tummies.
As Dan drove with one hand on the wheel toward home he stroked the kitten in his lap until it fell asleep and I held mine close and whispered continuously to her. It didn't take me five minutes to choose Ursula as her name.
"You're an Empress, and your name is Beautiful Ursula...you will grow up strong and will someday rule the Continuum. You'll never have to be afraid...shush shush...it's all fine."
Who knows where all that came from...but it all came to pass just as I promised her. She is diminutive, but so imperious, with a snowy white chest that fluffs like an Elizabethan ruff, a
proudly erect feathery tail, she surveys her empire with possessive disdain that is so obviously regal, we know SHE KNOWS who she is. She has reigned omnipotent for nearly seventeen years. Though slowed by age she is still gorgeous as she strolls her domain.
Early on we decided to become responsible animal owners and had our dog and the two cats neutered as soon as possible, and settled down to enjoy our happy companions. They stayed indoors until we moved to a more rural setting.
Sadly, Dan's cat, Precious Gollum was not so fortunate with longevity, at least with us. He disappeared after about three years, but the oddest thing happened after he was gone.
Gollum was always strictly a Daddy's boy, he loved to snuggle with Dan either in his chair or the bed, and he had a playful happy disposition, whereas Ursula was not one to cuddle, or certainly not be cradled and cooed over; and she openly ignored Dan's fawning attention...until Gollum disappeared.
After that she wandered the house looking for her brother for several days, until finally it seemed that she accepted her fate as a solitary ruler...and crawled up in Dan's lap one night. She found the crook of his arm, and rolled over on her back, allowing him to stroke her soft little belly. In other ways she seemed to take on some of Gollum's nicer attributes, displaying the best of both their personalities. We were totally amazed. It helped ease Dan's sadness at losing his Precious Gollum, and made the Empress a much more congenial monarch.
She became very people oriented over the years. When we have company or stage a yard sale, Ursula has become the ultimate star, jumping up on display tables to greet potential customers, allowing them to pet her and ooh and aah at her ravishing beauty and SWEET disposition. It's amazing how many people have wanted to buy her...yet her attitude toward other cats in the house was and is one of total dismissal. She hisses and swipes with razor claws at any animal who dares venture too close to her reverence, and she's still a savage mouser even in her dotage. A decade ago there was no safe haven for any bird who ventured close to her; for a tiny, short legged lightweight she was amazingly wiry, with a springing leap that was extraordinary to watch. Oddly enough our bird loving neighbor woman developed a rapport with Ursula and convinced her with Cat Whispering (I guess) to confine her bird hunting to our yard.
Overall she's been patient with us, her minions, who have accepted as family all manner of walk-on cats, who find our company and generosity magnetic. They have come and gone over the years, and Beautiful Ursula has tolerated them so long as they keep their distance. Only one cat has ever buffaloed her, to a point where she took to our bed, and became so emaciated I actually feared for her life. We found a good home for that cat to solve the problem, and Ursula's healthy appetite bounced back like magic.
These days she sleeps even more than most cats, but her appetite is still healthy, and she will rise to the occasional chase of one or more of the other four cats we've kept. We're pretty sure the Empress won't live forever, but she really doesn't show any real signs of relinquishing her hold on the Continuum as she knows it.
There is a Princess in waiting for the job, but she's in no hurry to usurp the throne. Ursula enjoys
a little canned fish food, and the occasional sip of skim milk, with a spoon of cottage cheese as a treat now and then. She pretends not to care about it but I've caught her sleeping with her chin resting on the catnip mice we buy for the Gang of Five. She walks out almost every day, or sleeps by the veranda doors where the sun warms her elegant, silky coat. At night she crawls under the covers and snugs up next to my side until I fall asleep, then she moves to the bottom of the bed but atop the duvet to avoid being crushed in a sleeping accident. Life is good for an aging ruler.
As luck would have it none of our usual friends were available during the week, so we decided to behave like tourists for the day. The Bridge that spanned Cedar Creek was a delightfully different shopping mall, chock full of food courts, artsy shops and a bar with a great view of the creek that meandered through a portion of the town. There was a Mongolian stir fry buffet that we loved, so after gawking at all the pricey wares available we headed there for lunch, following our noses to the middle of the bridge. There were just a couple of people having an early lunch so the place was quiet as we ordered which meats and vegetables we wanted for the steaming rice bowls. As we watched the meat sizzle on the grill I suddenly became aware of the distinct sound of kittens mewing...!
Cat noises in a Mongolian stir fry joint gave me a big case of nervous giggles....
"Do you hear that?" I murmured to my hearing challenged spouse. He listened a minute and his eyes got big...yes...I wasn't imagining anything.
I scrutinized the case where the chilled meat selection were displayed....nothing suggested cat meat, but we could hear kittens crying, none-the-less. We turned around and were ever so relieved to see a box sitting on the floor by one of the round cafe tables. A girl of about ten was sitting in a wire backed chair next to the box, swinging her feet in a bored manner. I moved closer to peer in the box.
"Somebody left these kitties here...ya want one? My Mom won't let me keep them." She pouted.
In the box were five tiny kits...eyes barely opened...ohmigawd. The cafe owner had provided them with a little plain rice, and the poor mites had little sticky bits all over their pitiful faces. The tiny mewlers cried plaintively for their mama...who sadly was not there to respond.
