And just like that, my life changed

On our last episode, I was wondering what I would come home to on Sunday after finding my fence broken on Friday and a baby doll leg in my driveway on Saturday. It turned out to be not what I would come home to but what I would bring home.

I went to see Larry for a little while after church Sunday and while I was in line waiting to get in, I noticed that a little kitty had jumped down from underneath the truck of someone else who was there to visit. First time the guy had ever been there. I mentioned the kitten and he said he wasn't his, he didn't have any cats, didn't have any idea where it came from.

Must have been a hitchhiker, I said. I watched as the kitty jumped into the border grass near the parking area.

I told Larry about him and I said if that kitty was still out there when I left at 3:00, I was going to get him and take him home with me. I haven't had a pet in 24 years but I was not going to leave that baby there and come home. I really didn't know what I was going to do with him. I thought about taking him to Ami and Brian but I knew I couldn't just leave him.

When I walked outside, my eyes scanned the parking lot and I didn't see him. I walked over to that grass and there he was, buried deep under the grass. I picked him up and loved on him and carried him to my car. He was calm until I opened the door to put him in and then he hissed and scratched me twice, hard. I put him over on the passenger side seat and he immediately jumped to the floorboard and burrowed up behind the glove box.

I called Brian and told him I had this little cat and he put Ami on the phone. I fully intended to take him to them. We decided that I would take him home and get him some water and then they would come down later to help get us set up. If you don't know my sister and brother-in-law, just know that they are kitty angels. They take in little lost and unwanted kitties and feed, love and protect them. They have had a huge feral community of cats take up in their yard and they have caught them, had them spayed or neutered and either found homes for them or made a home for them in theirs. What they do is truly amazing and the sacrifices they make for these cats are incredible. They believe this is their calling from God and I do, too. God knows who to give what to, whether it's good things or not so good things. He knows what we can handle.

Anyway, they came here and brought STUFF!! A litter box, a little bed, a little kitty hangout cube, Kitten Chow and a carrier for when we have to go somewhere. And they have been SO GOOD this week helping us!! They met me at PetSmart last night to see the vet and then they came tonight because my baby has some bacteria in his ears and we'll have to flush them out with medicine for two weeks. They came to show me how to do it. See?? Amazing.

We went to Target Sunday afternoon and got more food and some litter and a few toys and the whole time, we were talking about names for him. I thought he was a girl at first and I was calling her Gracie Sunbeam. :) SHE is definitely a boy! What do I know?? Looked like girly stuff to me.

He absolutely had to have a hippie name and Brian Googled "hippie names" and while we were discussing names, I just blurted out "Tabby Hoffman" and they loved it.

I've only had five people know the significance of his name, or at least only five people have said they know. Most people think I've just given my kitty a weird, stupid name. Ha!

It's not weird OR stupid. And I decided tonight that I'm making a minor change in his name. It's Tabbie Hoffman. With an "ie" just like Abbie spelled it.

If you don't know who Abbie Hoffman was, Wikipedia says he was a political and social activist in the 60's and 70's and co-founder of the Youth International Party.  That's not even doing him justice.  Google him.  You'll be amazed.  He died 23 years ago.  I often wonder what he would think of things today.

I think he was pretty dang awesome.  And so I named my kitty after him.  



This is Tabbie Hoffman Schneider.  Big-eyed pretty boy looking up at the ceiling fan and playing with my badge from work.

And I think he's pretty dang awesome, too.