by Aria
(Northern Colorado)
Bebi - always crossing her paws like a lady
One winter night 2 years ago, I was on my way home from work at a shopping mall when I saw a car pulled over in the deserted mall parking lot, and what looked to be a cat - a suspicious scene to me. I briefly stopped my car on the road to see what they would do, when it became clear they weren't going to move until I left. I pulled forward and saw the car drive away without the cat. Upset, I immediately turned around to find the cat. She was incredibly friendly, coming right over to me, meowing and rubbing my legs, but no tags. She didn't look much more than 6 months old as she still had a clumsy gait and "adolescent look" about her, which is why I took to calling her babykins or "bebi" for short. I was so upset that someone would dump or leave such a sweet cat without considering her well-being that I began to cry and told her she was better off home with me. I loaded her into the car & she determined that perching on top of the back seat was a good idea. I warned her it probably wasn't as I eased forward with the car - of course she fell off, but promptly found her way to my lap where she snuggled the rest of the way home.
Lifelong cat lovers, my family & I have always had 3-4 cats at a time; at this time we had recently lost one, and never has it been very long with 2 cats before another one finds its way to us. Bebi looks a lot like our older Maine Coon "Missy"; when I walked into the house with her, my parents thought I was holding Missy until I explained to them what happened. They started to call her Lil Kittie or Scamper because of her gait. The first month or so was tough getting her & the other cats used to each other; to this day they try to avoid each other when possible unfortunately.
Bebs has brought so much joy to our lives since we found her. She is the most calm, laid-back cat I have ever met, which brings balance to having two other neurotic, high-strung kitties. She absolutely loves being outside, and will forgo going into the basement for dinner & bedtime just to stay out a bit longer. When we come home she gets very excited to see us & will flop over on the driveway & roll around meowing until we come to pet her; she does a lot of trilling, but won't meow unless outside. She is 100% impossible to stay mad at because she is so adorable & endearing. I can hold her but not too long; when she is unhappy she warn me with an almost "hmmph" sound. She loves to sleep & bathe up on my bed & will often sit in my lap for a while, or put out her paw on my leg contently, almost as if she is thanking me.
Reasons I think she is part or full NFC: thick, fluffy down coat with waxy-looking top hairs; wedge-shaped head & longer snout than our MC; almond eyes & a sleek, long body; when I first found her she had lynx ear tufts, but her ear tips looked chewed up & eventually fell off; when in the basement she will climb up & down the carpeted walls like a squirrel; fabulous jumper.
Aria
