Pizzicatta's Page
Patti
and Hannah
found Pizzi on August 23, 2002, on a construction site, under a pile of
steel rods. Her fur had bits of dried concrete stuck in clumps all over
her, and she was screaming her head off. 
We
will never know
how she got there, but we do know that for the pack of wild dogs
roaming the neighbourhood that morning she would have made a tasty
nack. We brought her home, fed her and took her to JSPCA in Jerusalem.
The vet there guessed that she was about 4 weeks old.
Since
then, she
has become Hannah's constant companion. Pizzi became Hannah's puppy.
During her kittenhood Pizzi slept curled in Hannah's tummy or on
Hannah's head. Hannah bathed her daily.
Pizzi spent many happy hours attacking Hannah's tail, ears, nose and
feet, and sweet, gentle Hannah, like any good mother, put up with these
depredations. To this day, Pizzi still purrs when she sees Hannah.
Hannah is Pizzi's best friend and her security. 
When
we adopted
Pizzi, we had a couple of tiny stuffed animals. One was a blue bear
about the size of the kitten. It became her favourite toy.
She still carries her bear all around the house, upstairs, downstairs,
to bed, to breakfast. Sometimes she tries to give her bear a drink (or
perhaps a bath) by dunking it in the water dish.
Pizzi
invented a
game that she used to play with her bear. In our house in occupied East
Jerusalem, we kept spare plastic bags in a bigger plastic bag in the
corner behind the china cabinet. It was in an alcove under the stairs.
Pizzi and the bear discovered that they could climb the stairs to the
landing, about 2.5 m up, and jump off, landing on the soft mattress of
plastic bags. Pizzi would then scramble off the bags, grab her bear in
her mouth, and climb back up the stairs to her diving platform. She
would poise herself, bear firmly in mouth, and dive off again. This
game used to go on for half an hour or more, round and round, until she
and bear fell asleep together on the pile of bags.
At
other times there were other games. Some games were with bear. Some
were not. It is amazing how much fun a cat can have in an open dish
washer, for example.
Pizzi has
adapted well to being a Canadian cat. As she has always been an indoor
cat, she didn't have to learn a new neighbourhood, only a new house. As
long as the meals are regular, Hannah is available for snuggles and
there are soft warm places to sleep, she seems thoroughly content.
During the holiday season,
she plays with the Christmas ornaments and climbs the Christmas tree.
She enjoys playing with her catnip toys for a change, but bear remains
her favourite, and one of the constants in her life.
Bear
still finds
his way up and down from the back corners of the basement to the center
of our bed on the third floor. None of the other animals ever touch
that little blue bear, although all other toys seem to be community
property.
Pizzi, now an
adult cat of 4 years, continues to act out her fantasies, carrying bear
around the house and growling as fiercely as is possible for a 3 kg
tabby cat. As long as she has her Hannah and her bear, all is right in
her little world.
 |
This page was updated on 26 November 2007.Contact me at: patti.primeau@sympatico.caThis site was edited using Nvu and Style Master. |