The Miracle of December 20th, 2009

That morning, I went to a cat shelter to drop off two $50 donations (one from me and the other from my mom) in honor of Kittling's memory.  While I was there, several cats befriended me right away, and I knew that someday, when the time was right, I'd be capable of welcoming a new cat into my home.

Later that afternoon, I had to play a band job at Prairie Lanes in Markesan, Wisconsin.  As I was carrying my drums into the hall, I head Mark Wenzlaff, the guitar player, say, "Hey look, a cat!"  I peered around Keith Gennerman's truck, and couldn't believe my eyes.  A cute, black kitten came wandering up through the parking lot to where the band and I were unloading our cars.  Instantly I thought of Kittling, because this was exactly how I found her -- as a stray in the parking lot of a rural dance hall on a cold, Winter day.

I cautiously approached the kitten, but must have moved to fast to catch it because it scooted away.  After I carried all of my drums into the hall, I went around the side of the building, found the kitten, carefully approached it, and was surprised when the kitten let me pick it up.  It's motor started up loud and clear.  I could see that it was a stray, but that it also was living in a shed adjacent to the building where it had a little cardboard shelter with food and water.  Instead of putting the kitten into my car, I let it go into the shed and decided to inquire about the kitten inside the dance hall.

Clyde (of Bonnie & Clyde's Polka Palace, located inside Prairie Lanes) said the kitten suddenly showed up about a month earlier and began hanging around the building.  He and Bonnie set up a little shelter inside an adjacent shed and provided the kitten with a heated pad so that it wouldn't freeze.  (Their efforts undoubtedly saved the kitten's life.)  I expressed an interest in the kitten and asked if they would consider giving it to me for adoption.  Both Bonnie and Clyde were happy to see it go to a safe, warm home.  After the band job, Clyde coaxed the kitten out from the shed and plunked it right into my arms.  A young family member of theirs gave the kitten the name of Snickers.  She requested that the name not be changed, so the name stayed.

He is officially named Snickers Frederic Pepperton Brusky in honor of two cherished pets the family has known over the years, Freddy and Pepper.  Snickers is a fantastic cat.  I would never have imagined I'd ever find another stray that had Kittling's uniquely affectionate disposition, but this one has it.  Being so young, he's quite a handful (he's my Black Tornado) but I'm enjoying every moment.

I have no doubt that Kittling -- my beloved angel in heaven -- hand-picked this cat and chose her birthday on which to guide it to me, knowing I'd recognize it as a sign of her work.  She must have felt that I was ready to share my home with a new cat, even though I'm still saddened by her loss and was quite apprehensive about taking that big of a step so soon.  Kittling knew that I would never turn down a stray cat that would find me the same way she did.

In addition to a page on Facebook with over 100 fans, Snickers has a web page at: www.tombrusky.com/snickers

February 7, 1993: The Day Kittling Found Me

I looked through Kittling's medical records and discovered that her first visit to the vet was on Thursday, February 11th, 1993.  That would mean that the Sunday we met must have been the 7th.  I found my old date book from 1993 and verified the day.

I was playing a band job with Ed Hause at the Cedar Creek Inn (later renamed the Country Keg) which is north of Milwaukee, just outside of Cedarburg.  What I remember from that day is Ed walking into the hall from the parking lot mentioning that there was a cat outside, and that it was sitting on his truck's bumper.  I went outside, and what I found was a tiny, stray, black and white kitten sitting on top of the rear tire of his truck, inside the wheel well.

   See area on Google Maps
Aerial photo of the Country Keg.  The red dot shows where I first saw Kittling in
the rear parking lot of the dance hall.

I was drawn to the kitten because it was so small trying to meow.  I had absolutely no experience with cats, so I was too afraid to pick it up.  But, I still wanted to help it.  Hoping it wouldn't scurry away, I slowly approached and stooped down by the tire, talked in a soothing voice, and thought maybe the kitten would walk onto my back.  And it did!  I then opened the back door of my car, leaned in, and the kiten jumped from my back onto the back seat.

I knew that someone might have been looking for this kitten, so after the job, I drove around to the two or three houses that were nearby.  (It is a rural area.)  No one claimed the kitten, so that is when I knew it would become mine.

I drove home to my parents' house, and showed the kitten to my mom and my brother.  When I held it, in an instant, it fell asleep in my hands, especially when I rubbed underneath its chin.  Since my house was not very safe for a cat (too many dangers) I gave the kitten to my friend, Michele, who took it home and cared for it for a few days while I got the house kitten-ready.

---

Getting To Know Kittling

Nobody knew what gender the cat was.  Michele guessed it was a male, and I was fine with that, so for the first few days, I referred to the cat as a he.  In fact, when I looked back at Kittling's first vet bill, her name was listed as Arthur.  Needless to say, the vet's office set me straight about her gender right away.

