There is a certain sense of magic and mystery when a black kitten you have placed in a room and behind whom you carefully closed the door, appears a few minutes later running across your feet in a different room. (I believe I could hear distinctly in a small kitty voice, "Born to be WILD" trailing behind her) This has been happening all too frequently to me. As usual the door, when checked, is still closed and the other black and white kitten is still obediently inside the room.

I am too curious!   I must know how this happens.   After replacing the "magic kitten" inside the room I then sat down to watch the closed door. The entertainment value of this is not much above watching grass grow. A good time to reflect on how I got into this to start with.

These two kittens were first discovered in a horse barn in Indiana. Not an ordinary horse barn but the home of Pat and Cheryl O'Donnell's famous Hidden River Babson/Brown Arabians. (perhaps the magic began there?) These kittens streaked from the hay stack to the fence post pile to the grain barrels, always out of reach, just barely in sight. Despite a few friendly tame kittens begging to be played with, Bruce darted after these wild things at every opportunity determined to catch and tame them. By the second day he had learned their pathways and would wait until one came and snag it as it dashed by.

Before the visit was over, an airline kennel, an airline ticket for the kennel, a vets health certificate were all obtained for two very ungrateful kittens. Finding an under seat airline kennel (in a unfamiliar town) of the airline designated dimensions took us to 4 different stores and right up to the 9 p.m. closing time before the right size was found. While watching fireflies playing in the trees, we constructed a small box to hold the kitty gritty.   The next morning we made a final visit to the barn to see the horses one more time (and for Bruce to scan the barn one more time for wild things!) Then off to the airport to go home, unhappy kittens and all. The Hidden River Importation had begun.

The flight was surprisingly quiet. I had expected loud crying from under the seat in front of Bruce's feet.  We learned that wild kittens tame down very quickly on an airline!

Hmmm… Still no sign of the "magic kitten" on this side of the door... and the Time Monster says my time is up for watching closed doors.  The Time Monster forever snaps at my heels.   I went back to working.  Moments later I heard a small noise and dashed back to see an *Imported Indiana Barn kitten sitting on my side of the door!!!

I have yet to see it happen.  This could be a VERY unusual kitten!

It is a good thing Bruce imported only kittens!  Adding to his stallion collection from Hidden River would have been really interesting... Just TRY to keep those boys in their pastures !!!

Diana    "Still Mystified"

The Magic Kitten Tudoe with her spotted buddy  Puzzle