17 of 63

Write now Article Tools

I can't even recall what her given name was when we acquired her, I just remember that she was about six or seven months old, and in danger of losing her little kitty life because her current owner considered her to be untrainable. Well as luck would have it she turned out to actually be litter trained so a few of my concerns about adopting this tiny terror were laid to rest the first night of her arrival. Unfortunately, her previous owner was right in her judgement of this sweet looking little bundle of fluff, she was indeed one little grey furball of pure uncontrollable trouble.

She enjoyed the taste of human food, and she didn't care who's plate she was able to steal it from, or whether or not that person was in the process of eating it when she swooped in to snatch it. She would skitter across the kitchen table knocking everything in her pathway off as she flew through grabbing food as she went. As we began to figure out what she was up to, we began firmly grabbing onto our cups and plates as soon as we heard the sound of little claws gearing up for a rapid run in our direction.

Foiled in her attempts at destruction within the kitchen she took to attacking the remainder of the house with a vengeance.

She hung off the clothes in my closet and the drapes in the living room. Clawed her way along the bottom of our couch till I gave up and invested in a wooden sofa. She even managed to open the Christmas presents under our tree? I was beginning to think that this little piece of fur must have come accompanied by a whole pack of other beasts that she kept hidden throughout the house for whenever she chose to call on their aide. How could one little kitty cause so much damage?

She adored the fact that I owned a fish tank and she fell in love with the idea of figuring out a way to gain ownership of the tank's occupants. This was a rather good thing because it managed to occupy her itty little mind for hours at a time. She never did succeed in her quest to dine on a fish dinner but she certainly did acquire a few unscheduled baths in her attempts.

She was on the verge of being named 'That damn cat', but it turned out that Kricket had a strange attraction for little creatures that hopped, and she had an annoying habit of dragging them into the house with her every chance that she got.

Now you would think that a person would get used to having grasshoppers and krickets suddenly springing out at you with every step you take, but for some reason it would appear that this is a little surprise, that a person's heart just never quite gets used to. These critters were coming at us from all directions. They found their way into every room in the house, under furniture as often as on top of it, in cupboards (gosh knows how?) and even into the fridge and stove! We had to shake our beds before we could turn in for the evening or we would be sure to find a hopper or two under the covers with us. This cat was turning out to be a miniature Godzilla. A one kitty reign of terror! Thank god this yearly invasion of the grass croppers only lasted during the summer months or our little adopted baby may have found herself gift wrapped and placed onto the front step of some other unsuspecting pet lover's home.

Kricket lived to around fourteen years of age, and I am sure that somewhere up in kitty heaven there are probably a few little green and brown hoppy creatures, still complaining about her previous behavior down here on Earth.

Learn more about this author, Ladymermaid.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Testimonies: How my cats got their names?
We want to hear your view. Write now!