Now that I had her gender correct, I needed to know her age.  Again, looking at her first vet bill, her age was listed as three months, which would put her estimated birth date at November 11th.  I also remember another person, possibly another veterinarian, estimating that she was as young as six weeks old.  Judging by her young looks, I subscribed to the latter estimate, figuring she was six to nine weeks old.  Years later, I gave her an official birth date of December 20th.

Because she was so congested and constantly blowing junk out of her nose, I decided a cute cat name for her would be Snotts, even though she would still be called Kitty by everyone.   Snotts became her proper name for a few months before Michele came up with the name Kittling.  I and everyone else liked the name Kittling, so that's what it became, although most of us still called her Kitty Kitty.

---

Kittling's Unique Personality

Every cat has an individuality that makes them special.  Kittling was no exception.  Over the years, she developed particular habits and routines that made her the wonderful, unique cat she was.

• She was as curious as any other cat, and loved to explore.  Whether it was a door to the laundry chute or a crawlspace, one mention of the phrase "magic door" and she was ready to go inside and start exploring.

• Kittling was fascinated by bedding.  When I would put freshly-washed sheets onto my bed, she would scurry around the bed in a frenzy, somtimes trapping herself underneath the sheets.

• She and I played this game where I'd be working on the computer, but I knew she had walked into the room, sat down, and was staring at me.  I'd turn to look at her, and she would perk up while making this cute meow sound.  I'd turn back to my computer, wait a few seconds, then look at her again, and she'd make the same sound.  We would do this five to ten times before her cuteness won over and I 'd feel compelled to pick her up.

• Another game we played was Hide and Seek.  I'd make eye contact with her, then dash off into another room.  She'd come trotting in after me and start looking in all of the hiding places.  She'd find me, I'd pet her, then run off to hide in another room.

• When I was away, Kittling would be in her grandma's care.  At night, after brushing her teeth before bed, my mom would routinely scratch Kittling tummy.  Kittling loved it so much that, all the rest of her years, she would flop over onto her back just from the smell of minty mouthwash.

• She didn't do this very often, but on occasion, Kittling would jump onto my computer printer and attack the paper coming out of it. 
  

• Like all cats, sometimes Kittling got into a fiesty mood.   I would curl my hand up like a cobra snake, and she would attack my hand.  The way she'd bat at my hand was so cute, because she was such a small cat.

• Sometimes she would follow me to the basement when I was doing laundry.  In later years, she would wait on the steps until I had a basket full of clean, warm laundry.  I'd set the basket down, she'd crawl on top, and I'd carry her all the way back upstairs in the basket.
  

• Many dogs go around in circles when they know they're about to go outside.  Kittling did, too.  All I had to do was show Kittling her leash, or say "Wanna go outside?", and she would walk to the door and circle around like a dog.
  

• She loved watching birds.  Her eyes would get huge aa she'd watch with extreme intensity.  On occasion, she'd get too excited and lunge toward a bird, hitting her head on the window screen.
  

• She loved fresh water, and she always knew where to find it.  I had a fishbowl with plastic fish on my entertainment center, and one day she found it.  For months afterward, she'd jump up there to find water, so I kept tjhe bowl filled with fresh water. Otherwise she loved to drink right from the bathroom or kitchen taps.
  

• One of her favorite games was batting soft pompom balls out of the air.  She'd crouch in the ready position, then I'd snap one into the air over her head.  She'd jump up, and with amazing precision, would knock it out of the air.  Sometimes she would execute an amazing backflip.
  

• Without a doubt, her favorite toy was the laser pen.  Many nights, we did this routine where she'd chase the laser light from my bedroom, through the kitchen, and up the kitchen door.  She'd jump up the door to try to catch the light, and then she'd chase it back into the bedroom.

• In her later years Kittling suffered hearing loss, but became excellent at understanding hand signals.  She understood "come here", "follow me", "wait a moment" and "see you later."
  

• When I was working a steady 9-5 job, she knew when I would be coming home.  I'd often find her sitting at the window, waiting.  When I got to the door, she'd meow whenever I jingled my keys.  When I finally opened the door, she'd be so happy to see me.

• Kittling loved to eat grass.  I'd often take her for walks around the yard, and her first order of business was always to fill up on grass.

• She loved to be held like a burping baby.  Sometimes I'd be doing the dishes and she would walk into the kitchen and meow.  I could tell that all she wanted was to be held like that, and that's what I did.
  

• If she was in a playful mood and lying on her side, I would put my hands by her feet and she'd push off of my hands and glide along the carpeting.  Sometimes she would do this several times in a row.
  

• Whenever I ran a space heater, she would do this weird thing where she'd start pawing at the floor in front of the heater as if she were trying to dig underneath it

• Kittling liked to play with her water.  Sometimes I'd come home and find half the water in her dish splashed all over the table.  I tried to stop her from wasting water, but finally gave up and placed a towel underneath her dish.  In later years she stopped playing with her water, but never shed the habit of moving her front paw whenever she drank water from a dish.

• If there was something nearby to sit in or on, Kittling found it.  She loved to sit on books and papers, and if there was an empty box sitting on the floor, she'd rub her face against the corners before making her way into it.