The Rockster

Our new kitten, Rocky, has been with us a week, and already he has made a place for himself in our family. He is now seven weeks old, and weighs a whopping 1-1/2 pounds! Tom and Diamond have accepted him as an annoyance that’s probably not going to go away, and they are showing more interest in him. Tom tackles him for a daily bath, and Diamond mothers him by following him around the house and nudging him when she thinks he is heading in the wrong direction. Laughter is now a common sound in our home, as he entertains us with his kitten antics.

We named him Rocky, because we want him to grow up to be tough and to be a fighter. He needs a big name to live up to. It’s a cruel world outside of our barn home, and predators are out there hungry to nab a helpless little animal. It happened to our little Max early one morning last November. He was our sweet and happy little adopted kitty, who, full-grown, only weighed about eight pounds. He wasn’t a fighter. Diamond found him on the side of the road when he was about eight weeks old, and he let her drag him around like a rag doll. He never fought back with her, which I believe was his downfall. When something outside nabbed him in the early morning hours, he probably reacted the way he did when Diamond picked him up in her mouth, and let whatever it was drag him off into the woods. We never saw him again. Both Phil and I mourned for months, and wondered if we would ever want to chance bringing another kitty into our home.

Rocky has changed our minds on this issue in the week that he has been here. Rocky, unlike Max, arches his back like a miniature Halloween cat and gives Diamond a swift jab across her snout when she gets too dominant with him. He is letting her know in his own way that he’s not going to let her push him around! He also is fascinated with Tom’s tail, and has sent him flying to the upper rafters, just to escape his pestering. He is fearless and will attack anything, including our feet and shoes, a plastic bag, or a piece of dust on the floor. He is too busy most of the time to be affectionate, but I am hoping that he will discover that my lap is a good place to take a nap. Right now, he simply crashes in mid-play, and takes his naps wherever he happens to land.

Rocky is home.