We are cat lovers. As luck would have it our one feline pet had been lost over the Fourth of July, and we were still hoping she might find her way home, but after two weeks we knew the slim chance of that happening. So we looked over the wee kittens until our meals were ready, promising the youngster we'd pick one after lunch. I already had one chosen...a multi colored ball of fluff with a face full of dark rimmed milky blue eyes and rice kernels clinging to her chin and whiskers.
Another customer was gazing down at the kittens when we finished our lunch, so I hurried to scoop up the one who had captured my attention, and the man picked out another and held it in the crook of his arm. Dan strode boldly to the man and plucked the kit right away from him!
"Sorry...this one is already taken."
I couldn't believe he was being so aggressive, but it tickled me to see his chin jut out like a challenge. Fortunately his big shoulders and fierce looking beard belie his usually shy, amiable nature. He had picked the gray tiger striped brother of my little tortie kitten, different in marks and color but with the same white socks and huge kohl-rimmed eyes. Confidently, we walked away with our new bundles as though we'd spent days choosing the ones we wanted and were smugly satisfied.
As it was a really warm day and there was no air conditioning in the truck, we decided to head for home early so we could get to a shop that sold kitten formula. Our new babies were surely so hungry, although we agreed that rice was probably as good as anything for their immature tummies.
As Dan drove with one hand on the wheel toward home he stroked the kitten in his lap until it fell asleep and I held mine close and whispered continuously to her. It didn't take me five minutes to choose Ursula as her name.
"You're an Empress, and your name is Beautiful Ursula...you will grow up strong and will someday rule the Continuum. You'll never have to be afraid...shush shush...it's all fine."
Who knows where all that came from...but it all came to pass just as I promised her. She is diminutive, but so imperious, with a snowy white chest that fluffs like an Elizabethan ruff, a
proudly erect feathery tail, she surveys her empire with possessive disdain that is so obviously regal, we know SHE KNOWS who she is. She has reigned omnipotent for nearly seventeen years. Though slowed by age she is still gorgeous as she strolls her domain.Early on we decided to become responsible animal owners and had our dog and the two cats neutered as soon as possible, and settled down to enjoy our happy companions. They stayed indoors until we moved to a more rural setting.
Sadly, Dan's cat, Precious Gollum was not so fortunate with longevity, at least with us. He disappeared after about three years, but the oddest thing happened after he was gone.
Gollum was always strictly a Daddy's boy, he loved to snuggle with Dan either in his chair or the bed, and he had a playful happy disposition, whereas Ursula was not one to cuddle, or certainly not be cradled and cooed over; and she openly ignored Dan's fawning attention...until Gollum disappeared.
After that she wandered the house looking for her brother for several days, until finally it seemed that she accepted her fate as a solitary ruler...and crawled up in Dan's lap one night. She found the crook of his arm, and rolled over on her back, allowing him to stroke her soft little belly. In other ways she seemed to take on some of Gollum's nicer attributes, displaying the best of both their personalities. We were totally amazed. It helped ease Dan's sadness at losing his Precious Gollum, and made the Empress a much more congenial monarch.
She became very people oriented over the years. When we have company or stage a yard sale, Ursula has become the ultimate star, jumping up on display tables to greet potential customers, allowing them to pet her and ooh and aah at her ravishing beauty and SWEET disposition. It's amazing how many people have wanted to buy her...yet her attitude toward other cats in the house was and is one of total dismissal. She hisses and swipes with razor claws at any animal who dares venture too close to her reverence, and she's still a savage mouser even in her dotage. A decade ago there was no safe haven for any bird who ventured close to her; for a tiny, short legged lightweight she was amazingly wiry, with a springing leap that was extraordinary to watch. Oddly enough our bird loving neighbor woman developed a rapport with Ursula and convinced her with Cat Whispering (I guess) to confine her bird hunting to our yard.
Overall she's been patient with us, her minions, who have accepted as family all manner of walk-on cats, who find our company and generosity magnetic. They have come and gone over the years, and Beautiful Ursula has tolerated them so long as they keep their distance. Only one cat has ever buffaloed her, to a point where she took to our bed, and became so emaciated I actually feared for her life. We found a good home for that cat to solve the problem, and Ursula's healthy appetite bounced back like magic.
These days she sleeps even more than most cats, but her appetite is still healthy, and she will rise to the occasional chase of one or more of the other four cats we've kept. We're pretty sure the Empress won't live forever, but she really doesn't show any real signs of relinquishing her hold on the Continuum as she knows it.
There is a Princess in waiting for the job, but she's in no hurry to usurp the throne. Ursula enjoys
a little canned fish food, and the occasional sip of skim milk, with a spoon of cottage cheese as a treat now and then. She pretends not to care about it but I've caught her sleeping with her chin resting on the catnip mice we buy for the Gang of Five. She walks out almost every day, or sleeps by the veranda doors where the sun warms her elegant, silky coat. At night she crawls under the covers and snugs up next to my side until I fall asleep, then she moves to the bottom of the bed but atop the duvet to avoid being crushed in a sleeping accident. Life is good for an aging ruler. 
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